David Wenham (born 21 September 1965) is an Australian actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre. He is known for his roles as

Faramir Faramir is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. He is introduced as the younger brother of Boromir of the Fellowship of the Ring and second son of Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. Faramir enters the narra ...

in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Friar Carl in ''

Van Helsing A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across ...

'', Dilios in ''

300 __NOTOC__ Year 300 ( CCC) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 1053 ''Ab ...

'' and its sequel '' 300: Rise of an Empire'', Al Parker in ''

Top of the Lake ''Top of the Lake'' is a mystery drama television series created and written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, and directed by Campion and Garth Davis. It aired in 2013, and the sequel, entitled ''Top of the Lake: China Girl'', in 2017. It mark ...

'', Lieutenant John Scarfield in '' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'', and

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian-American country music artist. Most popular in the 1950s, he had a career that spanned more than 50 years, he recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on ...

in ''

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

''. He is known in his native Australia for his role as Diver Dan in ''

SeaChange ''SeaChange'' is an Australian television program that ran from 1998 to 2000 on the ABC and in 2019 on the Nine Network. It was created by Andrew Knight and Deborah Cox and starred Sigrid Thornton, David Wenham, William McInnes, John Howar ...

'' and Price Galese in ''

Les Norton Les Norton is the protagonist in a series of fiction books written by Australian author Robert G. Barrett. Character A likeable and laconic Aussie battler, Norton first appears in ''You Wouldn't Be Dead For Quids'' (1984) and is described as sto ...

''.

Early life

Wenham was born on 21 September 1965 in

Marrickville, New South Wales Marrickville is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Marrickville is located south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the largest suburb in the Inner West Council local government ...

, the son of Kath and Bill Wenham. He has five older sisters; Helen, Anne, Carmel, Kathryn, and Maree; and one older brother, Peter. He was raised in the

Roman Catholic faith The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and attended

Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham , motto_translation = A crown to the one who strives , established = , type = Private comprehensive single-sex secondary day school , denomination = Roman Catholic , gender = Boys , religious_affiliation = Christian Brothers , principa ...

, Sydney.

Career

Wenham started his career as an actor after graduating from Theatre Nepean at the

University of Western Sydney Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, Australia. The university in its current form was founded in 1989 as a federated network ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

(Performing Arts) in 1987. Wenham's television credits include several telefilms, such as his

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

award-winning role in 1997's ''

Simone de Beauvoir's Babies ''Simone de Beauvoir's Babies'' is a 1997 Australian television mini-series broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1997. The series comprises four one-hour episodes starring Sally Cooper, Anne Looby, Leverne McDonnell and So ...

''; and his role as the outwardly laid back but deeply enigmatic diver Dan Della Bosca in the 1998 and 1999 seasons of the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

television series ''

''. His role as "Diver Dan" has made the actor something of a sex symbol, although he dislikes thinking of himself as such, and he has been voted Australia's "sexiest man alive". A portrait of Wenham by artist

Adam Cullen Adam Frederick Cullen (9 October 1965 – 28 July 2012) was an Australian artist, most known for winning the Archibald Prize in 2000 with a portrait of actor David Wenham. He was also known for his controversial subjects and his distincti ...

won the

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor ...

in 2000. Australian films Wenham has starred in include '' The Boys'' (1998) based on the play of the same name premiered at

Griffin Theatre Company Griffin Theatre Company is an Australian theatre specialising in new works, based in Sydney. Founded in 1979, it is the resident theatre company at the SBW Stables Theatre in Kings Cross. the artistic director is Declan Green. Artistic direc ...

and in turn based on the

murder of Anita Cobby Anita Lorraine Cobby (née Lynch) (2 November 1959 – 2 February 1986) was a 26-year-old Australian woman from Blacktown, New South Wales who was kidnapped while walking home from Blacktown railway station just before 10:00 p.m. on 2 Febru ...

; '' Molokai'' (1999), based on the life of

Father Damien Father Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai, SS.CC. or Saint Damien De Veuster ( nl, Pater Damiaan or '; 3 January 1840 – 15 April 1889), born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sac ...

; '' The Bank'' (2001); ''

Gettin' Square ''Gettin' Square'' is a 2003 crime caper movie set on Australia's Gold Coast and directed by Jonathan Teplitzky. The protagonists are ex-criminals trying to keep out of trouble. ''Gettin' Square'' won nominations at several Australian ceremonie ...

'' (2003); ''Stiff'' (2004); ''

The Brush-Off ''The Brush-Off'' is a 1996 Australian, Ned Kelly Awards-winning crime thriller, written by Shane Maloney. It is the second novel in a series of crime thrillers following the character of Murray Whelan, as he investigates crimes in the Melbourn ...

'' (2004) and ''

Three Dollars ''Three Dollars'' is a 2005 Australian film directed by Robert Connolly and starring David Wenham, Sarah Wynter, and Frances O'Connor. It was based on a 1998 novel of the same name by Elliot Perlman. It won the 2005 Australian Film Institute ...

'' (2005). Wenham has periodically appeared in Hollywood films; he is known for playing

, son of

Denethor II Denethor II, son of Ecthelion II, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel ''The Lord of the Rings''. He was the 26th ruling Steward of Gondor, committing suicide in the besieged city of Minas Tirith during the Battle of the Pelennor ...

, 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 seen in ''

'' playing

Hugh Jackman Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor. Beginning in theatre and television, he landed his breakthrough role as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in the 20th Century Fox ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2017), a role ...

's sidekick, Friar Carl. His character, Dilios, narrated and appeared in the 2007 film ''300''. He reprises his role of Dilios in both the 2014 sequel, '' 300: Rise of an Empire'' and the video game, '' 300: March to Glory'' for Sony PlayStation Portable, which contains a substantial amount of new dialogue. Minor roles of Wenham's in overseas films include in ''

The Crocodile Hunter ''The Crocodile Hunter'' was a wildlife documentary television series hosted by Steve Irwin and his wife, Terri. The show became a popular franchise due to Irwin's unconventional approach to wildlife. It spawned a number of separate projects, ...

'' as a park ranger, and briefly in ''

Moulin Rouge! ''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...

'' as Audrey. Wenham stars in the music video for

Alex Lloyd Alex Lloyd (born 19 November 1974) is an Australian singer-songwriter. Four of his albums, ''Black the Sun'', '' Watching Angels Mend'', '' Distant Light'' and '' Alex Lloyd'', released between 1999 and 2005, made the top ten on the ARIA chart ...

's single " Brand New Day". In 2008's ''Australia'', he reunited with Hugh Jackman playing antagonist Neil Fletcher. In 2009, he appeared in '' Public Enemies'' as one of

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times an ...

's men. He also returned 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 in sold-out performances alongside ARIA award-winning singer

Kate Miller-Heidke Kate Melina Miller-Heidke (; born 16 November 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Although classically trained, she has generally followed a career in alternative pop music. She signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in th ...

. In 2010, he played the character 'Len' in the Australian drama film ''

Oranges and Sunshine ''Oranges and Sunshine'' is a 2010 Australian drama film directed by Jim Loach as his directorial debut. It stars Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham, with a screenplay by Rona Munro, based on the 1994 book ''Empty Cradles'' by Margaret Hu ...

''. Also in 2010, Wenham starred as the disgraced Melbourne lawyer Andrew Fraser in the Australian television series '' Killing Time''. This ten-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 alongside

Elisabeth Moss Elisabeth Singleton Moss (born July 24, 1982) is an American actor. She is known for her work in several television dramas, earning such accolades as two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, which led ''Vulture'' to name her the ...

in the 2013 BBC series ''

''. In 2013, Wenham returned to the stage to play the lead role of John Proctor, in the

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...

's mid-year production of

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

's ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...

''. In 2014, Wenham starred as Patrick Jones in '' Paper Planes'', released on 15 January 2015. That same year, Wenham voiced the role Jacko a frilled-neck lizard, in ''

Blinky Bill the Movie ''Blinky Bill the Movie'' is a 2015 Australian computer-animated adventure comedy film based on the Blinky Bill character, an anthropomorphic koala created by Dorothy Wall for a children's book series in 1933. The film was produced by Flyin ...

''. In 2016, Wenham played the role of John, the adoptive father of Saroo Brierley in '' Lion''. Wenham played the role of the villain

Harold Meachum Harold "Harry" Meachum is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a sinister businessman, primarily a foe of Iron Fist. In his original appearances in comics, he is depicted ...

in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

original television series '' Iron Fist'', which premiered in March 2017. In 2018, Wenham plays the voice of

Johnny Town-Mouse ''The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter and first published by Frederick Warne & Co. In December 1918 in literature, 1918. The tale is based on the Aesop's Fables, Aesop fable, "The Town M ...

in ''

Peter Rabbit Peter Rabbit is a fictional animal character in various children's stories by English author Beatrix Potter. A mischievous, adventurous young rabbit who wears a blue jacket, he first appeared in ''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'' in 1902, and subs ...

'', a role he reprised in the 2021 sequel '' Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway''. In 2020, it was announced that Wenham was cast as Jasper Queller in the upcoming

thriller series ''

Pieces of Her ''Pieces of Her'' is a thriller novel by American author Karin Slaughter, published on August 21, 2018 by William Morrow and Company and HarperCollins Publishers.Karin Slaughter Karin Slaughter (born January 6, 1971) is an American crime writer. She has written 21 novels, which have sold more than 40 million copies and have been published in 120 countries. Her first novel, ''Blindsighted'' (2001), was published in 27 l ...

novel of the same name. In 2022, Wenham returned to work with director

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

again to play the role of country singer

in the biographical film ''

''.

Personal life

Wenham has two daughters with his longtime partner, Kate Agnew. He read a poem by Rupert McCall at the memorial service for

Steve Irwin Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 19624 September 2006), known as "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist. Irwin grew up around crocodiles and ot ...

. The poem was entitled "The Crocodiles are Crying". Wenham is a Sydney Swans supporter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actor in Television Drama Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

for ''

'' (1997) – winner *Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actor in Television Drama for ''

Answered by Fire ''Answered by Fire'' is a two-part television film based on the 1999 conflicts in East Timor that led to its independence in 2002. The film is based on "Dancing with the Devil: A Personal Account of Policing the East Timor Vote for Independence" ...

'' (2006) – winner * Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''

'' (2007) - nominated

References

External links

*
Urban Cinefile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wenham, David 1965 births Living people 20th-century Australian male actors 21st-century Australian male actors AACTA Award winners Australian male film actors Australian male soap opera actors Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Australian male voice actors Male actors from Sydney Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from Marrickville Western Sydney University alumni Blinky Bill