Jessie "Jess" Rockantansky was the wife of MFP Pursuit Officer, "Mad" Max Rockatansky. She was portrayed by Joanne Samuel in George Miller's Mad Max.
Biography[]
The loving couple.
Jessie was the loving wife of Max Rockatansky and the mother of their toddler son - only known by his nickname Sprog. She was a skilled saxophonist and was one of the gentler people Max encountered during his life. Not much is revealed about their marriage and history prior to the events of Mad Max.
Her first appearance is the night following the Nightrider's death, having played a piece on her saxophone for her husband and son, a news report on the television informs of Max's killing as she dries his hair after a long bath. She asks who the Nightrider was, to which Max replies, "Just another Glory Rider I guess." to which she seems unfazed. It seems such acts by Max were common to her and that they resulted in little worry from her.
However, the next morning she expresses a considerable amount of anguish when Max states he has to go to work, and a striking loneliness seems apparent. When she waves him off, she shows her ability to use sign language, commenting that she's crazy about Max.
Menaced by Toecutter and his gang.
After Goose's fatal accident, Max decides to take a break from the MFP and takes the family on a vacation up north at May's Farm. Having gotten a bad tire, Max pulls in at a local garage to have it mended. Meanwhile, Jessie and Sprog drive down to the nearby beach to get ice cream. She is confronted by a few of Max's adversaries from the Toecutter's gang and none other than the Toecutter himself. After being catcalled and harassed, she manages to get back to the family panel van in order to escape the situation. But this doesn't stop the gang of hoodlums as Cunalini whips his chain at the van in passing and has hi hand ripped off at the wrist.
Unaware, Jessie drives back to the repair garage where she picks up Max and the couple drives back onto the roads of the outback. Having long lost the Toecutter and his gang, Jessie, Max, and Sprog eventually make it to May's Farm, which seemed to be their destination from the start. Finally being able to relax, the couple and infant are greeted by May, (who could be a family friend or relative - it's not specified) and what appears to be her mentally challenged son, Benno. However, as Jessie relaxes at the beach, she's once more pursued by the Toecutter gang who have stalked the family to May's farm.
Jessie quickly grabs Sprog and, eventually, makes it back to the house to May, thinking once more to have lost the bikers. Max, alarmed, immediately storms out to hunt them down with Benno, whilst May and Jessie took a breather back at the farm. However, trouble arose once more as Jessie realized that Sprog was still outside. Desperately searching the farmyard, she crosses paths with the Toecutter once again who had taken Sprog hostage. He demands for the hand she'd ripped from Cundalini, who was maimed as Jessie and Sprog escaped from the beach upon her first encounter with the Toecutter and his gang. Jess begs for Toecutter to return her son to her, but he continues to toy with her.
The end of Jessie Rockantansky.
Then May sprang into action, as she ushered the gang into a barn-like building under the threat of her shotgun. Taking Sprog with them, May and Jessie drove away from the farm as fast as they could only for their car's radiator to blow, leaving the women exposed on the road. As May told Jessie to run with Sprog on foot, she lifted her shotgun to take out whatever gang members she could as they passed, unfortunately, missing every single one. The motorcycle gang screamed past May on a direct line toward the fleeing Jessie and Sprog -- in a violent and merciless blur, running the frightened woman and her son down.
Max ran to the scene only to find his son dead and Jessie in critical condition. This event, understandably, pushes Max over the edge and permanently traumatizes him with darkness and rage, a furious anger, and a madness of grief from which he can never recover. This seminal moment solidifies his solitary attitude, philosophy, and personality in the remaining films, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Mad Max: Fury Road. Even though it is not clear if Jessie dies or lives in a vegetative state for the remainder of Mad Max, the intro to Mad Max 2 shows Max walking away from two graves, signifying that both his infant son and wife had died and the husband has fallen into chaos along with the rest of the world, to roam the Wasteland as the Road Warrior known as "Mad Max."
Abilities[]
Jessie playing sax.
First and foremost, Jessie was a caring and loving wife to Max and mother to Sprog. However, she showed a range of other abilities. Jessie had a musical ear, and appeared to be a talented saxophonist, and was adept in sign language.