Essie Davis

Infobox actor
name = Essie Davis


caption =
birthdate =
birthplace = Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Essie Davis is an Australian actress. Born and bred in Tasmania, she is the daughter of locally famed artist George Davis.

She emerged from the Old Nick Company at the University of Tasmania in the late 1980s and has gone on to appear in Hollywood movies. She is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, Australia. Her career shot off after her role in the all Australian movie Dad and Dave; On Our Selection, also starring other prestigious actors such as Geoffrey Rush, Leo McKern, and Joan Sutherland. Her most famous movie roles are in; "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions", Richard Flanagan's 1998 Tasmanian film "The Sound of One Hand Clapping", and "Girl with a Pearl Earring".

In 2003 she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for her UK performance in the Tennessee Williams play "A Streetcar Named Desire". In 2004 she starred in a Broadway production of Tom Stoppard's "Jumpers", for which she earned a Tony nomination. In 2005 she appeared as Mrs. Nellie Lovett in the BBC production of "Sweeney Todd" with Ray Winstone. Her latest film appearance is in Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger where she plays Esther's controlling mother. She has recently completed filming the movie Australia with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, directed by Baz Luhrmann, and will soon be joining the cast of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for "Melbourne Theatre Company".

She returned to Tasmania in May 2007 to launch the new Theatre Company "The Tasmanian Theatre Company" and help support local theatre whilst encouraging youth to continue participating in the arts. (link below)

Her film work is relatively rare as she has concentrated on stage performances in London and on Broadway, eschewing more overtly commercial roles.

It has become common in Tasmania to say of a bad actor that he or she "is more Errol than Essie", referring to Errol Flynn's perceived hamminess compared to Essie Davis' more subtle performances.Fact|date=June 2008

Filmography

* "Australia (2008) .... Katherine
* "Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger (2008) .... Grace Blueburger
* "Charlotte's Web" (2006) .... Mrs. Arable
* "Sweeney Todd" (2006) (TV) .... Mrs. Nellie Lovett
* "The Silence" (2005) .... Juliet Moore
* "Isolation" (2005) .... Orla
* "The Matrix Revolutions" (2003) .... Maggie
* "Code 46" (2003) .... Doctor
* "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (2003) .... Catharina Vermeer
* "Temptation" (2003) (TV) .... Julie
* "After the Deluge" (2003) (TV miniseries) .... Beth
* "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003) .... Maggie
* "Enter the Matrix" (2003) (video game) .... Maggie
* "Young Lions"
** "Mardi Gras" (2002) .... Julie Morgan
** Episode #1.2 (2002) .... Julie Morgan
* "The Pact" (2002) .... Helene Davis
* "Corridors of Power"
** Episode #1.4 (2001) .... Sophie
* "Halifax f.p: The Spider and the Fly" (2000) (TV) .... Alison Blount
* "Murder Call"
** "Deadfall" (1998) .... Judy St. John
* "Kings in Grass Castles" (1998) (TV miniseries).... Mary Costello
* "The Sound of One Hand Clapping" (1998) .... Jean
* "The Ripper" (1997) (TV) .... Evelyn Bookman
* "The Two-Wheeled Time Machine" (1997) .... Young Alice
* "Water Rats"
** "Dead or Alive" (1997) .... Senior Detective Nicola Bourke
** "Blood Trail" (1997) .... Senior Detective Nicola Bourke
* "Blackrock" (1997) .... Det.Gilhooley
* "River Street" (1996) .... Wendy
* "Dad and Dave: On Our Selection" (1995) .... Kate
* "Lilian's Story" (1995) .... Zara
* "The Custodian" (1993) .... Jilly

External links

*imdb name|id=0204583|name=Essie Davis
* [http://www.abc.net.au/hobart/stories/s787944.htm Article about her Laurence Olivier Award]
* [http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=37454 Article on Essie Davis]
* [http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23766294-12531,00.html Essie launches new Tassie Theatre Company]