She’s the ABC Golden Girl who has a very enthusiastic fan base but just how did Essie Davis begin her journey?
Essie Davis kicked off her career in the industry in 1993 with the film The Custodian, alongside fellow Aussie’s Anthony LaPaglia and Hugo Weaving. Three more films followed – Dad and Dave: On Our Selection, Lilian’s Story, and River Street – before Essie made her first television appearance on as a senior detective on Water Rats in 1997. Other guest roles followed, including Murder Call, Halifax f.p and the short-lived cop drama Young Lions.
It wasn’t until 2003 that Essie gained a more mainstream fan base when she appeared as Maggie in the sci-fi hit The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Later that year she also appeared in the telemovie After the Deluge as Beth, which earned her an AFI award for Best Actress in a Supporting of Guest Role in a Television Drama or Comedy. Stepping things up in her next role, she starred alongside Scarlett Johansson in the Oscar-nominated film Girl With The Pearl Earring. She continued to make her mark in the industry in Aussie films Charlotte’s Web, Hey Hey Its Esther Blueburger, and Australia.
However, Essie is probably best known for the TV roles she’s taken on since 2011. She first appeared as Dolly Pickles in the 20 million dollar adaptation of Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet for Showcase, which saw her nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama at the 2012 ACCTA Awards. She then took on another book-to-TV adaptation, portraying scriptwriter Anouk in the ABC series The Slap, based on the novel by Christos Tsiolkas.
In 2012, Essie took on the lead role of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Phryne Fisher, and in 2013 earned her first Gold Logie nomination and a Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress nomination in 2014. She, however, missed out on both.
Apart from her Logie nominations, 2014 was a big year for Essie as she took on the role of Amialia in the horror film The Babadook. The critically acclaimed film saw Essie nominated for fifteen awards and taking home four of them – Best Actress at the Puchon International Fantatic Film Festivial, the Stiges Film Festival, and the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and Best Leading Actress at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.
Reprising her role as Phryne Fisher for the third season of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries last year, Essie again has a chance at picking up her first Logie, scoring another Gold Logie nomination, as well as nominations for Most Outstanding Actress, and Best Actress.
Will Essie finally get to give her acceptance speech? We will find out later this week.
