David Wenham
| David Wenham | |
|---|---|
 David Wenham at Oranges and Sunshine Premiere, in May 2011 |
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| Born | 21 September 1965 Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Partner(s) | Kate Agnew (1994–present) |
David Wenham (born 21 September 1965) is an Australian actor who has appeared in movies, television series and theatre productions. He is known in Hollywood for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Carl in Van Helsing and Dilios in 300 and Neil Fletcher in Australia. He is also known in his native Australia for his role as Diver Dan in SeaChange.
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Early life [edit]
Wenham was born in Marrickville, Sydney, Australia, the son of Kath and Bill Wenham. He has five older sisters; Helen, Anne, Carmel, Kathryn, and Maree; and one older brother, Peter. David was raised in the Roman Catholic faith and attended Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham.[1][2] He worked as a bingo caller and an insurance clerk before becoming successful as an actor.[citation needed]
Career [edit]
Wenham started his career as an actor after graduating from Theatre Nepean at the University of Western Sydney in 1987 where he studied under Terry Browne.[citation needed] Wenham's television credits include several telemovies, such as his AFI award winning role in the 1996 telemovie Simone de Beauvoir's Babies; and his role as the outwardly laid back but deeply enigmatic diver Dan Della Bosca in the 1998 and 1999 seasons of the highly successful ABC television series SeaChange. His role as "Diver Dan" has made the actor something of a sex symbol, although he dislikes thinking of himself as such,[3] and he has been voted Australia's "sexiest man alive".[4] A portrait of Wenham by artist Adam Cullen won the Archibald Prize in 2000.[citation needed] Wenham is signed to Storm Model Management in London.[5]
Australian films Wenham has starred in include the critically acclaimed The Boys (1998) based on the play of the same name premiered at Griffin Theatre Company and in turn based on the Anita Cobby murder; Molokai (1999), based on the life of Father Damien; The Bank (2001); Gettin' Square (2003); Stiff (2004); The Bursh Off (2004) and Three Dollars (2005). Wenham has periodically appeared in Hollywood films; he is known for playing Faramir, son of Denethor, in New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
He was also seen in Van Helsing playing Hugh Jackman's sidekick, Friar Carl. His character, Dilios, narrated and appeared in the movie 300. Minor roles of Wenham's in overseas films include in The Crocodile Hunter as a park ranger, and briefly in Moulin Rouge! as Audrey. Wenham stars in the music video for Alex Lloyd's single "Brand New Day". In 2008's Australia, he reunited with Hugh Jackman playing antagonist Neil Fletcher who seeks to acquire the ranch Jackman's character is employed with.
In both Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and 300, Wenham's character is the sole survivor returned from an ill-fated battle (the Battle at Osgiliath and the Battle of Thermopylae, respectively). He reprises his role of Dilios in the videogame 300: March to Glory for Sony PlayStation Portable, which contains a lot of new dialogue.
In 2009 he again took to the stage, this time as the lead actor, Jerry Springer, in the British musical Jerry Springer - The Opera. During its 6 day run at the Sydney Opera House he played to sold out audiences alongside ARIA award winning singer Kate Miller-Heidke.
In 2010, Wenham starred as the disgraced Melbourne Lawyer Andrew Fraser in the Australian TV series Killing Time. This 10 part series shows Fraser's fall from grace as he defends many Melbourne criminals during the 1980s and 1990s. It was shown on TV1 in late 2011.
Wenham plays New Zealand detective Al Parker[6] alongside Elisabeth Moss[7] in the 2013 BBC series Top of the Lake.
Personal life [edit]
He has two daughters, Eliza Jane and Millie, with his longtime girlfriend, Kate Agnew.[8] His nickname, "Daisy", originates from his childhood.[citation needed]
Wenham read a poem by Rupert McCall at the memorial service for Steve Irwin. The poem was entitled "The Crocodiles are Crying".[9]
On 24 November 2007, Wenham helped Labor Candidate Maxine McKew to oust the sitting member for Bennelong, former Prime Minister John Howard.[10]
Filmography [edit]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Greenkeeping | Trevor |
| 1992 | Seeing Red | Frank |
| 1994 | Gino | Trevor |
| 1994 | Tran the Man | Raymond "Tran" Moss |
| 1994 | No Escape | Hotel Guard #2 |
| 1994 | Escape from Jupiter | Dr. Chrobak |
| 1995 | Roses Are Red | Brian |
| 1996 | Cosi | Doug |
| 1996 | Idiot Box | Bank Teller |
| 1998 | The Boys | Brett Sprague |
| 1998 | Dark City | Schreber's Assistant |
| 1998 | A Little Bit of Soul | Dr. Richard Shorkinghorn |
| 1999 | Molokai: The Story of Father Damien | Father Damien |
| 2000 | Better Than Sex | Josh |
| 2001 | Russian Doll | Ethan |
| 2001 | Moulin Rouge! | Audrey |
| 2001 | The Bank | Jim Doyle |
| 2001 | Dust | Luke |
| 2002 | The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course | Sam Flynn |
| 2002 | Pure | Lenny |
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Faramir |
| 2003 | Gettin' Square | Johnny Spitieri |
| 2003 | Basilisk Stare | Dave |
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Faramir |
| 2004 | Van Helsing | Carl |
| 2005 | Three Dollars | Eddie Harnovey |
| 2005 | The Proposition | Eden Fletcher |
| 2007 | 300 | Dilios |
| 2008 | Married Life | John O'Brien |
| 2008 | The Children of Huang Shi | Barnes |
| 2008 | Australia | Neil Fletcher |
| 2009 | Public Enemies | Harry Pierpont |
| 2009 | Pope Joan | Gerold |
| 2010 | Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | Digger (voice) |
| 2010 | Oranges and Sunshine | Len |
| 2011 | League of Legends | Lee Sin (voice) |
| 2011 | Killing Time | Andrew Fraser |
| 2012 | Dripping in Chocolate | Bennett O'Mara |
| 2013 | Top of the Lake | Al Parker |
Awards and nominations [edit]
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actor in Television Drama for Simone de Beauvoir's Babies (1997) – winner[11]
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actor in Television Drama for Answered by Fire (2006) – winner[11]
References [edit]
- ^ "Spittin' image". The Age (Melbourne). 5 October 2003.
- ^ Fr Damien role is ‘uplifting’ – actor
- ^ Melissa Field (1 April 2007). "The star of David". Daily Telegraph. News.
- ^ "David Wenham AgeOfTheRing Biography". 31 October.
- ^ [models.com/DavidWenham.html?boardId=1009 Storm Model Management, Special Bookings]
- ^ "Entertainment: Top of the Lake". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ "Mad Woman, Bad Girl". New York Post. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- ^ David Wenham – Yahoo! TV
- ^ IMDB The Crocodile Hunter: A Tribute to Steve Irwin
- ^ 24 November 2007 12:00AM (24 November 2007). "Sky News poll says Howard to lose Bennelong | thetelegraph.com.au". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- ^ a b "Past Winners, Television 1986–2006". AFI Television Awards. Australian Film Institute. 2006.
External links [edit]
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