Geraldine Hakewill

Geraldine Hakewill
Born 1987 (age 36–37)
Paris, France
Occupations
Years active 2008–present
Known for
Spouse Mark Leonard Winter (married 2021–present)

Geraldine Hakewill (born 1987) is an Australian-raised actress, who as Geri is also a singer and songwriter. She acted as Chelsea Babbage in the Australian TV series Wanted for three seasons from 2016 to 2018 and Peregrine Fisher the titular character in Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries for two seasons from 2019 to 2021.

Early life and education

Hakewill was born in Paris in 1987, where her parents were living while her father, Peter Hakewill, a general practitioner, was working in tropical disease management. At nine months old, her family moved to Geneva, Switzerland, and then to Chennai in south India, where they practised meditation in an ashram. Her mother Elizabeth later taught meditation. Hakewill grew up in Sydney from age four with a younger brother, Lucas. In March 1994 her father set up an Australian agency for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) to attract local doctors. When Hakewill was 14 years old her parents divorced. Her father remarried, and she has two step-siblings and two half-siblings.

Hakewill graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

Career

Acting

She played Beth in the 2010 Australian film Uninhabited directed by Bill Bennett, and played Ella in 2011 Australian thriller Wasted on the Young. In August to September of that year she took the role of Tiny in the theatre play, Sweet Bird andsoforth at ATYP Studio. She has appeared in productions for the Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir St Theatre and Bell Shakespeare Company. Also in 2011, she played Angela in a production of the play Heaven by Kit Brookman, performed at the Old 505 Theatre in Surry Hills, Sydney.

Hakewill secured the starring role of Chelsea Babbage in all three seasons of TV thriller, Wanted (2016–2018) for which she received a TV Week Logie Award nomination for Most Outstanding Newcomer in 2017. From 2019 she starred in Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries a spin-off of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (2012–2015) TV series, which was based on Kerry Greenwood's novels. She took the lead and titular character of Peregrine Fisher for two seasons (2019, 2021). She was hoping for a third season, however as of October 2022 there has been no confirmation from its broadcaster Seven Network.

In 2019 Hakewill also had a recurring role as prison inmate Kylee Webb on the seventh season of Wentworth. At the Darlinghurst Theatre Company in that year, she played the shy character of Mari in the play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, where she also showcased her vocal talents.

In 2021, she played Dr. Kareena Wells in ABC's eight-part psych ward drama, Wakefield. Filming had begun but bush fires during 2019/2020 pushed the production to the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, which then were also affected by fires. In March 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic shut down shooting for five months, and the cast were able to secure the government JobKeeper payments during the hiatus.

Music

In Wanted season 2 episode 2 Hakewill, in character, sang her rendition of "Angel" originally by Sarah McLachlan. Under the moniker Geri, the artist's music career spans folk and jazz. She is inspired by musicians, Karen O and Feist. Her self-written four-track extended play (EP) You've Never Seen This Smile, was released on 28 March 2018. An EP track, "Healing" was used in the final episodes of Wanted season 3 in October of that year.

Personal life

Hakewill met fellow actor Mark Leonard Winter in 2011, they were engaged in 2017, and married in December 2021. They live in Daylesford, Victoria. She co-starred with Winter in the 2020 film Disclosure. Hakewill announced via an Instagram post on 12 September 2022 that the couple were expecting their first child. Hakewill has revealed her anxiety, which she ameliorates by meditation, "[it] has always been a big part of my self-care mental health practices. The meditation mum teaches is called 'heartfulness', which is a raja yoga meditation: very simple, no chanting. You sit in silence and focus on the heart. I've done that since I was little." Her favourite TV series is The West Wing, her favourite movie Amélie and she dreams of one day working with actress Juliette Binoche. One of her friends is fashion designer Bianca Spender.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Uninhabited Beth Main role
2011 Wasted on the Young Ella
2014 Ad Nauseam April
2017 The Pretend One Charlie
2018 Flotsam Jetsam Jasmine
2020 Disclosure Bek Chalmers
2023 The Rooster — Producer

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Rescue: Special Ops Shona Lankford 1 episode
2013 Camp Kendra Huffington 2 episodes
2015 Australia: The Story of Us Bridget Hayes 1 episode
2016 Soul Mates Miss Murphy 4 episodes
2017 Here Come the Habibs! Sally 1 episode
2017 Pulse Connie 1 episode
2018 Wanted Chelsea Babbage 18 episodes
2019 Wentworth Kylee Webb 1 episode
2019–21 Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries Peregrine Fisher 12 episodes
2021 Wakefield Dr. Kareena Wells 8 episodes
2022 Boy & Bear State of Flight Woman
2022 This Is Your Life: Rebecca Gibney Self 1 episode
2023 Five Bedrooms Victoria 2 episodes