1. Leah Purcell made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's Somewhere in the Darkness, which led to roles in films, such as Lantana, Somersault, The Proposition and Jindabyne.
22 Facts About Leah Purcell
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In 2014, Purcell wrote and starred in the play, The Drover's Wife, based on the original story by Henry Lawson.
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In 2019, she went on to write the bestselling novel, The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson, which was adapted for the screen when Leah Purcell made her directorial debut in the acclaimed film of the same name in 2022, for which she had written, produced and starred as the titular character.
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Leah Purcell was born on 14 August 1970 in Murgon, Queensland, the youngest of seven children of Aboriginal and white Australian descent.
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Leah Purcell's father was a butcher and a boxing trainer.
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Leah Purcell then wrote and directed the documentary film Black Chicks Talking, which won a 2002 Inside Film award.
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Leah Purcell appeared as Claudia in the Australian film Lantana for which role she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress by Sydney-based Film Critics Circle of Australia; she lost to Daniela Farinacci.
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Leah Purcell went on to appear in three 2004 films, Somersault, The Proposition and Jindabyne, as well as playing the role of Condoleezza Rice in David Hare's play, Stuff Happens in Sydney and Melbourne.
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In 2018, Leah Purcell joined the cast of Foxtel drama series Wentworth as Rita Connors, a role originally portrayed by Glenda Linscott in Prisoner.
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Leah Purcell first appeared in the first episode of season six, broadcast on 19 June 2018.
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Leah Purcell developed stories in three different media based on the short story by Henry Lawson published in 1892, which Leah Purcell recalls her mother reading to her.
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Leah Purcell began writing her version of the story in around 2014, giving the woman a name, Molly Johnson, something that Lawson did not do.
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Leah Purcell meets an Aboriginal man fleeing police, called Yadaka, and a personal drama evolves.
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Leah Purcell says that "The essence of the Henry Lawson short story and his underlining themes of racism, the frontier violence and gender violence are [in her story]".
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Leah Purcell has said of the development of the stories:.
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Leah Purcell would appear in Amazon Prime drama The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
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Leah Purcell was recipient of the Balnaves Fellowship in 2014, which allowed her to develop her play, The Drover's Wife, to be performed at the Belvoir in 2016.
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Leah Purcell has appeared twice on ABC Television's Australian Story, once in 2002 and once in June 2022.
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In June 2022, Leah Purcell was honoured with a star on Winton's Walk of Fame, which was unveiled during The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival.
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In June 2024, Leah Purcell was nominated for a TV Week Logie for Best Supporting Actress for The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
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Leah Purcell's partner is Bain Stewart, who is her business partner in Oombarra Productions.
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Leah Purcell believes that Stewart has been "a gift from the ancestors", as he has been such an important support to her through difficult times.