Esther "Essie" Davis (born 19 January 1970) is an Australian actress, best known for her roles as Phryne Fisher in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and its film continuation, Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears, and as Amelia Vanek in The Babadook. Other major works include a recurring role as Lady Crane in season six of the television series Game of Thrones, Sister Iphigenia in Lambs of God, and the role of Ellen Kelly in Justin Kurzel's True History of the Kelly Gang.
Early life and education Davis was born in Hobart, Tasmania, to artist George Davis and Mary Davis, the youngest of seven children. She was raised in suburban Hobart, where her family (who were part of the inception of the Australian Green movement) grew and raised their own food including turkeys.
As a child, Davis was involved in community theatre, making her stage debut at age five at Hobart's Theatre Royal, playing the part of a moonbeam.
She was educated at Clarence High School; Rosny College; the University of Tasmania, where she was a member of the Old Nick Company; and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney.
Career Her acting career began with the Bell Shakespeare company when, straight out of NIDA, she was cast as Juliet in its 1993 production of Romeo and Juliet. She followed this with performances for the company in Hamlet and Richard III in 1993, and Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew in 1994.
Davis's film career started with her role in the 1995 Australian film Dad and Dave: On Our Selection, which starred Geoffrey Rush, Leo McKern and Joan Sutherland. Film roles continued in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, director Richard Flanagan's 1998 Tasmanian film The Sound of One Hand Clapping, and Girl with a Pearl Earring.
After further stage performances in Australia, including Gwendolen Fairfax in a national tour of The Importance of Being Earnest in 2000 and The School for Scandal for the Sydney Theatre Company in 2001, in 2003 she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Stella Kowalski opposite Glenn Close in Trevor Nunn's production of Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire at the National Theatre in London. In 2004 she starred in a Broadway production of Tom Stoppard's Jumpers at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, for which she earned a Tony Award 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. Also in 2008, she appeared in the film Australia with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, directed by Baz Luhrmann. The same year, Davis played Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for the Melbourne Theatre Company.
Davis returned to Tasmania to launch the Tasmanian Theatre Company in 2008 and help support local theatre while encouraging youth to continue participating in the arts. In 2011, she received a Logie Award nomination for her role as Anouk in the Australian miniseries The Slap. In 2012, 2013 and 2015, Davis played Phryne Fisher, the central character in ABC Television's high-rating costume drama Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.
Davis starred in Jennifer Kent's 2014 debut feature The Babadook. For her work in the film Davis was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, an AACTA International Award for Best Actress and a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Leading Actress.
In 2016, she joined the HBO series Game of Thrones in Season 6 as actress Lady Crane; this role did not continue into Season 7. In June 2016 she started filming The White Princess, playing Dowager Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth Woodville). In early January 2017, the producers released a video clip from the series as a brief trailer (teaser).
In 2018, Davis filmed the mini-series Lambs of God for Foxtel, playing the role of Sister Iphigenia. It was released July 2019 in Australia and has been sold to 46 other territories. For her performance as Sister Iphigenia, Davis has been nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Later the same year, Davis played Ellen Kelly in Justin Kurzel's True History of the Kelly Gang. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 11 September 2019 and was released in Australian cinemas in 2020 by Transmission Films.
Also in 2018, Davis reprised her role of Phryne Fisher from the popular television series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries with a stand-alone action-adventure feature film, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears With an AU$8m production budget, it wrapped production in late November 2018 and was released in cinemas in 2020."Essie Davis talks about the challenge of bringing Miss Fisher to the big screen," by Travis Johnson, SBS website, 27 Feb 2020
In early 2019, Davis filmed the comedy-drama Babyteeth, playing the role of Anna. The film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 76th Venice International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 4 September 2019.
In 2020, Davis finished filming The Justice of Bunny King, playing the title role. The film, co-starring Thomasin McKenzie, was shot in New Zealand.
Personal life Davis met future husband, film director Justin Kurzel while performing as Catherine in Belvoir Street Theatre’s production of A View from the Bridge in 1996. He was the costume and set designer for the play. They married in 2002 and have twin daughters together. The couple have collaborated both on screen and stage on numerous occasions.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1993 Jilly Feature film 1995 Dad and Dave: On Our Selection Kate Rudd Feature film 1996 Lilian's Story Zara Feature film River Street Wendy Davis Feature film 1997 Blackrock Detective Gilhooley Feature film Young Alice Short film Evelyn Bookman TV film 1998 Jean2003 Maggie Feature film Helene Davis Feature film Girl with a Pearl Earring Catharina Vermeer Feature film Code 46 Doctor Maggie Feature film After the Deluge Beth TV film Temptation Julie TV film 2005 Isolation Orla2006 Charlotte's Web Mrs. Phyllis Arable Feature film Sweeney Todd Mrs. Lovett TV film The Silence Juliet Moore TV film2008 Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger Grace Blueburger Feature film Australia Catherine "Cath" Carney Fletcher Feature film 2010 South Solitary Alma Stanley The Wedding Party Jane Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole Marella (voice) Animated feature film 2011 The Last Time I Saw Michael Gregg Lottie Video Burning Man Karen2014 A Poet in New York Caitlin Thomas TV film The Babadook Amelia Vanek Feature film 2016 Assassin's Creed Mary Lynch Feature film 2017 Mindhorn Patricia Deville2019 Babyteeth Anna Finlay Feature film True History of the Kelly Gang Ellen Kelly 2020 Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears Phryne Fisher TV film2021 The Justice of Bunny King Bunny King Nitram Helen Feature film
Television Year Title Role Notes 1997 Water Rats Senior Detective Nicola Bourke TV series, 2 episodes: "Blood Trail","Dead or Alive"1998 Kings in Grass Castles Mary Costello TV miniseries Murder Call Judy St. John TV series, season 2, episode 9: "Deadfall" 2000 Halifax f.p. Alison Blount TV series, episode: "The Spider and the Fly" 2001 Corridors of Power Sophie TV series, season 1, episode 4 2002Young LionsJulie MorganTV series, season 1, episode 2: "Mardi Gras" 2003 Enter the Matrix Maggie (voice) Video game2011 Cloudstreet Dolly Pickles TV miniseries Anouk TV series 2012–2015 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Phryne Fisher TV series 2014 Funny or Die Presents Amelia TV series, episode: "The Babadooks of Hazzard" 2016 Game of Thrones Lady Crane TV series, 3 episodes: "The Door""Blood of My Blood""No One"2017 The White Princess Elizabeth Woodville TV series Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams Vera TV series, episode: "Human Is" The Last Post Martha Franklin TV series 2019 Lambs of God Sister Iphigenia TV series 2022 Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities Nancy Bradley TV series, episode: "The Murmuring" 2024 One Day Alison Mayhew, Dexter's Mum Netflix series, 4 episodes2025Apple Cider VinegarNatalie Dal-Bello3 episodes The Narrow Road to the Deep North Lynette Maison 3 episodes Alien: Earth Dame Sylvia 7 episodes
Theatre Year Title Role Notes 1992 The Heiress Lavinia Penniman NIDA Parade Studio, Sydney 1992 Electra Clytemnestra NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney 1992 Crimes of the Heart Babe Botrelle NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney 1992 As You Like It Attendant NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney 1992 Images de Moliere NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney 1993 Romeo and Juliet Juliet Theatre Royal Sydney, Melbourne Athenaeum, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Canberra Theatre with Bell Shakespeare 1993 Hamlet Player Queen / Court Lady Theatre Royal Sydney, Melbourne Athenaeum, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Canberra Theatre with Bell Shakespeare 1993 Richard III Jane Shore / Citizen Theatre Royal Sydney, Melbourne Athenaeum, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Canberra Theatre with Bell Shakespeare 1994 The Taming of the Shrew Katherina Newcastle Civic Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, University of Sydney, Canberra Theatre, Regal Theatre, Perth, Theatre Royal, Hobart, Princess Theatre, Launceston with Bell Shakespeare 1994 Macbeth Second Witch / Gentlewoman Newcastle Civic Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, University of Sydney, Canberra Theatre, Regal Theatre, Perth, Theatre Royal, Hobart, Princess Theatre, Launceston with Bell Shakespeare 1996 A View from the Bridge Catherine Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney 1996 Night on Bald Mountain Stella Summerhayes Playhouse, Adelaide, Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney with STCSA 1998 Macbeth Lady Macbeth Space Theatre, Adelaide with STCSA 1998 The Idiot Aglaya Space Theatre, Adelaide with STCSA 1999 Twelfth Night Viola Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA 1999 The Rose Tattoo Rosa Opera Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA 2000–2001 The Importance of Being Earnest Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax Regal Theatre, Perth, Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Civic Theatre, Auckland, Theatre Royal Sydney, Manchester, Theatre Royal, Bath, Savoy Theatre, London 2001 The School for Scandal Lady Teazle Sydney Opera House with STC 2002 A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Kowalski Royal National Theatre, London The Cripple of Inishmaan Helen STC 2003–2004 Jumpers Dorothy Moore Lyttelton National Theatre, London, Piccadilly Theatre, London, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York 2008 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Margaret Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC 2009 Tot Mom Nancy Grace Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC 2021 The Maids Claire Playhouse Theatre, Hobart with Archipelago Productions
Awards and nominations Film and television