Leah Purcell is a multi-faceted individual with a diverse range of talents, exceling as a Theatre, Film, and Television Actress, Singer, Director, Playwright, and Author.
Born into a family of seven children, Leah is of Aboriginal Australian descent, with her father being a butcher and a boxing trainer. Despite facing a challenging adolescence, including caring for her sick mother who passed away during her late teens, Leah overcame difficulties with alcohol and teenage motherhood to pursue her passions.
In 1996, she relocated to Sydney to become a presenter on the music video cable television station, RED Music Channel. This led to roles in the ABC television series Police Rescue and Fallen Angels, as well as the Australian drama Jindabyne, starring Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney.
Leah co-wrote and starred in the play Box the Pony, which premiered at Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre, the Sydney Opera House, the Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC),the 1999 Edinburgh Festival, and in 2000 at the Barbican Theatre in London.
She went on to write and direct the documentary Black Chicks Talking, which won a 2002 Inside Film (IF) award. Leah's impressive filmography includes appearances in the acclaimed Australian film Lantana and on stage in The Vagina Monologues.
In 2004, she appeared in three films, including Somersault, starring Abbie Cornish, and The Proposition, as well as playing the role of Condoleeza Rice in David Hare's play, Stuff Happens, in Sydney and Melbourne.
