Essie Davis

Esther "Essie" Davis (born 30 November 1970 in Hobart, Tasmania) is an Australian actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Phryne Fisher in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Amelia Vanek in The Babadook.

Early life

Davis was brought up on the outskirts of Hobart, the daughter of local artist George Davis. She was educated at Clarence High School; Rosny College; the University of Tasmania, where she was a member of the Old Nick Company;^[1] and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, where she graduated in 1992.^[2]

Career

Her acting career began with the Bell Shakespeare company when, straight out of NIDA, she was cast as Juliet in its 1993 production of Romeo and Juliet.^[3] She following this with performances for the company in Hamlet and Richard III in 1993, and Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew in 1994.^[4]

Davis' film career started with her role in the Australian 1995 film Dad and Dave: On Our Selection, which starred Geoffrey Rush, Leo McKern and Joan Sutherland. Film roles continued in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, director Richard Flanagan's 1998 Tasmanian film The Sound of One Hand Clapping, and Girl with a Pearl Earring.^[2]

After further stage performances in Australia including Gwendolen Fairfax in a national tour of The Importance of Being Earnest in 2000 and The School for Scandal for the Sydney Theatre Company in 2001, 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 Award nomination. In 2005 she appeared as Mrs. Nellie Lovett in the BBC production of Sweeney Todd with Ray Winstone.

In the 2008 film Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger she plays Esther's controlling mother. Also in 2008, she appeared in the film Australia with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, directed by Baz Luhrmann. The same year, Davis played Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for the Melbourne Theatre Company.^[5]

Davis returned to Tasmania to launch the Tasmanian Theatre Company in 2008 and help support local theatre while encouraging youth to continue participating in the arts.^[6] In 2011, she received a Logie Award nomination for her role as Anouk in the Australian miniseries The Slap. In 2012, 2013 and 2015, Davis played Phryne Fisher, the central character in ABC Television's high-rating costume drama, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.^[2]

Davis starred in Jennifer Kent's 2014 debut feature The Babadook. For her work in the film Davis was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, an AACTA International Award for Best Actress^[7] and a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Leading Actress.^[8]

In 2016 she joined the HBO series Game of Thrones in Season 6 as Lady Crane.^[9] In June 2016 she started filming The White Princess, where she will be playing Dowager Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth Woodville).

Personal life

Davis married Justin Kurzel in 2002; the couple have two children,^[10] twin daughters, Stella and Ruby.^[1]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Film and television

Stage

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Essie Davis.

• Essie Davis at the Internet Movie Database
• Article about her Laurence Olivier Award
• Article on Essie Davis
• Essie launches new Tassie Theatre Company
• The Adventuresses Club | An Essie Davis Fansite