Essie Davis

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Esther "Essie" Davis (born January 19, 1970 in Hobart , Tasmania ) is an Australian actress .

Life

Essie Davis was born and raised in Tasmania as the daughter of locally known artist George Davis. In her youth she worked as a singer in school bands before she turned to acting. In the late 1980s, Davis was a member of the Old Nick Company theater company at the University of Tasmania and trained as an actor at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney . While she appeared increasingly in Australian theatrical productions, Davis made her film debut in 1993 with a supporting role in John Dingwall's drama Double Game , in which Anthony LaPaglia and Hugo Weaving come as detectives of corruption within their own ranks. This was followed by major film roles such as in Tony Mahood's drama River Street (1996), the television film The Ripper (1997), which made use of the mystery of Jack the Ripper , and appearances in Australian television series. In 2001, Davis was nominated by the Australian Film Institute for her role in Mark Piper's TV movie Halifax fp: The Spider and the Fly for Best Actress in a TV Movie or TV Split.

In 2001 Essie Davis received an engagement for the English-Australian co-production of Oscar Wilde's theater comedy The Importance of Being Earnest , in which she appeared on stage with Patricia Routledge at the Savoy Theater in London . She later auditioned for a role in a film to be produced by Glenn Close and impressed the American actress. Although the film project was never realized, Close Davis got six months later an audition date for the role of Stella in the theatrical revival of Tennessee Williams ' End Station Sehnsucht (2002) at London's Royal National Theater , which she received. Directed by Trevor Nunns and starring Glenn Close, who starred as Blanche DuBois, Davis was critically acclaimed and won the 2003 Laurence Olivier Theater Prize for Best Supporting Role.

After the success of Endstation Sehnsucht , Essie Davis appeared in the role of the jealous wife of Jan Vermeer (played by Colin Firth ) in Peter Webber's costume drama The Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003). The film gained critical acclaim and was nominated in several categories for an Oscar , Golden Globe Award and British Academy Film Award in 2004. In mid-June 2003 Davis was engaged again in a theater production at the Royal National Theater. In the revival of Tom Stoppard's philosophical piece Jumpers , she appeared in the role of Dottie, in which she also interpreted vocal interludes. Nicholas Hytner's production with Davis and Beale was relocated from Lyttelton Theater to London's West End and later transferred to New York's Broadway , where it was performed nearly ninety times between April and July 2004. For her Broadway debut in the same year, Davis was rewarded with a nomination for the prestigious US theater award Tony for Best Supporting Actress, but had to admit defeat to the American Audra McDonald ( A Raisin in the Sun ) . Her other film roles include Maggie in Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions (both 2003), as well as the leading female roles in the two television films Sweeney Todd and The Silence (both 2006). In 2006 Davis played the film mother of Dakota Fanning in Piggy Wilbur and his friends , in which well-known actors such as Julia Roberts , Oprah Winfrey , Kathy Bates and Robert Redford played speaking roles. In 2007 she starred alongside Toni Collette in the Australian film production company Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger , a youth drama about a 13-year-old girl (played by Keisha Castle-Hughes ) trying to join a prestigious private and public school to find.

After supporting roles in Australian films such as Australia (2008) or Burning Man (2011; nomination for the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award), Davis mainly appeared in Australian television productions. She received a nomination for the Australian AACTA Award for Best Actress for the role of Dolly Prickles in the multi-part Cloud Street , which accompanied two Australian working-class families over a period of 20 years from the 1940s to 1960s . From 2012 to 2015 she played the title role in the detective series Miss Fisher's Mysterious Murder Cases in 3 seasons so far, which are based on the crime novels by Kerry Greenwood .

Essie Davis is married to director Justin Kurzel . The marriage resulted in twin daughters. The family lives in London and Australia.

Filmography (selection)

Plays (selection)

Awards

  • 1995: Nomination for the Australian Film Institute Award for Dad and Dave: On Our Selection (Best Supporting Actress)
  • 2000: Nomination for the Australian Film Institute Award for Halifax fp: The Spider and the Fly (Best Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-Series)
  • 2003: Nomination for the Australian Film Institute Award for After the Deluge (Best Supporting Actress or Guest Actress in a TV Movie - Drama / Comedy)
  • 2003: Laurence Olivier Award for Endstation Sehnsucht (Best Supporting Actress)
  • 2004: Tony nomination for Jumpers ( Best Supporting Actress )
  • 2006: Screamfest Horror Film Festival's Acting Award for Isolation
  • 2011: Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for South Solitary (Best Supporting Actress)
  • 2012: Nomination for the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Burning Man (Best Supporting Actress)
  • 2012: Nomination for the AACTA Award for Cloudstreet (Best Actress in a TV Drama)
  • 2012: Nomination for the Logie Award for The Slap (Best Actress)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Essie Davis Biography ( August 23, 2016 memento on the Internet Archive ) at theadventuressesclub.com, accessed November 3, 2015
  2. ↑ a b The Babadook actress Essie Davis opens up about Hollywood ambitions and motherhood at dailylife.com.au, accessed November 4, 2015
personal data
SURNAME Davis, Essie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Davis, Esther
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian actress
DATE OF BIRTH 19th January 1970
PLACE OF BIRTH Hobart , Tasmania