Biography

Essie Davis is an Australian actress. Born and raised in Hobart, Tasmania, she is the daughter of locally famed artist George Davis. She emerged from the Old Nick Company at the University of Tasmania in the late 1980s and has gone on to appear in Hollywood movies. She is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney. Her career started after her role in the all Australian movie Dad and Dave: On Our Selection (1995), also starring other prestigious actors such as Geoffrey Rush, Leo McKern, and Joan Sutherland. Her most famous movie roles are in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Richard Flanagan's 1998 Tasmanian film The Sound of One Hand Clapping, and Girl with a Pearl Earring. In 2003 she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for her UK performance in the Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire. In 2004 she starred in a Broadway production of Tom Stoppard's Jumpers, for which she earned a Tony nomination. In 2005 she appeared as Mrs. Nellie Lovett in the BBC production of Sweeney Todd with Ray Winstone. In the 2008 film Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger she plays Esther's controlling mother.

Photos

Filmography

View Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones

2011Series
8.5
View Alien: Earth
Alien: Earth

Alien: Earth

2025Series
7.3
View The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded

The Matrix Reloaded

2003Film
7.1
View Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

2012Series
7.7
View Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

2022Series
7.5
View The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions

The Matrix Revolutions

2003Film
6.7
View Halifax f.p.
Halifax f.p.

Halifax f.p.

1994Series
6.2
View One Day
One Day

One Day

2024Series
7.6
View Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams

Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams

2017Series
7.0
View The White Princess
The White Princess

The White Princess

2017Series
7.7
View Young Lions
Young Lions

Young Lions

2002Series0
View The Slap
The Slap

The Slap

2011Series
6.6