Michaela Jill Murphy | |
|---|---|
 Murphy in 2024 | |
| Born | August 18, 1994 Southern Indiana, U.S. |
| Other names | Jessie Flower |
| Alma mater | Yale University (BA) |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Website | www |
Michaela Jill Murphy (born August 18, 1994), also known by her stage name Jessie Flower, is an American voice actress. She is best known for voicing Toph Beifong in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Chaca in Kronk's New Groove and The Emperor's New School .
Murphy was born in Southern Indiana and is of Irish descent. [1] [2] She became interested in acting at the age of four, and her mother, Evette, moved them to Los Angeles to begin her career, [2] where she appeared in commercials for Barbie and Mitsubishi. She starred as an orphan in Oliver! when she was five. [3]
At the age of 7, Murphy began auditioning for voice over roles and parts, in which she provides automated dialogue replacement (ADR) and additional voices. Her first voice role was in the Pixar animated film Finding Nemo , where she played one of the school fishes and baby turtles. [4] Murphy played the role of Chaca in Kronk's New Groove, [5] and reprised the role in the spin-off series The Emperor's New School. She later called it the "most fun" voice acting she has ever done. [3]
In 2005, Murphy voiced Meng in an episode of the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender . [6] Her performance convinced creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino to cast her as main cast member Toph Beifong because of the "energy" she brought to the role. Murphy later told The Tab that she continued voicing Toph until her first year in high school and called the role her favorite voice acting experience [3] and said she felt "pretty connected" to Toph's character, [4] although she was only eleven years old when she was cast. [7] She would also describe the second-season episode "The Library" as one of her favorite episodes in the series. [8]
Murphy later admitted that she is rarely recognized in public, even when cosplaying as Toph at San Diego Comic-Con without any recognizing her as the voice actor of Toph. [4] She later appeared as a guest on the official companion podcast for the series, Avatar: Braving the Elements, hosted by Dante Basco and Janet Varney, where she would talk about Toph and what the character "meant to her," with Basco describing Murphy as a "dear friend" and praising Toph's character. [9] [10] In a 2023, Murphy said that while she would "love to come back and do stuff" for the franchise, she supported the vision of the show's creators, including possible recasting. [11] [12]
She would voice other characters in animated films and series after Avatar: The Last Airbender. This included the character Peggy in Random! Cartoons (2008-2009), young Franny in the film Meet the Robinsons (2007), and other characters in the film Curious George (2006), [6] along with Chaca in The Emperor's New School (2006) and The Emperor's New Groove 2: Kronk's New Groove (2005). [13]
In 2014, Murphy guest-starred in The Legend of Korra as Toph's daughter Suyin Beifong. [6] [5] It was later described as helping lay the groundwork of Suyin's "personality while also paying tribute to her original role." [14]
Murphy became an assistant theater manager at Yale University in fall 2014, but did not perform until the next year, joining the university's theater scene, working on a production of Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play and performing in the musical Hello Again , among other productions. [3] [15] She graduated from Yale University in 2017, where she majored in a dual B.A. in Theater and Film Studies with concentrations in Playwrighting and Screenwriting. [16] [17] Before that, she voiced the English dubbed voice of Eiko Carol in the World of Final Fantasy video game. [6]
In 2021, Murphy provided the voice of Nasse in the English dub of Platinum End . [18] [19] The next year, she provided the voice of a minor character in the English dubbed version of Super Cub . [6]
Murphy resides in Los Angeles. Murphy is openly bisexual.[ citation needed ] In June 2021, she celebrated Pride Month in an Instagram post, writing, "Pride is forever...Be kind to those around you, love is love is love!...There have been many who don’t swing my way, on multiple gender fronts, and that’s okay!" [20] She broke up with her boyfriend before she began attending Yale University in 2014, and dyed her hair purple. [3]
In September 2020, Murphy founded Bandit Basics, an e-commerce platform that sells merchandise inspired by Toph Beifong and the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. [21]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Finding Nemo | Additional voices | Credited as Jessie Flower |
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | ADR cast | Uncredited |
| 2005 | Kronk's New Groove | Chaca | Credited as Jessie Flower |
| 2006 | Curious George | Kid #4 [6] | |
| Akeelah and the Bee | ADR cast | ||
| Over the Hedge | Additional voices | ||
| The Ant Bully | Uncredited | ||
| Brother Bear 2 | Young Nita, additional voices | Credited as Jessie Flower | |
| Night at the Museum | ADR cast | ||
| 2007 | Meet the Robinsons | Young Franny [6] | |
| 2008 | An American Affair | Additional voices | |
| 2011 | Justin Bieber: Never Say Never | ADR cast | Uncredited |
| That's What I Am | Additional voices | Credited as Jessie Flower | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–2008 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Meng, Toph Beifong | Credited as Jessie Flower [6] |
| 2006 | The X's | Girl, Ghost | 2 episodes; credited as Jessie Flower |
| 2006–2008 | The Emperor's New School | Chaca | Credited as Jessie Flower |
| 2008 | Random! Cartoons | Peggy | Episode: "Tiffany" Credited as Jessie Flower [6] |
| 2014 | The Legend of Korra | Young Suyin Beifong | Episode: "Old Wounds" Credited as Jessie Flower [6] |
| 2021 | Super Cub | Clerk | English dub Episode: "Reiko" [6] |
| Platinum End | Nasse | English dub Credited as Michaela Murphy | |
| 2022 | Camp WWE | Bianca Belair | Episode: "Sicked Slaughter" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | ATLA: Deformed Super Shorts | Toph Beifong | Credited as Jessie Flower [6] |
| 2015 | Recording | Cassidy | Credited as Michaela Murphy |
| 2016 | The Profit | Diane | Credited as Jessie Flower |
| Happy Endings | Lily | ||
| 2018 | The Flickering Forest | Forest Sprite | Credited as Michaela Murphy |
| 2021 | Stalgia | Kate | Also director |
| The Letter | Ellie |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth | Toph Beifong [6] | Credited as Jessie Flower |
| 2008 | Avatar: The Last Airbender – Into the Inferno | ||
| 2011 | Nicktoons MLB | ||
| 2016 | World of Final Fantasy | Eiko Carol [6] | English dub, uncredited |
| 2024 | Goddess of Victory: Nikke | Mirror, Red Shoes [22] | English dub, uncredited |
Avatar: The Last Airbender, also known as Avatar: The Legend of Aang in some regions, is an American animated fantasy action television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
Dante Roman Basco is an American actor. He is known for his role as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys in Steven Spielberg's Hook, Dolph in the cult film But I'm a Cheerleader, the lead character Ben Mercado in the hit indie film The Debut, and for voicing the titular protagonist of American Dragon: Jake Long and Prince Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Katara is a fictional character in the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series The Legend of Korra. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Mae Whitman in the original series and Eva Marie Saint in the sequel series, The Legend of Korra. She is Chief Hakoda and Kya's daughter and Sokka's younger sister. In the 2010 live action film adaptation, she was played by Nicola Peltz, while in the live-action television series adaptation, she is portrayed by Kiawentiio.
Janet Varney is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. She is known for voicing the character of Korra in the Nickelodeon animated television series The Legend of Korra, co-starring as Sheriff Evie Barret in the television series Stan Against Evil, and a recurring role as Becca Barbara in You're the Worst.
"The Chase" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the 28th episode overall. The show follows Aang, the last airbender and the “Avatar”, on his journey to bring balance to a war-torn world by mastering all four elements: air, water, earth, and fire. On his quest, he is joined by companions Katara, Sokka, and Toph Beifong ), and hunted down by Fire Nation prince Zuko and princess Azula. The episode was written by Joshua Hamilton and directed by Giancarlo Volpe.
Toph Beifong is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, voiced by Michaela Jill Murphy in the original series and Kate Higgins as an adult and Philece Sampler as an elder in the sequel series. She will be portrayed by Miya Cech in Season 2 of the live-action television series adaptation.
"City of Walls and Secrets" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the 34th episode overall. The show follows Aang, the last airbender and the “Avatar”, on his journey to bring balance to a war-torn world by mastering all four elements: air, water, earth, and fire. On his quest, he is joined by companions Katara, Sokka, and Toph Beifong, and hunted down by Fire Nation prince Zuko and princess Azula. The episode was written by Tim Hedrick and directed by Lauren MacMullan.
"The Crossroads of Destiny" is the twentieth and final episode of the second season of the American animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the 40th episode overall. The show follows Aang, the last airbender and the “Avatar”, on his journey to bring balance to a war-torn world by mastering all four elements: air, water, earth, and fire. On his quest, he is joined by companions Katara, Sokka, and Toph Beifong, and hunted down by Fire Nation prince Zuko and princess Azula. The episode was written by head writer Aaron Ehasz and directed by co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino.
"The Secret of the Fire Nation" is the twelfth and thirteenth episodes of the second season of the American animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, also titled "The Serpent's Pass" and "The Drill" respectively, and the 32nd and the 33rd episode overall. The show follows Aang, the last airbender and the “Avatar”, on his journey to bring balance to a war-torn world by mastering all four elements: air, water, earth, and fire. On his quest, he is joined by companions Katara, Sokka, and Toph Beifong, and hunted down by Fire Nation prince Zuko and princess Azula. In other regions and on the Book Two DVDs, the two parter was collectively named "Journey to Ba Sing Se". "The Serpent's Pass" was written by Joshua Hamilton and Michael Dante DiMartino, and directed by Ethan Spaulding, while "The Drill" was written by DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and directed by Giancarlo Volpe.
"The Avatar and the Fire Lord" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the 46th episode overall. The show follows Aang, the last airbender and the “Avatar”, on his journey to bring balance to a war-torn world by mastering all four elements: air, water, earth, and fire. On his quest, he is joined by companions Katara, Sokka, and Toph Beifong. The season also follows Zuko as he returns to the Fire Nation only to face his conflicting feelings about his part in the war. The episode was written by Elizabeth Welch and directed by Ethan Spaulding.
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Book Two: Earth is the second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon. The series starred Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Jessie Flower, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Mako Iwamatsu, and Grey DeLisle as the main character voices.
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Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American adventure fantasy television series developed by Albert Kim for Netflix. It is a live-action adaptation of the animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon. The series stars an ensemble cast including Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Ken Leung, and Daniel Dae Kim.
Michaela was born on August 18, 1994 in southern Indiana. At the age of four she moved to Los Angeles and began her acting career appearing in advertisements for Barbie and Mitsubishi.
Yeah, so I am from the Midwest. Anybody from Indiana, Hello, Hello. So my whole family is out there and very much like eight or nine generations of Irish people...I'm four years old, and she kept trying to go out to LA