Ewen Leslie (born 27 July 1980) is an Australian stage, film and television actor.

Career

Theatre

His first work on Sydney stages was performing at the Old Fitzroy Hotel theatre in

Woolloomooloo Woolloomooloo ( ) is a harbourside, inner-city eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Woolloomooloo is 1.5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is in a lo ...

. In 2007 he was cast by

Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—typically lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical produ ...

in ''Riflemind'', a play by

Andrew Upton Andrew Upton (born 1 February 1966) is an Australian playwright, screenwriter and director. He has adapted the works of Gorky, Chekhov, Ibsen and others for London's Royal National Theatre and the Sydney Theatre Company. He wrote the original p ...

which premiered at the Sydney Theatre Company. He joined the STC Actors Company in 2008 and won a Helpmann Award and a Sydney Theatre Award for his performance as Prince Hal/ Henry V opposite Cate Blanchett in '' The War of the Roses'' (directed by Benedict Andrews). In 2010 he played Richard III at 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 ...

directed by Simon Philips. Alison Croggon in ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'' wrote: "This is a deeply intelligent performance, physically and emotionally unafraid. It marks the ascension of a remarkable actor". He won his second Helpmann Award and a Green Room Award for this performance. The following year he played

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in a sellout season at the

(a role he would reprise in 2013 in Sydney for

Belvoir St Theatre Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Since 2016 and its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre contains a 330-seat Upstairs Theatre and a 80-seat ...

). He played one of the lead roles in ''

The Wild Duck ''The Wild Duck'' (original Norwegian title: ''Vildanden'') is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It is considered the first modern masterpiece in the genre of tragicomedy. ''The Wild Duck'' and ''Rosmersholm'' are "often ...

'' (directed by Simon Stone) which had successful seasons in Sydney, Melbourne and Oslo for The Ibsen Festival. In 2013 he was The Player in STC's ''

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'' is an absurdist, existential tragicomedy by Tom Stoppard, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's ''Ham ...

'' opposite Toby Schmitz and Tim Minchin. In 2015 he travelled to Paris to perform in Simon Stone's production of ''

Thyestes In Greek mythology, Thyestes (pronounced , gr, Θυέστης, ) was a king of Olympia. Thyestes and his brother, Atreus, were exiled by their father for having murdered their half-brother, Chrysippus, in their desire for the throne of Olym ...

'', and played the title role in Belvoir's production of '' Ivanov''. In 2021 he returned to the Sydney Theatre Company to perform in

Kip Williams Kip Williams is an Australian theatre and opera director. Williams is the current Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company. His appointment at age 30 made him the youngest artistic director in the company's history. Biography Williams has b ...

production of ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

'' performed by only three actors.

Film and television

His first break came when he was cast as the lead role in '' Jewboy'', a film that screened at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

and Sundance Film Festival. He has played lead roles in ''Three Blind Mice'', '' Dead Europe'', ''

The Butterfly Tree ''The Butterfly Tree'' is a 2017 Australian drama film directed by Priscilla Cameron. It had its premiere at the 2017 Melbourne International Film Festival, and was screened in the Discovery section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festiva ...

'' and '' The Daughter''. He has also appeared in '' Kokoda'', '' The Railway Man'', ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'', '' The Mule'', '' Sweet Country'' and '' The Nightingale''. Notable roles on TV include ''

Operation Buffalo Operation Buffalo may refer to: * Operation Buffalo, 1944 military operation, part of the Battle of Anzio in WW2 * Operation Buffalo (1956), four open-air nuclear tests at Maralinga, South Australia * Operation Buffalo (1967), a Vietnam War opera ...

'', ''

The Luminaries ''The Luminaries'' is a 2013 novel by Eleanor Catton. Set in New Zealand's South Island in 1866, the novel follows Walter Moody, a prospector who travels to the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast settlement of Hokitika to make his fortune on ...

'', '' The Gloaming'', '' The Cry'', '' Safe Harbour'', ''

Fighting Season ''Fighting Season'' is a 2018 Australian television drama series that screened on Foxtel's Showcase channel. The series is a mystery drama involving Australian soldiers returning on leave from deployment in Afghanistan. The six-part series is wr ...

'', ''

Deadline Gallipoli ''Deadline Gallipoli'' is an Australian television drama mini-series, first screened on Foxtel's Showcase channel on 19 and 20 April 2015. The two-part series explores the Gallipoli Campaign from the point of view of war correspondents Ellis As ...

'', '' Devil's Dust'', '' Mabo'', ''

Redfern Now ''Redfern Now'' is an Australian drama television series, that first aired on ABC1 in 2012. The program follows the lives of 6 Aboriginal Australian families living in the urban hub of Redfern, Sydney. The series provides insight into contempo ...

'' and '' Rake''. In 2017 he won an

AACTA Award The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...

for his role as Pyke in the second season of ''

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 ...

'' opposite

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 ...

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

and Alice Englert. Maureen Ryan in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that his performance was "subtle and powerful", while Michael Idato in the '' Sydney Morning Herald'' wrote, "In a world where fame is fleeting and often hoisted upon the undeserved, Leslie is a proper revelation. He's a stunning performer, perhaps one of the best on our screens". He also voices the character of Pigling Bland in the ''

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 ...

'' films.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre credits

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leslie, Ewen 1980 births Living people AACTA Award winners Australian male film actors Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Australian child actors Australian male child actors Helpmann Award winners