{{Short description|New Zealand film and television actress}} {{for|the Australian singer|Sarah McLeod (musician)}} {{Distinguish|Sarah McLeod (Ballenden)}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=June 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Sarah McLeod | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1971|7|18}} | birth_place = Putāruru, New Zealand | spouse = | children = | yearsactive = 1994–2012 }}
'''Sarah McLeod''' (born 18 July 1971) is a New Zealand film and television actress. Her most notable role was in the Peter Jackson films ''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' and ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' as Rosie Cotton, a female hobbit who marries Samwise Gamgee. McLeod also co-starred in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'' as Cindy Watson from 2008 to 2009.
==Career== {{further|Women in The Lord of the Rings#Rosie Cotton}}
McLeod knew Liz Mulane, the casting director of Peter Jackson's ''The Lord of the Rings'' from an earlier film of his that she had appeared in called ''Forgotten Silver''. McLeod was six months pregnant when she auditioned for the role of Rosie Cotton, a female hobbit. Four months later, she was told that she had won the role. She explained, "This was after I had the baby, so my first day on the set, the baby was 12 weeks old. So from the first time I auditioned for the role, until the whole thing comes out, the third film, my baby will be four years old, it just goes to show you how big and long this production is."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archives.theonering.net/features/newsroom/files/022502_mcleod.html |title=Interview with Sarah McLeod |work=TheOneRing.net |accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref> Her daughter, Maisy, played the infant son of Rosie and Samwise Gamgee, seen in the final scene of ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''. ''The New Zealand Herald'' observed in 2004 that McLeod was "notable for having the most significant role of the few New Zealand actresses in the trilogy."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/oscars-just-another-day-for-mrs-gamgee/C2YZKEK427K4GFO2PZKBYTBBJE/ |title=Oscars just another day for Mrs Gamgee |work=The New Zealand Herald |first=Sarah |last=Catherall |date=2 March 2004 |accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref> In 2007, McLeod and fourteen other ''Lord of the Rings'' actors from New Zealand sued New Line, as they felt they were legally entitled to five percent of the trilogy's net merchandising revenue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/movies/news/article.cfm?c_id=200&objectid=10443305 |title=NZ actors set to sue over LOTR profits |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=2 June 2007 |accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref>
From 2008 to 2009, McLeod co-starred in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'' as Cindy Watson. McLeod conducted legal and personal research on surrogacy for the role, as her character's storyline involved asking her friend to be a surrogate mother for Cindy and her husband.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10566750 |title=Delivering a triple dose of drama |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |first=Sarah |last=Lang |date=14 April 2009 |accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref> In a 2010 episode of ''America's Next Top Model'', McLeod appeared as herself on the set of Hobbiton, where the contestants participated in a ''Lord of the Rings''-themed photo shoot.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s68/americas-next-top-model/news/a218442/americas-next-top-model-episode-9-recap.html |title='America's Next Top Model': Episode 9 recap |work=Digital Spy |first=Lara |last=Martin |date=6 May 2010 |accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-225539180.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130620024658/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-225539180.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 June 2013 |title=Tonight's TV Hot List: Wednesday, May 5, 2010 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=5 May 2010 |accessdate=17 June 2013}} {{Subscription required}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote}} * {{IMDb name|572867}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McLeod, Sarah}} Category:New Zealand film actresses Category:New Zealand television actresses Category:People from Putāruru Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:New Zealand soap opera actresses Category:20th-century New Zealand actresses Category:21st-century New Zealand actresses