Tuuli Narkle is one of the most compelling young talents in Australian television — an AACTA Award-winning actress whose rise from the stage in Western Australia to the global NCIS franchise happened in just a few short years. Best known as Mary Swan in Mystery Road: Origin and as AFP Constable Evie Cooper in NCIS: Sydney, she brings a rare mix of classical stage training, cultural dance, and raw emotional honesty to every role she plays.
Tuuli Narkle is an Australian TV and stage actress born in Western Australia, best known as Mary Swan in Mystery Road: Origin and Constable Evie Cooper in NCIS: Sydney. A National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) graduate, she won the 2022 AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama. Her 2026 net worth is estimated between $500,000 and $5 million.
TL;DR: Tuuli Narkle is the Australian actress behind Mary Swan in Mystery Road: Origin and Evie Cooper in NCIS: Sydney. She trained at NIDA, won an AACTA Award in 2022, and returned as Mary Swan in season 2 of Mystery Road: Origin in September 2025. Her net worth is estimated between $500,000 and $5 million.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Tuuli Narkle |
| Born | Western Australia, Australia (exact birth date not publicly disclosed) |
| Age | Not publicly disclosed (as of October 2026) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Actress (television and stage) |
| Known For | Mary Swan in Mystery Road: Origin; Constable Evie Cooper in NCIS: Sydney |
| Education | John Curtin College of the Arts; Charlesworth Ballet Institute; NIDA (Bachelor of Fine Arts, 2018) |
| Spouse/Partner | Not officially confirmed; some entertainment outlets report her partner as arts professional Sherene Stewart |
| Net Worth | Estimated between $500,000 and $5 million (2026 estimate; not officially disclosed) |
How did Tuuli Narkle rise from the stage to television stardom?
Her story begins in rural Western Australia, where she grew up as a proud Noongar woman of the Yued and Wiilman cultural blocs, with family ties to the York and Goldfields regions, and of Finnish descent. She learned cultural dance at a young age, a foundation that later shaped her physical, expressive style of acting. As a teenager she was accepted into the acting stream at John Curtin College of the Arts while also training in classical ballet, contemporary and character dance at the Charlesworth Ballet Institute.
Her first major acting role came on stage as Ruby in Jane Harrison’s play Stolen, directed and produced by Leah Purcell. That experience pushed her to audition for NIDA, Australia’s leading drama school, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2018. After graduating she appeared in Winyanboga Yurringa at Belvoir Street Theatre and in Nakkiah Lui’s Black is the New White at Sydney Theatre Company, building a stage reputation before television came calling.
The screen breakthrough arrived in 2021 with a lead role in the ABC comedy series All My Friends Are Racist. The following year she played Evonne Goolagong Cawley on stage in Sunshine Super Girl and Helen in Sydney Theatre Company’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall — proof, even at the start of her screen career, that she could move between stage and screen with ease.
What made her Mystery Road: Origin role award-winning?
In 2022 she took on the role that changed her career: a younger version of Tasma Walton’s character Mary Swan in Mystery Road: Origin, the prequel to Mystery Road, opposite Mark Coles Smith as detective Jay Swan. Playing a strong-willed young woman facing bigotry and hardship in the outback, she gave a performance of unusual depth and restraint — and the industry noticed. According to Wikipedia, she won the 2022 AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama for the role, along with a Casting Guild of Australia Rising Star Award that same year.
The role proved to have real staying power. She reprised 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. In season 2, set six months after the first season, Jay and Mary attempt a new life together in the fading timber town of Loch Iris — a homecoming that quickly turns sinister as the town closes ranks around a dark past.
What is Tuuli Narkle’s net worth in 2026?
Her net worth is estimated between $500,000 and $5 million. This is an estimate only, not an officially disclosed figure: published entertainment outlets disagree widely, with some placing her in the $500,000 to $1 million range and others in the $1 million to $5 million range, so the broad range above covers the published estimates rather than pretending to be precise. Her income comes primarily from television roles, stage work, and streaming productions.
The range makes sense for where she is in her career. Unlike long-established stars with decades of leading roles — a group that includes Erin Krakow — she is still early in her screen career, with her biggest paydays likely ahead of her as NCIS: Sydney continues and her profile grows internationally. An AACTA win, two hit series, and a Netflix drama already give her a strong earning base for a performer of her age and experience.
What are her most famous roles?
Beyond Mystery Road: Origin, her best-known screen role is AFP liaison officer Constable Evie Cooper in the Network 10 and Paramount+ series NCIS: Sydney, the first international spin-off of the NCIS franchise, which she joined in 2023. There is a pleasing symmetry to the casting: as a schoolgirl she was obsessed with the relationship between NCIS characters Gibbs and DiNozzo — and years later she became part of the franchise herself.
Her other screen credits include Miss Lacey in the 2023 Stan drama Bad Behaviour, about bullying at an all-girls school, and Keeley Redford in the 2024 Netflix outback drama Territory. On stage, alongside Stolen, Winyanboga Yurringa, Black is the New White and Sunshine Super Girl, she made her Melbourne Theatre Company debut as Roxanne in a modern adaptation of Cyrano. Like fellow television leading lady Lacey Chabert, she has shown she can anchor very different kinds of stories — comedy, crime, period drama, and franchise television alike.
What is known about her personal life?
She keeps her private life largely out of interviews, and no marriage has been publicly confirmed. Some entertainment outlets report that her partner is Sherene Stewart, a director, curator and producer, but this has not been confirmed in a major interview or reputable profile, so it should be treated as reported rather than established fact. What is well documented is her pride in her heritage: she speaks openly about being a Yued and Wiilman Noongar woman of Finnish descent, and about how cultural dance shaped her from childhood.
Her public image is that of a private, work-focused performer. She is not a heavy social media presence, and her interviews tend to centre on her roles, her training, and representation of First Nations stories on screen rather than on her personal life — a choice that has only added to the respect she commands in the Australian industry.
What’s next for her?
The immediate future looks busy. NCIS: Sydney has been renewed for a fourth season, with filming underway in 2026 and a new season expected in 2027, and she remains part of its returning main cast as Evie Cooper. With season 2 of Mystery Road: Origin now aired, fans will also be watching for news of a third season — and for whether Mary and Jay’s story in Loch Iris continues.
Longer term, the trajectory is clear: an AACTA-winning actress with stage pedigree, franchise television experience, and a Netflix credit is well placed for bigger film roles and international work. For now, though, her two signature characters — Mary Swan and Evie Cooper — remain the roles that define a remarkable, still-rising career.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Tuuli Narkle?
Her exact birth date has not been publicly disclosed in reputable sources. Wikipedia lists only that she was born in Western Australia, and some entertainment sites give conflicting birth years, so no reliable age can be stated as of October 2026.
What is Tuuli Narkle’s net worth?
Her net worth is estimated between $500,000 and $5 million. It has not been officially disclosed, and published estimates vary widely, so this broad range should be treated as an estimate only.
What is she best known for?
She is best known as Mary Swan in Mystery Road: Origin, for which she won the 2022 AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama, and as Constable Evie Cooper in NCIS: Sydney.
Is Tuuli Narkle married?
No marriage has been publicly confirmed. Some entertainment outlets report her partner as Sherene Stewart, but this is unconfirmed in major interviews or reputable profiles.
Where did she study acting?
She studied acting at John Curtin College of the Arts, trained in dance at the Charlesworth Ballet Institute, and graduated from NIDA with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2018.