Leah Purcell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leah Purcell AM
Purcell at the premiere of The Sapphires in 2012
Born	Leah Maree Purcell (1970-08-14) 14 August 1970 (age 55) Murgon, Queensland, Australia
Occupation	Actress film director novelist playwright
Years active	1994–present
Notable work	Redfern Now (2012–2013) Janet King (2016) Wentworth (2018–2021) The Drover's Wife:The Legend of Molly Johnson (2022)
Partner(s)	Bain Stewart
Children	1

Leah Maree Purcell (born 14 August 1970) is an Aboriginal Australian actress, writer, and director. She is known for her work in theatre, film, and television. Leah has won many awards for her creative projects.

She first appeared in films in 1999. Some of her early movies include Lantana (2001) and Somersault (2004). She also starred in The Proposition (2005) and Jindabyne (2006).

In 2014, Leah wrote and acted in a play called The Drover's Wife. This play was based on an old Australian story by Henry Lawson. Later, in 2019, she wrote a popular book called The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson. She then directed and starred in a movie version of the story in 2022. For all her hard work, she has received several important awards. These include a Helpmann Award and two AACTA Awards.

Leah Purcell is also famous for her roles in TV shows. She appeared in Police Rescue (1996) and Fallen Angels (1997). She won an AACTA Award for her role in Redfern Now (2012–2013). She also starred in Janet King (2016). Many people know her as Rita Connors in the TV series Wentworth (2018–2021). More recently, she appeared in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (2023) and High Country (2024).

Early Life and Background

Leah Purcell was born on 14 August 1970 in Murgon, Queensland, Australia. She was the youngest of seven children. Her family has both Aboriginal (Goa–Gunggari–Wakka Wakka Murri) and European Australian heritage. Her father worked as a butcher and a boxing trainer.

After a challenging time caring for her sick mother, Leah moved to Brisbane. There, she started getting involved in community theatre. This was the beginning of her journey into acting.

Career Highlights

In 1996, Leah moved to Sydney. She became a presenter for a music video TV channel called RED Music Channel. After this, she started acting in TV shows for ABC Television. These included Police Rescue and Fallen Angels.

Leah co-wrote and acted in a play called Box the Pony with Scott Rankin. This play was shown in famous theatres like Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre and the Sydney Opera House. It also traveled to the 1999 Edinburgh Festival and the Barbican Theatre in London in 2000.

She also wrote and directed a documentary film called Black Chicks Talking. This film won an Inside Film award in 2002. Leah appeared as Claudia in the Australian film Lantana. For this role, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She also played Condoleezza Rice in the play Stuff Happens.

Starring in Wentworth

In 2018, Leah Purcell joined the cast of the TV drama series Wentworth. She played the character Rita Connors. This role was originally played by another actress in an older series called Prisoner. Leah was one of three new main actors to join the show for its sixth season. Her first episode aired on 19 June 2018. She continued to play Rita Connors in seasons six, seven, and eight, which premiered in 2020.

The Story of The Drover's Wife

Leah Purcell created stories in three different ways based on an old short story. The original story, called The Drover's Wife, was written by Henry Lawson in 1892. Leah remembers her mother reading this story to her. Around 2014, Leah started writing her own version. She gave the main woman a name, Molly Johnson, which Lawson had not done.

Leah's stories are about Molly, who is left alone on a remote farm. She is pregnant and has to take care of her four children while her husband is away. She meets an Aboriginal man named Yadaka, who is running from the police. Their meeting leads to a dramatic story. Leah says her story includes the main ideas from Henry Lawson's original. These ideas are about racism, violence on the Australian frontier, and violence against women.

However, Leah also added stories from her own Indigenous family. She did a lot of historical research, talking to Aboriginal elders and people who own land in the Snowy Mountains. This is where the story takes place. Leah explained that her own family history and culture are deeply connected to her version of the story. She felt a strong cultural link, like a Songline, connecting her to the land, her family, and her culture through her work on the play, novel, and movie.

• Leah wrote and starred in the play The Drover's Wife. It was performed at the Belvoir theatre in 2016. The play won many awards, including Book of the Year at the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards. It also won the Victorian Prize for Literature and two Helpmann Awards.
• She wrote a very popular book called The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson. It was published in 2019.
• Leah was the main actress, writer, director, and a co-producer for the film version. The movie is also called The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson. It first showed at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2021. It was released in Australian cinemas on 5 May 2022, after a delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her husband, Bain Stewart, was a main producer for the film. Rob Collins played the character Yadaka.
• In late 2022, it was confirmed that Leah was writing a follow-up to The Drover's Wife. This will be a TV series set in the future, with Danny as an adult leading the story.

Other Creative Works

In 2023, Leah Purcell was announced as part of the cast for the Foxtel/Binge drama High Country. She plays the main character, Andrea Whitford. Leah also worked as a cultural consultant for the series. She also appeared in the Amazon Prime drama The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

In 2025, it was announced that a play written and directed by Leah, Is That You, Ruthie?, would return for a second run at QPAC.

Awards and Recognition

Leah Purcell received the Balnaves Fellowship in 2014. This helped her develop her play, The Drover's Wife, which was performed in 2016.

In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Leah was given the title of Member of the Order of Australia. This was for her important contributions to the performing arts, to First Nations youth and culture, and to women.

At the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards in November 2021, she won the Jury Grand Prize. This was for her film The Drover's Wife. The award recognized her unique vision in writing, directing, producing, and starring in the film. It also honored her journey to bring this amazing story, seen through the eyes of a First Nations woman, to the screen.

Leah Purcell has been featured twice on ABC Television's Australian Story. Once in 2002 and again in June 2022.

In June 2022, Leah was honored with a star on Winton's Walk of Fame. This star was revealed during The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival.

In June 2024, Leah Purcell was nominated for a TV Week Logie Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

Personal Life

Leah Purcell's partner is Bain Stewart. He is also her business partner in their company, Oombarra Productions. Leah has a daughter and two grandchildren. She has said that Bain has been a very important support to her.

Filmography

Film

Television

Other Appearances

Production Credits

Awards and Nominations