Yael Stone
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Yael Stone is an Australian actress. She has worked extensively in Australian theatre and has won two Sydney Theatre Awards. On screen, she is best known for her portrayal of Lorna Morello in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black.
Key Information
Early life and education
[edit]Yael Stone was born and raised in Sydney, New South Wales, the daughter of Judy, a nurse, and Harry Stone, an architect.[1] Her father was born in Czechoslovakia, to Holocaust survivor parents.[2] Stone's father is from a Jewish family and her mother, who is of Romanian descent, converted to Judaism.[3][4] Her brother, Jake Stone, was the lead singer of the band Bluejuice. Her sister, Elana Stone, is also a musician.[5]
She was a sickly child, spending periods in hospital with asthma and pneumonia, so did not participate in sport. She took speech and drama lessons with a local woman, Robin Fraser, who encouraged her to develop her skills in performing and writing.[6]
Stone attended the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts and then the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).[7]
Career
[edit]Stone began acting as a child, with roles in the film Me Myself I and the miniseries The Farm.[5]
She then worked primarily in theatre. At the 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards, she won the awards for Best Newcomer and Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Kid.[8] From 2010 to 2011, she appeared in The Diary of a Madman (a theatrical adaptation of the Gogol short story), a role for which she was again nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Sydney Theatre Awards.[8] In February 2011, she travelled to New York City to perform in the Brooklyn Academy of Music's production of The Diary of a Madman,[8] before returning to lead roles in A Golem Story, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, and As You Like It in Sydney.[5]
She also worked in television, including supporting roles in All Saints and Spirited.[5]
Stone moved to New York permanently in December 2011 and co-founded an experimental theatre company.[5] After four months in New York, she was cast in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, a show set in a women's prison.[7] Stone played Lorna Morello, a prisoner from Boston; her accent, a mixture of Brooklyn and Boston,[9] was called "the most amazing accent on television" by a journalist for The New Republic,[10] while another reviewer deemed the role to be Stone's "breakout turn".[11] She reprised her role in the show's second season,[12] and was billed as a series regular in the third season.[13]
Stone appeared as dog walker Beth in the HBO and web series High Maintenance in 2016.[14] In 2021, she played Eleona, a barmaid with a mysterious past, in the AMC+ series Firebite, an Indigenous Australian vampire horror comedy series created by Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher.[6]
Stone played British journalist Kate Peyton in a series of flashbacks in the 2024 Australian film The Correspondent, directed by Kriv Stenders, opposite Richard Roxburgh, who portrayed Australian journalist Peter Greste.[15]
Personal life
[edit]In 2012, she married Australian actor Dan Spielman and the couple moved to New York.[11] Stone announced that her marriage had ended in 2016.[17]
Stone started dating Jack Manning Bancroft, founder of Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience.[18] Their first child was born in 2018,[19] and a second child followed in 2022.[20]
On 16 December 2018, The New York Times published an interview with Stone in which she accused Australian actor Geoffrey Rush of sexual misconduct during the production of The Diary of a Madman in 2010 and 2011, including inappropriate texts and unwanted touching.[21] Rush responded in a statement to the Times through his attorneys.[22][23]
On 7 January 2020, midway through the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season, Stone announced her intention to give up her US green card and return to live permanently in Australia and become involved in the "climate war".[24]
Filmography
[edit]Films
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Jailbirds | Lucy | Short film |
| 2017 | The Wilde Wedding | Clementine | |
| 2022 | Blacklight | Helen Davidson | |
| Blaze | Hannah | [25] | |
| 2024 | The Correspondent | Kate Peyton |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–2008 | All Saints | Ann-Maree Preston | TV series, 14 episodes |
| 2010–2011 | Spirited | Linda | TV series, 13 episodes |
| 2013–2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Lorna Morello | TV series, 56 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
| 2015 | Childhood's End | Peretta Jones | Miniseries |
| 2015–2018 | High Maintenance | Beth | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Deep Water | Tori Lustigman | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 2017 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | General Bighorn (voice) | Animated TV series, 1 episode |
| 2018 | Picnic at Hanging Rock | Dora Lumley | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| 2021 | Firebite | Eleona | TV series |
| 2023 | Wellmania | Philomena | TV series |
| Bay of Fires | Robin | TV series | |
| One Night | Hat | TV series[26] |
References
[edit]- ^ McGuire, Michaela (2 May 2015). "The 'kooky' life of Orange Is the New Black's Yael Stone".
- ^ "A Golem Story (interview with Yael Stone)". 18 May 2011.
- ^ McGuire, Michaela (2 May 2015). "The 'kooky' life of Orange Is the New Black's Yael Stone". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ^ "'I'd rather be invisible': Orange is the New Black star Yael Stone speaks about stardom | West Coast Sentinel". Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Spring, Alexandra (12 December 2011). "Actress Yael Stone bites the acting bullet". Vogue Australia. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ a b Stone, Yael (2 February 2022). "An Interview with Yael Stone from 'Firebite'". Nerds That Geek (Interview). Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ a b Cronin, Seanna (2 November 2013). "Yael Stone takes lead in Orange is the New Black". The Toowoomba Chronicle. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ a b c Keenan, Catherine (17 January 2011). "Love's locks lost for brushes with lunacy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ Stone, Jake (8 May 2013). "Yael Stone On Orange Is The New Black, And Trying To Make It In New York". Junkee. Junkee.com. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Bennett, Laura (23 August 2013). "Meet the Australian Actress Who Does the Most Amazing Accent on Television". The New Republic. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Orange is the New Black for Yael Stone". IF Magazine. 15 July 2013.
- ^ Richards, Holly (6 November 2013). "Breakout role for Aussie Yael Stone". The West Australian. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (6 November 2013). "Yael Stone Upped To Regular On 'Orange', Jonathan Adams On 'Last Man Standing'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ Emami, Gazelle (30 September 2016). "How High Maintenance Told an Entire Episode from the Perspective of a Dog". vulture.com. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Russell, Stephen A (14 April 2024). "The Correspondent film review: Australian thriller is vitally important". ScreenHub Australia. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- ^ "Orange is the New Black's Yael Stone Explores Childhood's End". 11 December 2015. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ Stone, Yael (6 July 2017). "For the record; my marriage ended a year ago. An awkward but necessary clarification. I've got amazing people by my side and ❤️ in my heart". Retrieved 6 July 2017 – via Twitter.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ "Actress Yael Stone expecting first baby". Chilli fm. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- ^ "'Orange Is the New Black' Star Welcomes Baby Girl". Celebrity Moms. 14 June 2018.
- ^ @Yael Stone; (9 December 2022). "Firstly, I had a beautiful baby 8 weeks ago and we have a 4 and a half year old". Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022 – via Instagram.
- ^ Weiss, Bari (16 December 2018). "The Cost of Telling a #MeToo Story in Australia". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ Yang, Rachel (17 December 2018). "'OITNB' Actress Yael Stone Accuses Geoffrey Rush of Sexual Harassment". Variety. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Convery, Stephanie; Harmon, Steph (19 December 2018). "Yael Stone's allegations about Geoffrey Rush divide the arts industry". Retrieved 14 December 2021.
- ^ Convery, Stephanie (7 January 2020). "'This is war': actor' Yael Stone gives up us green card and will now live in Australia to fight climate change". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ Blaze at IMDb
- ^ "Cameras roll on One Night, new local drama for Paramount+". TVTonight.com.au. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
External links
[edit]- Yael Stone at IMDb
- 'An Accent Can Tell A Big Story,' Says 'Orange Is The New Black's' Yael Stone (WBUR audio story, including examples of her accent and her influences)
Yael Stone
View on GrokipediaEarly Life and Background
Childhood and Family Origins
Yael Stone was born on March 6, 1985, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, to parents Harry Stone, an architect, and Judy Stone, a nurse.[9][10] Her father was born in Czechoslovakia to Ashkenazi Jewish parents who survived the Holocaust, with his mother being a Romanian Jew, establishing a direct lineage to Eastern European Jewish roots amid the traumas of World War II.[11][10] Stone's mother converted to Judaism, integrating into the family's Jewish cultural framework, though her own ancestry includes possible English heritage.[11][10] The family maintained Jewish traditions, with Stone growing up in Sydney's diverse urban environment, which included exposure to her paternal grandparents' Holocaust survivor experiences shaping household narratives of resilience and identity.[12] She has an older brother, Jake Stone, who pursued music as the lead singer of the Australian band Bluejuice.[11]Education and Initial Interests
Stone attended Balmain Public School in Sydney during her primary years, alongside future actress Rose Byrne.[13] She later progressed to Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, a selective institution emphasizing creative disciplines, where she developed her foundational skills in drama.[14][9][15] Following high school, Stone enrolled at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, Australia's premier drama training institution, completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree.[16][11] NIDA's rigorous program, known for producing leading performers through intensive practical and theoretical training, equipped her with professional acting techniques, including voice, movement, and ensemble work.[11] Stone has reflected that admission to NIDA represented a pivotal choice in pursuing performance over other paths, underscoring its role in solidifying her commitment.[17] From an early age, Stone's interests centered on acting and theatre, with her first on-screen role in the 1999 Australian film Me Myself I at age 14, portraying a supporting character alongside Rachel Griffiths.[17][14] This early exposure, combined with childhood involvement in storytelling and performance, directed her toward theatre as a primary outlet, where she continued to build experience through school productions and initial professional opportunities.[11][14] Her affinity for dramatic arts, rather than alternative pursuits, was evident in her selection of specialized performing arts education, prioritizing immersive creative training.[18]Acting Career
Theatre Achievements and Breakthroughs
Stone graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 2006 and quickly established herself in Australian theatre. Her breakthrough came in 2008 with the role in The Kid at the Sydney Theatre Company, earning her the Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Newcomer, recognizing her as a rising talent shortly after graduation.[4][19] Building on this success, Stone took on varied supporting roles in 2009, including performances in Elling, Frankenstein, and Lady Bird with the Sydney Theatre Company, for which she received a nomination for Best Performer at the Sydney Myer Acting Centre (SMAC) Awards.[4] In 2010, she portrayed a key character in Belvoir's production of The Diary of a Madman, directed by Benedict Andrews and starring Geoffrey Rush, securing her second Sydney Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[20][21][4] After gaining international recognition in television, Stone returned to the stage in 2019, starring as Maureen Folan in the Sydney Theatre Company's The Beauty Queen of Leenane, a Martin McDonagh play directed by Paige Rattray, which earned multiple nominations at the 2019 Sydney Theatre Awards, including for Best Production.[22][23][24] More recently, she appeared as Martha Herman in Melbourne Theatre Company's Mother Play in 2023, directed by Lee Lewis.[4] These roles highlight her versatility in classical and contemporary works, often with major Australian companies.Television Roles and International Recognition
Stone's early television work in Australia included a role in the 2001 miniseries The Farm, which depicted a farming family's struggles during the 1980s economic boom.[25] She later appeared as a regular in the medical drama All Saints and the supernatural comedy Spirited.[26] These domestic roles established her presence in Australian broadcasting prior to her international breakthrough. In 2013, Stone relocated to New York City and was cast as Lorna Morello, a prison inmate known for her romantic delusions and stalking conviction, in Netflix's Orange Is the New Black.[1] Initially contracted for a single season, her portrayal evolved into a main character across seven seasons until the series concluded in 2019, contributing to its global viewership and critical acclaim.[27] To embody Morello's Boston-Brooklyn accent, Stone studied regional speech patterns, enhancing the character's authenticity.[28] The Orange Is the New Black role propelled Stone to international recognition, earning her a 2018 Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, shared with the cast.[3] This exposure led to guest appearances, such as Beth in the 2018 episode "Globo" of HBO's High Maintenance.[29] Subsequent projects included the 2016 Australian miniseries Deep Water, where she played Detective Tori Gustafson, and the 2018 Amazon Prime adaptation of Picnic at Hanging Rock, broadening her visibility across streaming platforms.[30][16] Her seven-year stint in New York during this period marked a shift from Australian theatre to U.S.-centric television success.[31]Film and Other Media Appearances
Yael Stone debuted in feature films as a teenager, appearing in the 1999 Australian romantic comedy Me Myself I as Stacey, the adolescent daughter of the protagonist Pamela Drury (played by Rachel Griffiths).[32] The film, directed by Pip Karmel, explores alternate life paths through a Sliding Doors-style narrative.[32] In 2017, Stone took on the role of Clementine in The Wilde Wedding, an American ensemble comedy directed by Damian Harris, featuring stars like Patrick Stewart and Minnie Driver; her character is the free-spirited daughter of the bride. Stone's later film work includes the 2022 action thriller Blacklight, directed by Mark Williams, where she portrayed Helen Davidson, the wife of the protagonist (Liam Neeson).[33] That same year, she appeared as Hannah in Blaze, an Australian biographical drama about journalist Neil Davis, directed by Ben Miller and Del Kathryn Barton.[34] Beyond live-action films, Stone has contributed to other media through narration, including voicing the audiobook Break Me Down published by Random House.[4] No credited voice acting roles in animated feature films or documentary appearances were identified in her portfolio.Critical Reception and Awards
Stone's theatre performances have garnered praise for their emotional depth and physical expressiveness, particularly in Australian productions. In the 2025 Melbourne Theatre Company staging of Mother Play, critics highlighted her portrayal of Martha as "fantastic," noting her effective use of physicality to depict character evolution from adolescence to adulthood.[35] Reviews described her performance as "multi-layered and soul-baring," serving as an emotional anchor amid family dysfunction, with commendations for her alongside co-stars in conveying decades-spanning trauma.[36] Earlier works like The Diary of a Madman (2010) earned similar acclaim for supporting roles that balanced intensity and nuance.[21] Her television role as Lorna Morello in Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019) received positive notice for capturing the character's delusional optimism and underlying pathos. Critics described Morello as "both delusional and delightful," evolving into an "unbearably heartbreaking" figure through Stone's layered depiction of mental fragility and fabricated romance.[37] The portrayal's Boston-New York accent blend and progression to breakdown in later seasons were highlighted for authenticity and emotional impact.[38]| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Theatre Awards | 2008 | Best Newcomer | The Kid | Won[4] |
| Sydney Theatre Awards | 2008 | Best Supporting Actress | The Kid | Won[4] |
| Sydney Theatre Awards | 2010 | Best Supporting Actress | The Diary of a Madman | Won[21] |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2015 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Orange Is the New Black | Won (ensemble)[39] |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2017 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Orange Is the New Black | Won (ensemble)[40] |
| AACTA Awards | 2022 | Best Supporting Actress in a Film | Blaze | Nominated[4] |
