# Ewen Leslie

Ewen Leslie (born 27 July 1980) is an Australian actor.

## Career
### Theatre

His first work on Sydney stages was performing at the Old Fitzroy Hotel theatre in Woolloomooloo. In 2007 he was cast by Philip Seymour Hoffman in Riflemind, a play by Andrew Upton 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 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 he 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 he returned to the Sydney Theatre Company to perform in Kip Williams production of Julius Caesar 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 and Sundance Film Festival. He has played lead roles in Three Blind Mice, Dead Europe, The Butterfly Tree and The Daughter. He has also appeared in Kokoda, The Railway Man, Sleeping Beauty, The Mule, Sweet Country and The Nightingale.
Notable roles on TV 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 he 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".
He also voices the character of Pigling Bland in the Peter Rabbit films.
In 2024, Leslie appeared in Stan series Exposure and Prosper (TV series). In December 2024, Leslie was named in the cast for Foxtel drama The Twelve.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | Justice | Bully | |
| 2002 | The Doppelgangers | Fitz | Short film |
| 2004 | Sold Out | Punter | Short film |
| 2004 | Right Here Right Now | SBLT Sam Fisher | Feature film |
| 2005 | Jewboy | Yuri | Feature film |
| 2005 | Live to Give | Seb | Short film |
| 2005 | The Mechanicals | Toast Man | Short film |
| 2006 | Kokoda | Wilstead | Feature film |
| 2007 | Katoomba | Don | Short film |
| 2008 | Three Blind Mice | Sam | Feature film |
| 2008 | Netherland Dwarf | Dad | Short film |
| 2009 | Lonely | Bob | Short film |
| 2009 | Apricot | Marcel | Short film |
| 2011 | Sleeping Beauty | Birdmann | Feature film |
| 2012 | Dead Europe | Isaac | Feature film |
| 2012 | Suspended | Dave | Short film |
| 2013 | Scene 16 | Luke | Short film |
| 2013 | The Railway Man | Thompson | Feature film |
| 2014 | The Mule | Detective Les Paris | Feature film |
| 2015 | The Daughter | Oliver Finch | Feature film |
| 2015 | Death in Bloom | Christopher Crumples | Short film |
| 2017 | The Butterfly Tree | Al | Feature film |
| 2017 | Sweet Country | Harry March | Feature film |
| 2017 | Face | James | Short film |
| 2018 | Peter Rabbit | Pigling Bland (voice) | Feature film |
| 2018 | The Nightingale | Goodwin | Feature film |
| 2021 | Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway | Pigling Bland (voice) | Feature film |
| 2022 | The Stranger | Assistant Commissioner Milliken | Feature film |
| TBA | Mr Pillow | | Upcoming |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | Ship to Shore | Guido Bellini | 52 episodes |
| 1996 | Bush Patrol | Dave | 1 episode |
| 1997 | The Gift | Boy | Episode: "The Cockroach Rap" |
| 2001 | Wild Kat | Morgan Ritchie | 13 episodes |
| 2002 | The Road from Coorain | Reg | Television film |
| 2002 | The Junction Boys | Luke Mason | Television film |
| 2003 | All Saints | Tony Hunter | 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Love My Way | Duc | 8 episodes |
| 2007 | Lockie Leonard | John East | 7 episodes |
| 2009 | My Place | Mr. Bracey | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Mabo | Bryan Keon-Cohen | Television film |
| 2012 | Devil's Dust | Matt Peacock | TV miniseries |
| 2012 | Redfern Now | Mr. Parish | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Top of the Lake | Steve (voice) | Episode: "The Edge of the Universe" |
| 2013 | Mr & Mrs Murder | Hugo | Episode: "The Course Whisperer" |
| 2014 | Wonderland | Nick Deakin | 8 episodes |
| 2015 | Deadline Gallipoli | Keith Murdoch | 1 episode |
| 2015 | No Activity | Police officer (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Janet King | Patrick Bocarro | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Rake | Bevan Leigh | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Top of the Lake | Pyke | 6 episodes |
| 2017 | Sisters | Abraham | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Safe Harbour | Ryan Gallagher | Miniseries |
| 2018 | Fighting Season | Captain Edward "Ted" Nordenfelt | Main cast |
| 2018 | The Cry | Alistair Robertson | Main cast |
| 2020 | The Luminaries | Crosbie Wells | Main cast |
| 2020 | The Gloaming | Alex O’Connell | Main cast |
| 2020 | Operation Buffalo | Major Leo Carmichael | Main cast |
| 2022 | Pieces of Her | Arthur Gibson | 4 episodes |
| 2022 | Bali 2002 | Tom Keirath | 1 episode |
| 2023 | The Clearing | Tom Atkins | 1 episode |
| 2024 | Prosper | Dion Quinn | 8 episodes |
| 2024 | Colin from Accounts | Constable Byrne | 1 episode |
| 2024 | Expsoure | Jim | 1 episode |
| 2025 | The Twelve | | TV series |

## Theatre credits

| Year | Show | Role | Venue |
| 2003 | Woyzeck | Doctor | Old Fitzroy Theatre |
| 2003 | Chicks Will Dig You! | Seb | Belvoir St Theatre (Downstairs Theatre) |
| 2004 | Cross Sections | Aaron | Tamarama Sock Surfers |
| 2004 | This Blasted Earth | Father/Scarlett | Tamarama Rock Surfers |
| 2005 | Shakesperealism | Lewis | Tamarama Rock Surfers |
| 2007 | Paul | Yeshua | Belvoir St Theatre |
| 2007 | Dead Caesar | Cassius | Sydney Theatre Company (Wharf 2 Theatre) |
| 2007 | Riflemind | Lee | Sydney Theatre Company (Wharf 1 Theatre) |
| 2008 | The Serpent's Teeth | Sam Lewis | Sydney Opera House - Drama Theatre (Sydney Theatre Company) |
| 2008 | Gallipoli | Billy Hughes / Atatürk | Sydney Theatre |
| 2009 | The War of the Roses | Prince Hal/Henry V | Sydney Theatre |
| 2009 | The Promise | Marat | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2010 | Richard III | Richard III | Melbourne Theatre Company |
| 2010 | The Trial | Josef K. | Malthouse Theatre (Sydney Theatre Company) |
| 2011 | The Wild Duck | Hjalmar Ekdal | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2011 | Hamlet | Prince Hamlet | Melbourne Theate Company |
| 2013 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Brick Pollitt | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2013 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | The Player | Sydney Theatre Company |
| 2013 | Hamlet | Prince Hamlet | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2015 | Thyestes | Atreus | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2015 | Ivanov | Nikolai Ivanov | Belvoir Street Theatre |
| 2021 | Julius Caesar | Multiple roles | Sydney Theatre Company (Wharf 1 Theatre) |
| 2022 | The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde | Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde/Others | Sydney Theatre Company (Roslyn Packer Theatre) |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Ceremony | Category | Work | Result |
| 2005 | AFI Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Craft in a Non-Feature | Jewboy | Nominated |
| 2006 | Movie Extra Filmink Awards | Best Australian Newcomer | Jewboy | Nominated |
| 2009 | Sydney Theatre Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role | The War of the Roses | Won |
| 2009 | Helpmann Awards | Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play | The War of the Roses | Won |
| 2010 | Helpmann Awards | Best Male Actor in a Play | Richard III | Won |
| 2010 | Green Room Awards | Best Male Actor | Richard III | Won |
| 2011 | Sydney Theatre Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role | The Wild Duck | Nominated |
| 2012 | Australian Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actor | Dead Europe | Nominated |
| 2012 | Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Actor | Dead Europe | Nominated |
| 2012 | Green Room Awards | Best Ensemble - Theatre Companies | The Wild Duck | Nominated |
| 2012 | Green Room Awards | Best Male Actor | The Wild Duck | Nominated |
| 2013 | Equity Ensemble Awards | Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Television Movie or Miniseries | Mabo | Nominated |
| 2013 | Equity Ensemble Awards | Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Television Movie or Miniseries | Devil's Dust | Won |
| 2013 | Sydney Theatre Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | Nominated |
| 2014 | Glug Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | Nominated |
| 2014 | Helpmann Awards | Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | Nominated |
| 2014 | AACTA Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Dead Europe | Nominated |
| 2015 | Sydney Theatre Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role | Ivanov | Nominated |
| 2016 | AACTA Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | The Daughter | Nominated |
| 2016 | Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Actor | The Daughter | Nominated |
| 2017 | Australian Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actor | The Daughter | Nominated |
| 2017 | AACTA Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | The Butterfly Tree | Nominated |
| 2017 | AACTA Awards | Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Top of the Lake | Won |
| 2018 | Logie Awards | Most Outstanding Actor | Safe Harbour | Nominated |
| 2019 | Australian Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | Sweet Country | Nominated |
| 2019 | Equity Ensemble Awards | Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Television Movie or Miniseries | Safe Harbour | Nominated |
| 2019 | Logie Awards | Most Outstanding Supporting Actor | Fighting Season | Nominated |
| 2019 | AACTA Awards | Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Fighting Season | Nominated |
| 2019 | AACTA Awards | Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | The Cry | Nominated |
| 2020 | New Zealand Film and Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor | The Luminaries | Nominated |
| 2020 | AACTA Awards | AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama | Operation Buffalo | Nominated |