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.
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