Steve Le Marquand (born 26 December 1967) is an Australian-born actor, known both locally and internationally for his film and stage work.
Personal life
Born in
Perth, Western Australia
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
in 1967, his family moved to Sydney when he was quite young.
His younger sister is the columnist and media commentator
Sarrah Le Marquand.
He is married to Australian actress and singer
Pippa Grandison and they have a child together, Charlie.
He is commonly referred to by his nickname, Slem (his initials).
He played cricket for a number of years for many different teams and was also selected for various representative teams. His top score was 116* and best bowling figures of 8/9.
Lives in Lake Clifton in rural WA.
Early life
Prior to acting, Le Marquand motorcycled his way around Australia, working at various cattle stations, docks, pubs, barges and melon farms. He then studied performing arts at Penrith in Sydney's outer west at the
University of Western Sydney
Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus public research university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The university in its current form was founde ...
(
Theatre Nepean
Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus Public university, public research university in the Greater Western Sydney, Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The ...
) before stumbling across agent Penny Williams in 1992.
Career
Television
His first job was a TV commercial for
Arnott's
Ruffles which was banned a day after its release for
sacrilege
Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physical ...
. His second job was on the Australian TV series ''
Police Rescue
''Police Rescue'' is an Australian television series which originally aired on ABC TV (Australian TV channel), ABC TV between 1989 and 1996. It was produced by Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC and Southern Star Entertainment, Southern ...
'' and since then he has played an assortment of thugs, baddies, larrikins and cops (both good and bad) in a number of TV shows, including ''
Les Norton'', ''
Australia's Sexiest Tradie'', ''
Janet King''; ''
Underbelly: Razor'', ''
Rake
Rake may refer to:
Common meanings
* Rake (tool), a horticultural implement, a long-handled tool with tines
* Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct
* Rake (poker), the commission taken by the house when hosting a poker game
...
'', ''
Laid'', ''
All Saints'', ''
Farscape
''Farscape'' is an Australian-American Science fiction on television, science fiction television series conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment, originally for the Nine Network. It prem ...
'', ''
Crash Palace'', ''
Young Lions'', ''
Blue Heelers
''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for twelve years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted th ...
'', ''
Water Rats'', ''
Big Sky'', ''
G.P.'', ''
Murder Call'', ''
Home and Away
''Home and Away'' (''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, N ...
'', ''
Wildside'', and the
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 ...
mini-series ''
A Difficult Woman''. He played the lead role of Tony Piccolo in the Movie Extra hit ''
Small Time Gangster'' for which he received an
ASTRA Award nomination for Most Outstanding Actor.
In 2021 he appeared in ''Australia's Sexiest Tradie.'', In 2023 Marquand was announced as part of the cast for ''
Population 11
''Population 11'' is a comedy drama television series that premiered on the Australian streaming service Stan on 14 March 2024. Created by Phil Lloyd and starring Ben Feldman, it is inspired by the 2017 disappearance of Paddy Moriarty in the N ...
, the second season of
The Twelve.'' Marquand was later announced as part of the cast for ''Invisible Boys.'' Marquand was named as part of the cast for the second series of ''Mystery Road: Origin.''
Film
On film he has featured as a crazed colonel in ''Escape and Evasion''; a cheeky cabbie in ''
June Again''; a psycho gangster in ''
Locusts
Locusts (derived from the Latin ''locusta'', locust or lobster) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a Swarm behaviour, swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circu ...
''; a reclusive cattle station worker in Kriv Stender's ''
Red Dog: True Blue''; a down and out ex Rugby League star in Heath Davis' ''
Broke''; a sleazy, charismatic cult leader in Nick Matthews' ''
One Eyed Girl''; a dodgy drug dealer in Stephan Elliott's ''
A Few Best Men''; a battle hardened sergeant in ''
Beneath Hill 60'' (which earned him a
Film Critics Circle of Australia
The Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) is an association of cinema critics and reviewers. It includes journalists in "media, television, major national and state papers, radio, national and state, online and freelance writers, Australian ...
Best Supporting Actor nomination 2009); a snarly stockbroker in 2008's surprise hit, ''
Men's Group''; a tall thug in Jeremy Sims’ ''
Last Train to Freo
''Last Train to Freo'' is a 2006 Australian film based on Reg Cribb's 2001 play '' The Return'', and directed by Jeremy Sims.
Synopsis
Two thugs from the Perth suburb of Midland catch the last train to Fremantle. When a young woman, unaware t ...
'' (for which he was nominated for Best Lead Actor at both the
Australian Film Institute
The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Cinema of Australia, Australian film indu ...
and
Film Critic's Circle Awards); a WWII digger in ''
Kokoda
Kokoda is a station town in the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea. It is famous as the northern end of the Kokoda Track, site of the eponymous Kokoda Track campaign of World War II. In that campaign, it had strategic significance because it had the ...
''; a larrikin Aussie climber in Martin Campbell's ''
Vertical Limit
''Vertical Limit'' is a 2000 American survival thriller film directed by Martin Campbell, written by Robert King, and starring Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton, Robin Tunney, and Scott Glenn. The film was released on December 8, 2000, in the United ...
''; a clumsy, shotty-loving bank robber in Gregor Jordan's ''
Two Hands''; a moustachioed cop in
David Caesar's ''
Mullet''; a weird-arsed beachcomber in ''
Lost Things'' and an all-singing-all-dancing sailor in
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
’s remake of ''
South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
''.
He won the
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...
Best Actor Award at
Tropfest
Tropfest is the world's largest short film festival. It has also become known as the world's first global film festival.
Founded by actor/director John Polson, Tropfest began in 1993 as a screening for 200 people at the 'Tropicana Caffe' in ...
1996 for (his own) short film ''Cliché'', and was also the lead actor in the
Tropfest
Tropfest is the world's largest short film festival. It has also become known as the world's first global film festival.
Founded by actor/director John Polson, Tropfest began in 1993 as a screening for 200 people at the 'Tropicana Caffe' in ...
2005 hit, ''Bomb''.
Theatre
Le Marquand has been seen on stage in ''Green Park,'' ''Ugly Mugs'', ''Songket'' and ''
The Return'' (which was the stage version of ''
Last Train to Freo
''Last Train to Freo'' is a 2006 Australian film based on Reg Cribb's 2001 play '' The Return'', and directed by Jeremy Sims.
Synopsis
Two thugs from the Perth suburb of Midland catch the last train to Fremantle. When a young woman, unaware t ...
'') for
Griffin Theatre; ''Gaybies'' for
Darlinghurst Theatre; ''Enemy of the People, Jasper Jones'', ''
Death of a Salesman
''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by the American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a ...
'', ''
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' (also for
MTC and QTC), ''Paul, The Spook, Buried Child'' and ''
Waiting For Godot
''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...
'' for Belvoir; ''Holy Day'' for the
STC, ''Don’s Party'' for the
MTC and
STC; and was a member of the
STC's Actors' Company, where he appeared in ''Tales From The Vienna Woods; The Serpent's Teeth; Gallipoli'' and ''The War of the Roses'' (alongside
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...
) with the Company.
Le Marquand (together with Simon Bedak and Michael Neaylon) co-wrote, produced, directed and starred in a theatre production of the novel ''
He Died with a Felafel in His Hand
''He Died with a Felafel in His Hand'' is a purportedly non-fiction autobiographical novel by Australian author John Birmingham about his experiences as a share housing tenant, first published in 1994 by The Yellow Press (). The story consist ...
'', which had its humble beginnings at Rozelle's Bridge Hotel in Sydney during 1995 before running for several years in Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Lismore, Hobart, Brisbane, Edinburgh, Toronto, New York, Wagga Wagga and Hong Kong. The stage adaptation's 'rough as guts' humour saw it become the longest running play in Australian history.
Honours
In 2019, during
The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival in
Winton, Queensland
Winton is an outback town and locality in the Shire of Winton in Central West Queensland, Australia. It is northwest of Longreach. The main industries of the area are sheep and cattle raising. The town was named in 1876 by postmaster Rober ...
, Le Marquand was honoured with a star on
Winton's Walk of Fame.
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
As actor
As adaptor
External links
*
Steve Le Marquand on TV.com
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Marquand, Steve
Australian male film actors
Australian male stage actors
Australian male television actors
Living people
Male actors from Perth, Western Australia
Male actors from Sydney
1967 births
Western Sydney University alumni
20th-century Australian male actors
21st-century Australian male actors
People educated at Oakhill College