David Wenham
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox person David Wenham Template:Post-nominals is an Australian actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre. He is known for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Friar Carl in Van Helsing and Van Helsing: The London Assignment, Dilios in 300 and its sequel 300: Rise of an Empire, Al Parker in Top of the Lake, Lieutenant John Scarfield in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Hank Snow in Elvis. He is known in his native Australia for his role as Diver Dan in SeaChange and Price Galese in Les Norton.
Early life
Wenham has five older sisters—Helen, Anne, Carmel, Kathryn, and Maree—and one older brother, Peter. He was raised in the Roman Catholic faith and attended Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham, Sydney.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Fr Damien role is 'uplifting' – actor Template:Webarchive</ref>
Career
Wenham started his career as an actor after graduating from Theatre Nepean at the University of Western Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts (Performing Arts) in 1987.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Wenham's television credits include several films, such as his AFI award-winning role in 1997's Simone de Beauvoir's Babies, and his role as the outwardly laid back but deeply enigmatic diver Dan Della Bosca in the 1998 and 1999 seasons of the ABC television series SeaChange. His role as "Diver Dan" has made the actor something of a sex symbol, although he dislikes thinking of himself as such,<ref>Template:Cite web </ref> and he has been voted Australia's "sexiest man alive".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A portrait of Wenham by artist Adam Cullen won the Archibald Prize in 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Australian films Wenham has starred in include The Boys (1998) based on the play of the same name premiered at Griffin Theatre Company and in turn based on the murder of Anita Cobby, Molokai (1999), based on the life of Father Damien, The Bank (2001), Gettin' Square (2003), Stiff (2004), The Brush-Off (2004), and Three Dollars (2005). Wenham has periodically appeared in Hollywood films; he is known for playing Faramir, son of Denethor II, in New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
.jpg){kind=link}
He was seen in Van Helsing playing Hugh Jackman'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 as a park ranger, and briefly in Moulin Rouge! as Audrey. Wenham stars in the music video for Alex Lloyd'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'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.<ref>"Jerry Springer: The Opera" by Elissa Blake, The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 April 2009</ref>
In 2010, he played the character Len in the Australian drama film Oranges and Sunshine. 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<ref name = top-of-the-lake-smh>Template:Cite web</ref> alongside Elisabeth Moss in the 2013 BBC series Top of the Lake.
In 2013, Wenham returned to the stage to play the lead role of John Proctor in the Melbourne Theatre Company's mid-year production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.
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. 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 in the Netflix original television series Iron Fist, which premiered in March 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2018, Wenham played the voice of Johnny Town-Mouse in Peter Rabbit, 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 Netflix thriller series Pieces of Her, which is adapted from the Karin Slaughter novel of the same name.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2022, Wenham returned to work with director Baz Luhrmann, playing the role of country singer Hank Snow in the biographical film Elvis.
In November 2022, Wenham played Scrooge in a production of A Christmas Carol; his performance was praised for showing Scrooge as traumatised.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In October 2025, Wenham was named in the cast for the feature film Zac Power.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2023 Australia Day Honours.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
Wenham met actress and yoga teacher Kate Agnew at a play at Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, in 1994.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They began a relationship that year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They have two daughters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2020, they live together in a $2.75 million-dollar house in Brisbane, Australia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 20 September 2006, Wenham read a poem called "The Crocodiles are Crying" by Rupert McCall at the memorial service for Steve Irwin.<ref>Template:IMDb title</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wenham is a Sydney Swans supporter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | A Country Practice | Ambulanceman 1 | Episode: "Mozart Rules – Part 1" | |
| Sons and Daughters | Debt Collector | Episode: "#1.954" | ||
| 1988 | A Country Practice | Scott Galbraith | 2 episodes | |
| 1990 | Come In Spinner | Australian soldier | Mini-series | |
| 1991 | Police Rescue | Ferret | Episode: "The Cosmic Lightbeam" | |
| 1992 | A Country Practice | David Cornish | 2 episodes | |
| 1994 | Blue Heelers | William Cassidy | Episode: "The Folly of Youth" | |
| 1996 | Blue Heelers | Robbie Doyle | Episode: "Happy Families" | |
| 1997 | Simone de Beauvoir's Babies | Ian | all 4 episodes | |
| Return to Jupiter | Dr Ghrobak | 2 episodes | ||
| 1998–1999 | SeaChange | Dan Della Bosca | 15 episodes | |
| 2004 | Murray Whelan: Stiff | Murray Whelan | Telemovie | |
| 2004 | Murray Whelan: The Brush-Off | Murray Whelan | Telemovie | |
| 2006 | Answered by Fire | Mark Waldman | Two-part mini-series | |
| 2009 | Deadliest Warrior | Narrator | Credited as "Drew Skye" | |
| 2011 | Killing Time | Andrew Fraser | 10 episodes | |
| 2012 | Dripping in Chocolate | Bennett O'Mara | ||
| 2013, 2017 | Top of the Lake | Al Parker | 7 episodes | |
| 2013 | Better Man | Julian McMahon | 4 episodes | |
| 2014 | The Code | Ian Bradley | 6 episodes | |
| 2015 | Banished | Captain Arthur Phillip, 1st Governor of New South Wales | ||
| 2017 | Iron Fist | Harold Meachum | 10 episodes | |
| 2018 | Romper Stomper | Jago Zoric | 6 episodes | |
| 2019 | Les Norton | Price Galese | 10 episodes | |
| 2020 | The Letter for the King | Sir Tiuri the Valiant | 2 episodes | |
| 2021 | Pieces of Her | Jasper Queller | Main cast | <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
| 2022 | Joe vs. Carole | Don Lewis | 1 episode | |
| 2024 | Fake | Joe Burt | 8 episodes | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Faramir | |
| 2007 | 300: March to Glory | Dilios, Narrator |
Other appearances
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Shackleton: The Greatest Story of Survival | Self | Documentary |
| 2022–23 | The ABC Of | Self | 10 episodes |
| 2022 | ABC 90 Celebrate! | Self | TV special |
| 2015 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Himself | Series 7, Episode 4 |
Awards and nominations
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actor in Television Drama for Simone de Beauvoir's Babies (1997) – winner<ref name="AFITV">Template:Cite web </ref>
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actor in Television Drama for Answered by Fire (2006) – winner<ref name="AFITV" />
- Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for 300 (2007) - nominated
References
<references responsive />
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- 1965 births
- Living people
- 20th-century Australian male actors
- 21st-century Australian male actors
- Australian male film actors
- Australian male soap opera actors
- Australian male stage actors
- Australian male television actors
- Australian male voice actors
- Best Actor AACTA Award winners
- Blinky Bill
- Male actors from Sydney
- Members of the Order of Australia
- Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- People educated at Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham
- People from Marrickville
- Western Sydney University alumni