Stephanie McIntosh is an Australian actress and singer. She played the role of Sky Mangel in the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 2003 to 2007. She made a brief appearance for one episode in 2015 as part of the show's 30th anniversary celebrations, and returned on a semi-regular basis in 2020. As a singer, she released her debut album, Tightrope, in September 2006. It peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Background
Stephanie McIntosh was born on 5 July 1985 and grew up in Malvern, Victoria. Her father is John McIntosh and her mother, Sue McIntosh, is a former TV actress and ABC newsreader. McIntosh has two older sisters, Katherine and Olivia. Her mother was previously married to fellow actor, Terence Donovan and are the parents of Jason Donovan, also an actor-singer; he is McIntosh's half-brother. McIntosh attended Firbank and then Melbourne Girls Grammar School, where she recalled "I involved myself in every play and every musical and I did drama classes". She left during Year 12 to start her acting career. McIntosh had worked with stand-up comedian and part-time dancer, Tommy Dassalo, in a high-school musical.
Career
2001–2007: Acting career and ''Neighbours''
McIntosh's acting debut was in the film The Wilde Girls as Carrie, alongside Olivia Newton-John. She followed with a role on Australian kids' TV show, The Legacy of the Silver Shadow. In 2003 McIntosh became a regular on Australian soap opera Neighbours playing the character, Sky Mangel. Her half-brother, Jason, had also acted in Neighbours from 1986 to 1989. She also was neighbours with Alan Fletcher whilst young and would be invited to the set with him, prior to acting alongside him. For McIntosh's performance in Neighbours, she was nominated for the "Most Popular New Female Talent" award at the 46th Annual TV WeekLogie Awards held in 2004. She was also nominated for "Favorite Hottie" at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. After filming over 500 episodes, she left Neighbours in April 2007, to focus on her singing career.
McIntosh's music career began in 2004 when her version of the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" was included on the album The Spirit of Christmas 2004. In April 2006 McIntosh signed a multi-album deal with Universal Music Australia. The two years that McIntosh spent making the album was turned into a reality TV show The Steph Show, produced by Tom Nichols and Arnon Woolfson. The show debuted on Network Ten on 28 July 2006, the day before the release of her debut single, "Mistake", and finished on 15 September 2006, the date the music video for her second single Tightrope was released. Her debut single, "Mistake", was released on 29 July 2006 and premiered on Australian radio on 26 June 2006. It debuted on the ARIA Charts at #3, and was certified Gold in August 2006, with shipments of over 35,000 units. "Tightrope", the second single to be lifted off the album, made the Australian top 20. The album debuted and peaked at #4 on the ARIA Charts and at #1 on the Australasian Charts and was also accredited Gold. The third single, written by McIntosh, "So Do I Say Sorry First?", did not do as well as her previous singles, peaking at number #34 on the ARIA Singles Chart. A special repackaged edition of the album Tightrope was released on 19 March 2007. At her appearance on Habbo Hotel on 8 March 2007 McIntosh confirmed that the repackaged edition will feature remixes of the singles released from Tightrope as well as the bonus track "Catching My Breath". She also confirmed that a second season of The Steph Show is in the pipeline. McIntosh was also nominated for "Spankin' New Artist" at the 2006 MTV Australia Video Music Awards, at which she also performed "So Do I Say Sorry First?" Due to no musical backing on the night, her performance was cut from later screenings of the show. McIntosh began performing at university bars and nightclubs across the UK in September 2007, which ended in November 2007 to build her popularity with UK fans.
2008-present: Further acting roles
McIntosh was approached in 2008 to appear on Dancing with the Stars in Australia, however she has not appeared in the series. In May 2008 the Herald Sun reported that McIntosh has been in Los Angeles, meeting with potential agents and managers. She landed a number of auditions, including trying for a role in the film, and she was sounded out for high-profile shows in Australia. A follow-up article in the Herald Sun in June 2008 stated that she got a call back for the lead role for a CBS series called, Harper's Island, and has landed an audition for the new Beverly Hills, 90210 series. McIntosh appeared in the thriller, Liars All as Casey Kass and in Red Herring as Charlie, which co-starred former Neighbours castmate Holly Valance. McIntosh reprised the role of Sky Mangel in Neighbours for one episode in 2015, as part of the show's 30th anniversary celebrations. She was heavily pregnant at the time, and her return had initially been set up as a one-month role. After a five-year acting career hiatus, McIntosh reprised her role on Neighbours as Sky Mangel on a recurring basis in 2020.
Personal life
McIntosh dated AFL star Nick Riewoldt for four and a half years, breaking up in late 2009. In early 2014 she began dating Peter Hieatt, a landscape designer and in December 2014 McIntosh gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Milla McIntosh Hieatt. McIntosh announced via Instagram that she is pregnant with her second child due in 2018. On 12 October 2018 McIntosh gave birth to her second daughter named Goldie Grace McIntosh Hieatt.
