Ewen Leslie

Early life and education

Leslie is from Fremantle, Western Australia. He was acting in school plays at the age of ten. After seeing a newspaper advertisement for auditions for children's series Ship to Shore, he secured a role on the show from the age of 12 to 14. From there he attended high school at John Curtin College of the Arts, via a theatre scholarship, attending at the same time as fellow actor Sam Worthington, who was several years older.

Leslie wanted to attend Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) after his senior year, but missed the auditions. Instead, he ended up studying acting at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in Perth, graduating in 2000.

Career

Theatre

After graduating from WAAPA, Leslie moved to Sydney, and between bar work shifts at the Old Fitzroy Hotel, he began performing in shows at the venue. His first paid stage-acting job was a small part in a 2007 production of Paul at Belvoir Theatre, which lead to further stage roles at Belvoir. He eventually scored a role in Riflemind, a play by Andrew Upton which for Sydney Theatre Company directed by Oscar-winning actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman and starring Hugo Weaving and Martin Csokas. His performance caught the attention of Cate Blanchett.

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, Leslie played Richard III at the Melbourne Theatre Company directed by Simon Philips. Alison Croggon in The Australian 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, Leslie played Hamlet in a sellout season at the Melbourne Theatre Company, a role he would reprise in 2013 in Sydney for Belvoir St Theatre. He played one of the lead roles in The Wild Duck (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 opposite Toby Schmitz and Tim Minchin. In 2015 he travelled to Paris to perform in Simon Stone's production of Thyestes, and played the title role in Belvoir's production of Ivanov.

In 2021, Leslie returned to the Sydney Theatre Company to perform in Kip Williams' production of Julius Caesar performed by only three actors.

Film and television

Leslie's first break came when he was cast as the lead role in 2005 drama Jewboy, a film that screened at the Cannes Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival. He has since played lead roles in several drama films – Three Blind Mice (2008), Dead Europe (2012), The Daughter (2015) and The Butterfly Tree (2017). His other film appearances include war film Kokoda (2006), erotic psychological horror drama Sleeping Beauty (2011), war drama The Railway Man (2013), black comedy The Mule (2014), outback drama Sweet Country (2017) and colonial thriller The Nightingale (2017). Leslie also voiced the character of Pigling Bland in the live action / animated Peter Rabbit films.

His notable television roles include Operation Buffalo, The Luminaries, The Gloaming, The Cry, Safe Harbour, Fighting Season, Deadline Gallipoli, Devil's Dust, Mabo, Redfern Now and Rake.

In 2017, Leslie won an AACTA Award for his role as Pyke in the second season of Top of the Lake, opposite Elisabeth Moss, Nicole Kidman and Alice Englert. Maureen Ryan in Variety 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".

In 2024, Leslie appeared in Stan thriller series Exposure and drama series Prosper. In December 2024, Leslie was named in the cast for Foxtel drama The Twelve.

Leslie has also performed voiceover work on television commercials for My State Bank, Subaru, McDonald's McCafé, University of Melbourne, Repco RACQ and BMG.

Personal life

Leslie's partner of over 20 years is award-winning film producer Nicole O'Donohue, and together they have two children, Elliot and Eve.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (November 2010). "Ewen Leslie: Our Next Big Thing".
2. Waites, James. (12 October 2007). "Riflemind {{!}} Sydney Theatre Company".
3. "Past nominees and winners".
4. "2009".
5. Boland, Michaela. (22 January 2009). "The War of the Roses – Part 1 and Part 2". [[Variety (magazine).
6. Croggon, Alison. (3 May 2010). "This Richard III is one of the greats". [[The Australian]].
7. Boland, Michaela. (11 August 2011). "Hamlet too successful for Melbourne Theatre Company's own good". [[The Australian]].
8. Woodhead, Cameron. (23 February 2012). "The Wild Duck". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
9. Blake, Jason. (11 August 2013). "Alive yet alone, Stoppard players shine together". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
10. Blake, Jason. (24 September 2015). "Ivanov review: Entertaining Ewen Leslie brings dry Australian laughs to Russian tale of woe". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
11. Martyn, Shona. (4 February 2019). "Lunch with: The Cry actor Ewen Leslie". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
12. Idato, Michael. (22 August 2017). "Top of the Lake: China Girl is Nicole Kidman's finest hour". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
13. Knox, David. (2024-05-24). "Airdate: Exposure {{!}} TV Tonight".
14. Knox, David. (2023-11-17). "Airdate: Prosper {{!}} TV Tonight".
15. Staff Writer. "Cast revealed for third season of award-winning anthology series, THE TWELVE: CAPE ROCK KILLER".
16. "Ewen Leslie".
17. (15 May 2020). "Talent. Charm. Ambition. He's a star in the making, but who is he?".
18. (23 July 2022). "Actor Ewen Leslie".
19. "Ewen Leslie".
20. "Ewen Leslie theatre credits".