# David Wenham

David Wenham AM 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.

## 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. Wenham's television credits include several telefilms, 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, and he has been voted Australia's "sexiest man alive". A portrait of Wenham by artist Adam Cullen won the Archibald Prize in 2000.
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.
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.
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 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.
In 2018, Wenham plays 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.
In 2022, Wenham returned to work with director Baz Luhrmann again to play 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 as showing Scrooge as traumatised.
He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2023 Australia Day Honours.

## Personal life

Wenham met actress and yoga teacher Kate Agnew at a play at Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia in 1994. They began a relationship that year. They have two daughters. As of 2020, they live together in a $2.75 million-dollar house in Brisbane, Australia.
On 20 September 2006, Wenham read a poem called "The Crocodiles are Crying" by Rupert McCall at the memorial service for Steve Irwin.
Wenham is a Sydney Swans supporter.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Greenkeeping | Trevor | |
| 1992 | Seeing Red | Frank | |
| 1993 | Don't Touch Wood! | Lenny | Film developed by ANZ Bank and Small Business Victoria |
| 1994 | Gino | Trevor | |
| 1994 | Tran the Man | Raymond "Tran" Moss | Short film |
| 1994 | No Escape | Hotel Guard No. 2 | |
| 1995 | Roses Are Red | Brian | |
| 1996 | Cosi | Doug | |
| 1996 | Idiot Box | Bank Teller | |
| 1998 | The Boys | Brett Sprague | |
| 1998 | Dark City | Schreber's Assistant | |
| 1998 | A Little Bit of Soul | Richard Shorkinghorn | |
| 1999 | Molokai: The Story of Father Damien | Father Damien | |
| 2000 | Better Than Sex | Josh | |
| 2001 | Russian Doll | Ethan | |
| 2001 | Moulin Rouge! | Audrey | |
| 2001 | The Bank | Jim Doyle | |
| 2001 | Dust | Luke | |
| 2002 | The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course | Sam Flynn | |
| 2002 | Pure | Lenny | |
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Faramir | |
| 2003 | Gettin' Square | Johnny Spitieri | |
| 2003 | Basilisk Stare | Dave | |
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Faramir | |
| 2004 | Van Helsing | Friar Carl | |
| 2004 | Van Helsing: The London Assignment | Friar Carl | |
| 2005 | Three Dollars | Eddie Harnovey | |
| 2005 | The Proposition | Eden Fletcher | |
| 2007 | 300 | Dilios | |
| 2008 | Married Life | John O'Brien | |
| 2008 | The Children of Huang Shi | Barnes | |
| 2008 | Australia | Neil Fletcher | |
| 2009 | Public Enemies | Harry Pierpont | |
| 2009 | Pope Joan | Gerold | |
| 2010 | Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | Digger (voice) | |
| 2010 | Oranges and Sunshine | Len | |
| 2014 | 300: Rise of an Empire | Dilios | |
| 2015 | Paper Planes | Patrick | |
| 2015 | Blinky Bill the Movie | Jacko (voice) | |
| 2015 | Force of Destiny | Robert | |
| 2016 | Goldstone | Johnny | |
| 2016 | Lion | John Brierley | |
| 2017 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | Lieutenant John Scarfield | |
| 2017 | Ellipsis | | Director |
| 2018 | Peter Rabbit | Johnny Town-Mouse (voice) | |
| 2018 | In Like Flynn | Christian Travers | |
| 2018 | Nekrotronic | Luther | |
| 2019 | Dirt Music | Jim Buckridge | |
| 2021 | Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway | Johnny Town-Mouse (voice) | |
| 2022 | Elvis | Hank Snow | |
| 2022 | Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind | Kano (voice) | |
| 2025 | Spit | Johnny Spitieri | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | A Country Practice | Ambulanceman 1 | Episode: "Mozart Rules – Part 1" |
| 1987 | 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 |
| 1997 | 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 |
| 2022 | Joe vs. Carole | Don Lewis | 1 episode |
| 2024 | Fake | Joe Burt | 8 episodes |

### 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
* Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actor in Television Drama for Answered by Fire (2006) – winner
* Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for 300 (2007) - nominated