Essie Davis has become one of Australia's most respected and acclaimed film, theatre and television actors since graduating from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art.
Essie's feature film credits include Peter Webber's Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Wachowski Brothers' The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Michael Winterbottom's Code 46, Charlotte's Web, Isolation, Baz Luhrmann's Australia, The Wedding Party, which premiered at the 2010 Melbourne Film Festival, and South Solitary, which opened the 2010 Sydney Film Festival and earned her a Film Critics Circle of Australia award for Best Supporting Actress.
Essie has starred in numerous television series and miniseries including Sweeney Todd for the BBC, The Silence, After the Deluge, which earned her an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Halifax f.p: The Spider and the Fly for which she was nominated for an AFI Award for Best Performance by an Actress.
Essie has also gained critical acclaim for her theatre roles. Her performance as Stella in the National Theatre (London) production of A Streetcar Named Desire earned Essie an Olivier Award and, in 2004, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Dottie in the Broadway run of the National Theatre (London) production of Jumpers. For the Sydney Theatre Company she has starred in Tot Mom directed by Steven Soderbergh and The School for Scandal directed by Judy Davis, which earned her a Helpmann Award nomination, and her performance in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for the Melbourne Theatre Company saw her nominated for a Green Room Award for Best Female Performer.
In 2011, Essie appeared as Dolly Pickles in the highly anticipated Showtime mini-series of Tim Winton's Cloudstreet, directed by Matthew Saville, and as Anouk in The Slap, adapted from the multi award winning novel by Christos Tsiolkas. She was also seen in Jonathan Teplitzky's Burning Man opposite Matthew Goode and Rachel Griffiths.
In 2013, Essie will star in Jennifer Kent's feature THE BABADOOK and the second series of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on the ABC. Her performance as Phryne Fisher in the first series earned her an AACTA Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama.
IFC Films