David Wenham
Australian actor (born 1965)
David Wenham is an Australian actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre. He is known for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Friar Carl in Van Helsing and Van Helsing: The London Assignment, Dilios in 300 and its sequel 300: Rise of an Empire, Al Parker in Top of the Lake, Lieutenant John Scarfield in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Hank Snow in Elvis. He is known in his native Australia for his role as Johnny Spitieri in Gettin' Square, Diver Dan in SeaChange and Price Galese in Les Norton.
Early life
Wenham has five older sisters—Helen, Anne, Carmel, Kathryn, and Maree—and one older brother, Peter. He was raised in the Roman Catholic faith and attended Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham, Sydney.
Career
Wenham started his career as an actor after graduating from Theatre Nepean at Western Sydney University with a Bachelor of Arts (Performing Arts) in 1987. Wenham's television credits include several films, such as his AFI award-winning role in 1997's Simone de Beauvoir's Babies, and his role as the outwardly laid back but deeply enigmatic diver Dan Della Bosca in the 1998 and 1999 seasons of the ABC television series SeaChange. His role as "Diver Dan" has made the actor something of a sex symbol, although he dislikes thinking of himself as such, and he has been voted Australia's "sexiest man alive". A portrait of Wenham by artist Adam Cullen won the Archibald Prize in 2000. Wenham appeared in 1999 for the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Yasmina Reza's play 'Art'.
The public source identifies “David Wenham” as australian actor (born 1965). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around David, Wenham and Australian.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “David Wenham”, the useful work is to connect “australian actor (born 1965)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q296328. VIAF identifies the subject as 164024577. The Library of Congress control number is no2003071670. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1987, 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “David Wenham”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow David Wenham primary sources, David Wenham archive and David research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “David Wenham”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “David Wenham” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.