David Wenham

The handsome Australian David Wenham has been a successful actor in his home country for years. His adoring fans crowned him Australia’s sexiest man alive, but it wasn’t until Peter Jackson released his film adaptation of J R R Tolkien’s epic masterpiece The Lord of the Rings that Wenham became a recognizable face worldwide. Since the release of the trilogy, Wenham has appeared in a number of American films, but still concentrates mainly on movies produced in his home country.

David Wenham was born on September 21, 1965, in Marrickville, Australia. Before entering the world of acting, Wenham worked as a bingo caller and an insurance clerk. He got his start in the acting world by appearing on a number of Australian television series, including minor roles on the Australian soap opera Sons and Daughters, Heartland, and Poor Man’s Orange.

Like many actors, Wenham struggled for years, taking on small roles before becoming a recognizable face in Australia in the mid 1990s. His role in the 1996 television movie Simone de Beauvoir’s Babies earned him an award from the Australian Film Institute, while his one year stint as a diver on SeaChange made the attractive Wenham a sex symbol in Australia.

Starring roles in several Australian films soon followed, and David’s acting skills were displayed in a variety of movies such as The Boys, Molokai, The Bank, and Three Dollars, which won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. David also had a small role in the 2002 comedy The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, which starred Steve Irwin and Terri Irwin. David read a poem at Steve Irwin’s funeral when the famous animal lover died a few years after the release of the film.

Wenham’s first appearance in an international hit was in 2001. The Academy Award winning musical Moulin Rouge! starred Hollywood darlings Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. His role in the musical was minor, but a short year later he would appear in one of the most successful films of all time, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which also starred Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, and Liv Tyler. The movie was a worldwide sensation and David’s portrayal as Faramir made him known to audiences throughout the world. The actor appeared as Faramir again in the last installment of the trilogy: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Another notable appearance in an American film was his role as Carl in Van Helsing, which also featured Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale.

Somewhat surprisingly, Wenham has opted to continue to concentrate on Australian films, even though the attention from Lord of the Rings probably would have allowed him to secure more Hollywood roles. In addition to starring in a number of Australian films over the past number of years, David has several new films in the works. They include 300, with Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, and Dominic West, and the 2008 film Australia, which will also star Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

David’s long time partner is actress Kate Agnew. They have one daughter, Eliza Jane, who was born in 2002.

YUDDY