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 54) 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 on August 14, 1970) is an amazing Aboriginal Australian artist. She is a talented actress for stage and film. Leah is also a playwright (someone who writes plays), a film director, and a novelist (someone who writes novels).

She first appeared in a film in 1999. This led to many other movie roles. Some of her early films include Lantana (2001) and Somersault (2004). She also starred in The Proposition (2005) and Jindabyne (2006).

In 2014, Leah wrote and starred 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 with the same name. This book was then made into a movie in 2022. Leah directed, produced, wrote, and starred in this movie. She has won many awards for her work. These include a Helpmann Award and two AACTA Awards. She also won the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Jury Grand Prize.

Leah is also well-known for her roles in TV shows. She was in Redfern Now (2012–2013), which won her an AACTA Award. She also starred in Janet King (2016). Many people know her as Rita Connors in the prison drama Wentworth (2018–2021). For this role, she was nominated for an AACTA and a Logie Award. More recently, she appeared in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (2023) and High Country (2024).

Leah Purcell's Early Life and Education

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

Leah had a tough time growing up. She cared for her sick mother, Florence. After her mother passed away when Leah was a teenager, she moved to Brisbane. There, she started getting involved in community theatre.

Leah Purcell's 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 got acting jobs. She appeared in ABC Television series like Police Rescue and Fallen Angels.

Leah co-wrote and acted in a play called Box the Pony. She worked on this with Scott Rankin. The play was shown at famous theaters. These included Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre and the Sydney Opera House. It also played at the 1999 Edinburgh Festival and the Barbican Theatre in London in 2000.

She then wrote and directed a documentary film. It was called Black Chicks Talking. This film won an Inside Film award in 2002. Leah also played Claudia in the Australian film Lantana. For this role, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in three films in 2004: Somersault, The Proposition, and Jindabyne. She even played Condoleezza Rice in a play called Stuff Happens.

Leah Purcell's Role in Wentworth

In 2018, Leah Purcell joined the TV show Wentworth. It's a drama series on Foxtel. She played the character Rita Connors. This role was first played by Glenda Linscott in an older show called Prisoner.

Leah was one of three new main actors to join the show. She started in the first episode of season six. This episode aired on June 19, 2018. She continued to appear in seasons six and seven. In October 2018, it was announced she would return for season eight. This season premiered in 2020.

Leah Purcell's The Drover's Wife Project

Leah Purcell created stories in three different ways. These stories were all based on a short story by Henry Lawson. The original story was published in 1892. Leah remembers her mother reading it to her.

Leah started writing her own version around 2014. She gave the main woman character a name, Molly Johnson. Henry Lawson had not given her a name. Leah's stories are about Molly. Molly is left alone on a remote farm. She is pregnant and has four children to care for. Her husband is away moving cattle. Molly meets an Aboriginal man named Yadaka. He is running from the police. A dramatic story unfolds between them.

Leah says her story keeps the main ideas from Lawson's original. These include themes of racism, frontier violence, and violence against women. But she also added stories from her own Indigenous family. She did a lot of historical research. She talked to Aboriginal elders and landowners. The story is set in the Snowy Mountains.

• Leah wrote and starred in the play The Drover's Wife. It was performed at the Belvoir in 2016. The play won many awards. These included Book of the Year at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. It also won the Victorian Prize for Literature. The play received two Helpmann Awards and the Major AWGIE Award.
• She wrote a very popular book. It was called The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson. This book was published in 2019.
• Leah was the main actor, writer, director, and 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 Australia on May 5, 2022. There was a two-year delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Leah's 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. It will be a TV series. It will be set in the future. Danny, one of the children, will be an adult and lead the story.

Other Projects and Contributions

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 shared that she worked as a cultural consultant for the series. This means she helped make sure the show was respectful and accurate about culture. Leah also appeared in the Amazon Prime drama The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

In 2025, it was announced that a play Leah wrote and directed would return. The play is called Is That You, Ruthie?. It will have a second run at QPAC.

Awards and Recognition for Leah Purcell

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

In 2021, Leah was given a special honor. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia. This award recognized her important work. It honored her contributions to the performing arts. It also recognized her support for First Nations youth and culture, and for women.

At the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards in November 2021, she won the APSA Jury Grand Prize. This was for her film The Drover's Wife. The award recognized her unique vision. She wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film. It also honored her effort to bring this important story to the screen. It was told from the perspective of a First Nations woman.

Leah Purcell has been featured twice on ABC Television's Australian Story. This show tells inspiring stories about Australians. She appeared in 2002 and again in June 2022.

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

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

Leah Purcell's Personal Life

Leah Purcells partner is Bain Stewart. He is also her business partner. They work together in their company, Oombarra Productions. Leah has one daughter and two grandchildren. She feels that Bain has been a great support to her. She calls him "a gift from the ancestors."

Leah Purcell's Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Self Appearances and Interviews

Production Credits

Awards and Nominations for Leah Purcell