Tuuli Narkle
Tuuli Narkle | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Notable work | Mystery Road: Origin NCIS: Sydney |
Tuuli Narkle is an Australian TV and stage actress. She is best known for her turns as Mary Swan on Mystery Road: Origin and Constable Evie Cooper on NCIS: Sydney. For her role on Mystery Road: Origin in she won the 2022 AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama.
Early life and education
Tuuli Narkle was born in Western Australia. She is of Aboriginal Australian and Finnish descent. She is a Noongar woman of the Yued and Wiilman cultural blocs,[1] with familial ties to the York and Goldfields regions.[2][3] She learnt cultural dance at a young age.[4][1] While at high school, she was obsessed with the relationship between NCIS characters Gibbs and DiNozzo.[3]
Narkle was accepted into the John Curtin College of the Arts to study acting, and at the same time continued to train as a dancer at the Charlesworth Ballet Institute.[4][1] After taking a major acting role on stage in Stolen, by Jane Harrison, directed and produced by Leah Purcell, Narkle auditioned for the National Institute of Dramatic Art, from which she graduated with bachelor in fine arts in 2018.[3]
Career
Stage
Narkle began her career on stage with an appearance as Ruby in Stolen by Jane Harrison.[2]
In 2019 she appeared in Winyanboga Yurringa at Belvoir Street Theatre,[5] and in Nakkiah Lui's Black is the New White.[6]
In 2021 Narkle played the part of Evonne Goolagong Cawley in the stage show Sunshine Super Girl[7] and in 2022 played Helen in Emme Hoy's adaptation of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.[8]
Screen
Narkle played a lead role in the ABC comedy series All My Friends Are Racist in 2021.[9] In 2022 she played a younger version of Tasma Walton's character Mary Swan in Mystery Road: Origin, a prequel series to Mystery Road, opposite Mark Coles Smith as detective Jay Swan.[10]
In 2023 Narkle appeared in the drama series Bad Behaviour.[11] Also in 2023, she played AFP liaison officer Constable Evie Cooper in the Network 10/Paramount+ series NCIS: Sydney.[12] She played Keeley Redford in the 2024 Netflix drama series Territory.[13]
Narkle reprises her lead role as Mary Swan in the second season of Mystery Road: Origin, which premiered on 21 September 2025 on ABC TV, with all episodes available on iview.[14]
Awards
For her performance in Mystery Road: Origin she won the 2022 AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama.[15]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | All My Friends Are Racist | Belle / Nicole | 5 episodes |
| 2022-present | Mystery Road: Origin | Mary | 12 episodes (2 seasons) |
| 2023 | Bad Behaviour | Miss Lacey | 4 episodes |
| 2023–present | NCIS: Sydney | Evie Cooper | Main role |
| 2024 | Territory | Keeley Redford | 5 episodes |
References
- ^ a b c "Tuuli Narkle". www.jc.wa.edu.au. John Curtin College of the Arts. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
Tuuli Narkle is a Yued and Wiilman Noongar woman from South West, Western Australia.
- ^ a b Mayoh, Lisa (13 November 2022), "Tuuli's a Rising Star whose allowed to be loud", The Sunday Telegraph
- ^ a b c "WA actor Tuuli Narkle was an NCIS superfan, now she is part of its first global spin-off, NCIS: Sydney". The West Australian. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Tuuli Narkle". Opera Australia. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ Nguyen, Justine (9 May 2019), "Winyanboga Yurringa (Belvoir Street Theatre)", Limelight Magazine
- ^ Woodhead, Cameron (6 October 2019), "Black is the new white for Australian social satire", The Age
- ^ Syren, Mikele (15 January 2021), "'Super Girl' Goolagong Cawley celebrated in new play", NITV News
- ^ Shand, John (16 June 2021), "How do you adapt an unwieldy 500-page novel for the stage? Well, it's not easy", Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Hirst, Jordan (24 August 2021), "Queer ABC series 'All My Friends Are Racist' features wild rimming scene", Q News
- ^ Clark, Rhiannon (13 July 2022), "For Tuuli Narkle, portraying Mystery Road's Mary Allen was a deeply emotional, painful journey", National Indigenous Times
- ^ O'loughlin, Ciara (17 February 2023), "Stan release all episodes of their gritty teenage Original series Bad Behaviour about shocking bullying at an all-girls school", Daily Mail Australia
- ^ Knox, David (13 June 2023). "Olivia Swann, Todd Lasance lead NCIS: Sydney cast". TV Tonight. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ Bentley, Jean (24 October 2024). "Territory: Everything to Know About the Australian Outback Drama". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ Rutherford, Anne (25 September 2025). "'Mystery Road: Origin Season 2: The next instalment in a hard-hitting franchise' by Anne Rutherford". Australian Book Review. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ Story, Hannah (7 December 2022), "Elvis and Mystery Road: Origin are big winners at AACTA Awards 2022", ABC News
External links
- Tuuli Narkle at IMDb
- Tuuli Narkle on AusStage