Childhood & Early Life
Penelope Mitchell was born on July 24, 1991, in Melbourne, Victoria. Her father is an Australian entrepreneur, and her mother is a French visual artist. She has two older brothers. She learned ballet from age 4 to 16.
Mitchell attended ‘Melbourne University’ and intended to pursue a career in law. She earned a bachelor’s degree in media and communication and was among the top one percent students in her graduating class. During college, she continued to perform and write regularly for various publications.
After graduation, Mitchell moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.
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Career
In 2009, Mitchell made her TV debut with the role of ‘Sarah’ in an episode of the Australian police drama ‘Rush.’ The show was set in Melbourne, Victoria, and focused on the members of a police tactical response team.
In 2011, Mitchell appeared in an episode of the Australian comedy–drama ‘Offspring,’ as ‘Chrissy.’ Filmed in Melbourne, the show focused on the life of an obstetrician as she navigated the chaos of modern life. The same year, Mitchell debuted in films with four short films: ‘The Fat Lady Swings’ (as ‘Sherry’), ‘Nightshift of the Vampire’ (as ‘Sofia’), ‘The Grace of Others’ (as ‘Grace’), and ‘Meth to Madness’ (as ‘Zoe’).
In 2012, Mitchell appeared in two more short films: ‘The Wishful’ (as ‘Lula Doe’/‘Princess Lula’) and ‘Green Eyed’ (as ‘Sarah’). She was also part of the film ‘6 Plots’ (also known as ‘Six Graves’), playing ‘Jules Freeman.’
In 2013, Mitchell received her first breakthrough role when she was cast as a season regular, ‘Letha Godfrey,’ in the Netflix Original horror web series ‘Hemlock Grove.’ The series was based on McGreevy’s 2012 novel of the same name. The series was nominated for a ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ and was thus ‘Netflix’s first-ever nomination for original online web TV, along with ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘House of Cards.’ The same year, Mitchell also appeared in the film ‘The Joe Manifesto,’ playing the role of ‘Sue.’
Mitchell received her next recurring role, as ‘Olivia ‘Liv’ Parker,’ in the supernatural teen drama ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ in 2014. The series was based on the popular book series of the same name by the writer Lisa Jane Smith. The series won three ‘People’s Choice Awards’ and seven ‘Teen Choice Awards’. The same year, Mitchell also appeared in the film ‘The Fear of Darkness,’ as ‘Skye Williams.’
In the year 2015, Mitchell appeared in four films, including a short film named ‘The Waiting Game.’ She played ‘Laci’/‘Jennifer’ in the political thriller film ‘Zipper.’ She appeared as ‘Tracy’ in another thriller film, ‘The Curse of Downers Grove.’ She was seen as ‘Ella Rutledge’ in the horror–thriller film ‘Curve’ and as ‘Erica’ in the short film ‘The Waiting Game.’ Meanwhile, she continued to appear as a season regular in ‘The Vampire Diaries.’ However, her character was “killed” in the season finale. She also appeared in the music video for Brandon Flower’s song ‘Lonely Town.’
The year 2017 saw Mitchell starring as ‘Jennifer Conrad’ in the horror film ‘Apartment 212’ (aka ‘Gnaw’). Her character in the movie was that of a small-town girl in a big city, fleeing an abusive relationship and plagued by a demonic presence in her sleep.
In 2018, Mitchell essayed the role of ‘Lauren’ in the TV movie ‘The Time Capsule.’ The movie revolved around a few high-school friends digging up their time capsule to re-create their best high-school moments. The same year, Mitchell appeared in three films: as ‘Jina’ in ‘The Midwife’s Deception,’ as ‘Lily’ in ‘Look Away,’ and as ‘Billi’ in ‘Between Worlds.’ She shared screen space with actor Nicolas Cage in ‘Between Worlds.’
In 2019, Mitchell was cast as ‘Ganeida the Witch’ in the superhero film ‘Hellboy.’ The film was based on the ‘Dark Horse’ comic characters of the same name. She is set to appear in the film’s reboot, ‘Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen.’
