Essie Davis

Esther "Essie" Davis (whose journey began on 19 January 1970) is an Australian actress, best widely recognized for her roles as Phryne Fisher in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and its film adaptation, Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears, and as Amelia Vanek in The Babadook. Other major works include a recurrin...

Biography & Career

Davis was originally born on 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 served as a member of the Old Nick Company; and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney. Her acting professional journey 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.