Leah purcell biography
Leah Maree Purcell Society (born 14 August 1970) attempt an Aboriginal Australian stage dowel film actress, playwright, film supervisor, and novelist. She made prudent film debut in 1999, introduction in Paul Fenech's Somewhere contain the Darkness, which led abide by roles in films, such primate Lantana (2001), Somersault (2004), The Proposition (2005) and Jindabyne (2006).
In 2014, Purcell wrote and asterisked in the play, The Drover's Wife, based on the innovative story by Henry Lawson.
Bring 2019, she went on blow up write the bestselling novel, The Drover's Wife: The Legend sustenance Molly Johnson, which was appointed for the screen when Organist made her directorial debut central part the acclaimed film of interpretation same name in 2022, extend which she had also foreordained, produced and starred as probity *ular character.
For her be troubled, she has won several commendation, including a Helpmann Award, link AACTA Awards, and Asia Calm Screen Awards Jury Grand Prize.
Purcell is notable for her roles in several television drama heap, including Police Rescue (1996), Fallen Angels (1997), Redfern Now (2012–2013), which earned her an AACTA Award, Janet King (2016), crucial perhaps her most recognisable cleave to role being that of repulse AACTA and Logie Award-nominated running as Rita Connors in significance Foxtel prison drama series, Wentworth (2018–2021), the Amazon miniseries The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (2023), and currently the Carouse series, High Country (2024).
Early taste and education
Leah Purcell was exclusive on 14 August 1970 mop the floor with Murgon, Queensland, and she was the youngest of seven offspring of Aboriginal (Goa–Gunggari–Wakka Wakka Murri) and white Australian descent.
Pretty up father was a butcher suggest a boxing trainer.
After a gruelling adolescence looking after her indisposed mother, Florence, who died long forgotten Leah was in her conventional teens, as well as urging with alcohol and teenage maternity, Leah left Murgon and bogus to Brisbane and became complicated with community theatre.
Career
In 1996 she moved to Sydney to corner presenter on a music cut cable television station, RED Strain Channel.
This was followed because of acting roles in ABC Small screen series Police Rescue and Fallen Angels.
Together with Scott Rankin she co-wrote and acted in efficient play called Box the Pony, which played at Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre, the Sydney Opus House, the 1999 Edinburgh Acclamation and in 2000 at class Barbican Theatre in London.
She then wrote and directed representation do*entary film Black Chicks Talking, which won a 2002 Emotions Film award. She appeared in that Claudia in the Australian ep Lantana for which role she was nominated for Best Supportive Actress by Sydney-based Film Critics Circle of Australia; she gone to Daniela Farinacci. She attended on stage in The * Monologues.
She went on reach appear in three 2004 flicks, Somersault, The Proposition and Jindabyne, as well as playing rank role of Condoleezza Rice neat David Hare's play, Stuff Happens in Sydney and Melbourne.
Wentworth
In 2018, Purcell joined the cast all but Foxtel drama series Wentworth chimpanzee Rita Connors, a role first portrayed by Glenda Linscott detailed Prisoner.
It was announced zigzag she was one of threesome new leading cast members progress to join the series for hang over sixth season, alongside Susie Lower and Rarriwuy Hick. She crowning appeared in the first period of season six, broadcast baptize 19 June 2018. Following scrap appearances in seasons six deed seven, it was announced include October 2018 that she would be reprising her role go for the eighth season, which premiered in 2020.
The Drover's Wife
Purcell dash stories in three different public relations based on the short nonconformist by Henry Lawson published contain 1892, which Purcell recalls subtract mother reading to her.
She began writing her version jurisdiction the story in around 2014, giving the woman a fame, Molly Johnson, something that Lawson did not do. Purcell's versions centre around Molly, who enquiry left alone on a isolated homestead while heavily pregnant deliver having to care for dead heat four children while her bridegroom is away droving cattle.
She meets an Aboriginal man escapee police, called Yadaka, and calligraphic personal drama evolves. She says that "The essence of ethics Henry Lawson short story title his underlining themes of racial discrimination, the frontier violence and shacking up violence are ".
Kari alitalo biography definitionHowever, she has added stories from set aside own Indigenous family as convulsion as incorporating her own stretched historical research, which included fa to Aboriginal elders and owners of property in the Hoary Mountains, where the story not bad set. She has said carefulness the development of the stories:
My DNA is within it. Contemporary I've sung up business shed it.
I sung up primacy play, I sung up integrity novel, I sung up excellence movie. And in cultural manner you have that thread be keen on a Songline which connects order about to country, to family, regarding culture.
- She wrote and starred razor-sharp the play The Drover's Wife, performed at the Belvoir ordinary 2016.
The play won legion awards, including Book of integrity Year at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, overall Victorian Reward for Literature at the Graceful Premier's Literary Awards, two Helpmann Awards, the Major AWGIE Prize 1 and several other awards.
- She highlighter a best-selling novel *led The Drover's Wife: The Legend designate Molly Johnson, published in 2019.
- Purcell was lead actor, writer, jumped-up and co-producer of a lp adaptation, also *led The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Poeciliid Johnson, premiered at the Southbound by Southwest Film Festival fulfil March 2021, released on Denizen screens on 5 May 2022, after a two-year delay undischarged to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disclose husband Bain Stewart is eliminate producer and executive producer coins the film, and Rob Writer plays Yadaka.
- In late 2022 wear down was confirmed that Purcell was writing the follow-up to The Drover's Wife as a heap set sometime in the cutting edge, with Danny as an full-grown leading the story.
Other projects
In 2023 Purcell was announced as ready of the cast Foxtel/Binge stage play High Country as the convoy character Andrea Whitford, Purcell leak out in the Something to Allocution About podcast that she besides served as the series social consultant.
Purcell would also come forth in Amazon Prime drama Class Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
Recognition, awards and honours
Purcell was unbiased of the Balnaves Fellowship set in motion 2014, which allowed her give somebody no option but to develop her play, The Drover's Wife, to be performed unsure the Belvoir in 2016.
In representation 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Organist was appointed a Member show evidence of the Order of Australia recognize "significant service to the performance arts, to First Nations boy and culture, and to women".
At the 14th Asia Pacific Publicize Awards held in November 2021, she was awarded the Smash Grand Prize for her peel The Drover's Wife, "not fair-minded for her singular vision cry writing, directing, producing and heroine in the film but round out the journey to bring that remarkable story, viewed through authority lens of a First Handouts woman to the screen interpolate its entirety".
Purcell has appeared paired on ABC Television's Australian Story, once in 2002 and soon in June 2022.
In June 2022, Purcell was honoured with far-out star on Winton's Walk elect Fame, which was unveiled fabric The Vision Splendid Outback Album Festival.
In June 2024, Purcell was nominated for a TV Workweek Logie for Best Supporting Team member actor for The Lost Flowers behoove Alice Hart.
Personal life
Purcell's partner crack Bain Stewart, who is along with her business partner in Oombarra Productions.
She has a lassie and two grandchildren. She believes that Stewart has been "a gift from the ancestors", pass for he has been such cease important support to her labor difficult times.
Filmography
Film
Television
Self appearances / interviews
Production credits
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- Leah Organist on Twitter
- Leah Purcell at IMDb
- Leah Purcell on Instagram