Elena Mandalis (), also known as Elle Mandalis, is an Australian television, film and stage actress of Greek descent. She is known for her roles in

Ana Kokkinos Ana Kokkinos is an Australian film and television director and screenwriter of Greek descent. She is known for her breakthrough feature film ''Head On (1998 film), Head On'' (1998), and has directed television shows such as ''The Secret Life o ...

' films '' Only the Brave'' (1994) and '' Head On'' (1998), both of which explore the lives of second generation

Greek Australians Greek Australians () are Australians of Greeks, Greek ancestry. Greek Australians are one of the largest groups within the global Greek diaspora. As per the 2021 Australian census, 424,750 people stated that they had Greek ancestry (whether ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Career

Mandalis landed her first film role as co-lead, Alex in

' '' Only the Brave'' (1994), for which she won the Open Craft Award for her performance at the 1994 Australian Film Institute Awards. She played a troubled, second generation Greek Australian lesbian, and the film focused on her intense friendship with Vicki (Dora Kaskanis). Mandalis won the Open Craft Award for her performance at the 1994 Australian Film Institute Awards (later known as the

AACTA Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the cinema of Australia, film and ...

).Coming soon: The ‘untold story’ of Aussie Greeks – Oh, and it’s set in the 90s
''Neos Kosmos''. 25 May 2021 The film was screened at film festivals around the world and won Best Film at the

Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venic ...

in 1994.Selected Awards and Festivals
Screen Australia. Retrieved on 13 July 2024Melbourne International Film Festival
Screen Australia. Retrieved on 13 July 2024 In 1995, she guest starred in the

ABC1 ABC TV, formerly known as ABC1, is an Australian national public television network. It is owned and operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the flagship (broadcasting), flagship ABC Television (Australian TV network), A ...

series, ''

Correlli ''Correlli'' is an Australian television series first broadcast by ABC TV in 1995. It starred Deborra-Lee Furness as prison psychologist Louisa Correlli. The series also featured her future husband Hugh Jackman in one of his earliest roles. ...

'', with

Hugh Jackman Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian and British actor, singer, and producer. Beginning in theatre and television, Jackman landed his breakthrough role as Wolverine in the ''X-Men'' film franchise and the Marvel Cinem ...

, in one of his earliest roles. In 1997, she landed a part as a series regular, playing DJ Sarah, alongside

Dominic Purcell Dominic Haakon Myrtvedt PurcellO'Connor, B,Break Out". '' Men's Fitness''. December/January 2007 Issue; retrieved 18 December 2006. (born 17 February 1970) is an Australian actor. He is best known as Lincoln Burrows in ''Prison Break'' (2005� ...

in the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

series, '' Raw FM''. Mandalis reunited with Kokkinos for the celebrated drama film '' Head On'' (1998) and appeared alongside Alex Dimitriades, who played the lead role, Ari. Mandalis plays Betty, the female counterpart of Ari, in that they both rail against the conservative conventions of their Greek backgrounds and look to sex and drugs as an escape.Head On: I love you Betty
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Retrieved on 12 July 2024 The film, based on the 1995 novel '' Loaded'' by

Christos Tsiolkas Christos Tsiolkas is an Australian author, playwright, and screenwriter. He is especially known for '' The Slap'', which was both well-received critically and highly successful commercially. Several of his books have been adapted for film and t ...

, received nine nominations at the 1998 Australian Film Institute Awards.McWilliam, Kelly. “Head On: Centring the Other.” Ana Kokkinos: An Oeuvre of Outsiders, Edinburgh University Press, 2020, pp. 47–63. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/jj.7358670.7. Accessed 13 July 2024. The following year she played Jett for 25 episodes in the Australian science fiction television series, '' Thunderstone''. In 2000, she had a guest role in the

Eric Bana Eric Martin Andrew Banadinović (born 9 August 1968), known professionally as Eric Bana (), is an Australian actor. He began his career in the sketch-comedy series '' Full Frontal'' before gaining notice in the comedy drama '' The Castle'' (199 ...

-starring

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

, '' Something in the Air'' on

. In 2001, Mandalis guest starred as Salea in '' Secret Life of Us''. The show was broadcast on

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...

and on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

in the UK. It followed the personal and professional lives of a group of twenty-somethings, including Claudia Karvan, living in the

neighbourhood of St Kilda. In 2011, she had a recurring role in the fourth season of

police drama, '' Rush'', alongside

Rodger Corser Rodger Corser (born 28 February 1973) is an Australian actor and TV host. Early life Corser graduated from Deakin University in 1996 with an Honours B.A. in Media Studies. He formed a band called Tender Prey when he was 16. They played their ma ...

. The following year she had a recurring role as Miss Papas in '' Tangle'', with

Ben Mendelsohn Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his break-out role in '' The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987). He gained international attention for his starring role in the crime d ...

and Lincoln Younes. In 2015, she appeared in

Grant Scicluna Grant Scicluna (born in 1980) is an Australian film director and writer. best known for his work on ''The Wilding'' which won the Iris Prize in 2012, and the feature film Downriver. He is a graduate of RMIT, RMIT University School of Media and ...

's Australian drama film, ''

Downriver Downriver is a region of the Detroit metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan covering 18 municipalities in Wayne County, south of Detroit, along the western shore of the Detroit River. Etymology The name derives from the fact that the ...

'', which premiered at the

. In the same year, she was chosen as reader for a selection of poetry by second generation Greek Australians on

Radio National ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. ...

. In 2018, Mandalis co-starred with

Wayne Hope Wayne Hope is an Australian actor, writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop diffe ...

and

Robyn Nevin Robyn Anne Nevin (25 September 1942) is an Australian actress recognised with the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards and the JC Williamson Award at the Helpmann Awards for her outstanding contributions to Australian theatre performance art. F ...

in the

comedy series, '' Very Small Business''. In 2021, she was directed by

in the ABC TV anthology drama series, '' Fires''. The series is set against the background of the

2019–20 Australian bushfire season The 201920 Australian bushfire season commenced with serious uncontrolled fires in June 2019. , fires this season have burned an estimated , destroyed over 5,900 buildings (including 2,779 homes) and killed at least 34 people. An estimated o ...

. In 2022, she starred in the Australian dark comedy thriller, '' Slant''. Her role was written especially for her. Mandalis is part of the ensemble cast of the

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

-set

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

series, '' Bay of Fires'', with

Marta Dusseldorp Marta Dusseldorp is an Australian stage, film and theatre actress. Her television credits include ''BlackJack'', ''Crownies'' (and its spin-off '' Janet King''), ''Jack Irish'' and '' A Place to Call Home''. She is also a producer, as co-found ...

, which premiered in 2023. She also plays Connie, part of the

jury A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence, make Question of fact, findings of fact, and render an impartiality, impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty or Judgmen ...

in the second season of legal drama series, '' The Twelve'' on Fox Showcase, with

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile acto ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Personal life

Mandalis is married to her '' Head On'' co-star, Damien Fotiou, with whom she has two sons. The couple run a drama school in

called 'Brave Studios'. Mandalis credits the role of her background in her career: “being Greek is the reason my acting career is what it is today”, adding that her Greek Australian part in '' Only the Brave'' "launched" her acting career. Early in her career, however, she was not considered for non-Greek roles: “In the early 90’s being an actress of Greek heritage in Australia was both a blessing and, in a way, a curse,” And that “In the days before screen diversity was really embraced, I was viewed by many as only being Greek ��If the surname didn’t end in ‘opoulos’ I would never be asked to audition.”

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mandalis, Elena 20th-century Australian actresses 21st-century Australian actresses Australian film actresses AACTA Award winners Australian people of Greek descent Living people Actresses from Melbourne People educated at Lauriston Girls' School Year of birth missing (living people)