Michala Elizabeth Laurinda Banas (born 14 November 1978) is a New Zealand television actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Marissa Taylor in Always Greener and as Kate Manfredi in McLeod's Daughters.
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Early life
Banas was born in Wellington, New Zealand, one of three children, including brothers Leon and Alexis, to award-winning screenwriter and director John Banas, who has written scripts for series such as Blue Heelers and Water Rats. She is of New Zealand, English, Scottish and German descent.
Banas starred in her first television advertisement at only 18 months of age, playing the part of a kiwi in a Labour Party election campaign ad. She became interested in acting at a young age, when her father took her to theatre rehearsals with him. She also studied ballet for a short period, and took piano lessons from a cabaret singer, learning to play by ear.
Banas moved to Australia with her family at age 10, when her father decided to seek directing work there. She undertook her final two years of high school at a private girls' school in Queensland. She decided not to attend university, opting instead to move to Melbourne to pursue acting as a career.
Career
Banas' first film performance was at the age of five, in 1986 New Zealand action film Dangerous Orphans. She made her Australian debut as Louisa Iredale in the miniseries Mirror, Mirror in 1995, which saw her nominated for Best Young Actress at the New Zealand Television Awards in 1996.
After guesting in several television series, including Good Guys, Bad Guys, State Coroner, Murder Call, and Blue Heelers, Banas played recurring roles in 2000 as Ariel in children's comedy series Round the Twist and Angela O'Connor in Something in the Air. After five years in Melbourne, she relocated to Sydney when she landed her first major role as rebellious teenager Marissa Taylor in Seven Network drama series Always Greener in 2001, alongside John Howard and Anne Tenney. She played the role for two seasons until the show's cancellation in 2003. During this time, she also had a small role in the 2002 film adaptation of Scooby-Doo, featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.
Banas is an accomplished singer, and in 2003 released a country-pop single, "Kissin' The Wind", written by Meredith Brooks, which made the top 30 on the Australian Recording Industry Association singles chart.
In 2004, Banas joined the cast of McLeod's Daughters as the character Kate Manfredi, former school friend of Jodi Fountain McLeod, why began working as a farmhand. She played the role until 2008, choosing to leave the series just before it was announced that it would be the show's last season. From November 2008, with only two days notice, she then took over the role of Libby Kennedy on the Australian soap opera Neighbours for a five-week period, after Kym Valentine was forced to take a temporary break due to illness.
In 2009, Banas filled in for Fox FM's Jo Stanley on The Matt and Jo Show, while Stanley was on maternity leave. Banas made her stage debut in the Broadway musical comedy Avenue Q in 2009, her performance earning her a Helpmann Award, She has since starred on stage in several productions for Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) and is the co-artistic director of independent theatre company The KIN Collective. Banas was one of three celebrity faces endorsing Proactiv skincare in Australia and New Zealand.
From 2011 to 2012, Banas had a recurring guest role as Tiffany Turner on the drama series Winners & Losers and a supporting role in ABC3 teen drama Nowhere Boys as Phoebe. In 2012, she appeared alongside Lachy Hulme and Shane Jacobson as Carolyn Russell in 2012 TV movie Beaconsfield, the true story of the Beaconsfield Mine collapse. The following year, she began a three-season run, starring opposite Robyn Nevin as Amber Wheeler in ABC comedy series Upper Middle Bogan.
Personal life
Banas married Kade Greenland in January 2014 after dating for two years, but the pair split in December of the same year, after being married for only 11 months.
After dating for three-and-a-half years, Banas married actor Toby Truslove in June 2019, eloping in New York's Central Park. The pair had not previously announced their engagement publicly.
Banas is an ambassador for Kidney Health Australia. As a child, she suffered from recurrent urinary tract infections for the first six years of her life, after which doctors discovered she had been born with a kidney defect. She subsequently had her left kidney removed.
Banas became an Australian citizen in 2024. Her father, screenwriter and director John Banas, unexpectedly died at the end of 2025.