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Elena Mandalis

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Elena Mandalis
Born
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
EducationLauriston Girls' School
OccupationActress
Years active1993–present
SpouseDamien Fotiou

Elena Mandalis (Greek: Έλενα Μανδάλη, romanizedÉlena Mandáli), also known as Elle Mandalis, is an Australian television, film and stage actress of Greek descent.

She landed her first film role in Ana Kokkinos' Only the Brave (1994), for which she won the Open Craft Award for her performance at the 1994 Australian Film Institute Awards. She reunited with Kokkinos for the celebrated drama, Head On (1998). Both films explore the lives of second generation Greek Australians in Melbourne.

Career

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She landed her first film role as co-lead, Alex in Ana Kokkinos' Only the Brave (1994). Mandalis played a troubled, second generation Greek Australian lesbian, and the film focused on her intense friendship with Vicki (Dora Kaskanis).[1] Mandalis won the Open Craft Award for her performance at the 1994 Australian Film Institute Awards (later known as the AACTA Awards).[2] The film was screened at film festivals around the world and won Best Film at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 1994.[3][4]

In 1995, she guest starred in the ABC1 series, Correlli, with Hugh Jackman, in one of his earliest roles. In 1997, she landed a part as a series regular, playing DJ Sarah, alongside Dominic Purcell in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation series, Raw FM.[5]

Mandalis reunited with Kokkinos for 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.[6] The film, based on the 1995 novel Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas, received nine nominations at the 1998 Australian Film Institute Awards.[7]

The following year she played Jett for 25 episodes in the Australian science fiction television series, Thunderstone.[8] In 2000, she had a guest role in the Eric Bana-starring soap opera, Something in the Air on ABC1.

In 2001, she guest starred as Salea in Secret Life of Us. The show was broadcast on Network Ten and on Channel 4 in the UK. It followed the personal and professional lives of a group of twenty-somethings, including Claudia Karvan, living in the Melbourne neighbourhood of St Kilda.[9][10]

In 2011, she had a recurring role in the fourth season of Network Ten police drama, Rush, alongside Rodger Corser. The following year she had a recurring role as Miss Papas in Tangle, with Ben Mendelsohn and Lincoln Younes.

In 2015, she appeared in Grant Scicluna's Australian drama film, Downriver, which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival. In the same year, she was chosen as reader for a selection of poetry by second generation Greek Australians on Radio National.[11]

In 2018, she co-starred with Wayne Hope and Robyn Nevin in the ABC1 comedy series, Very Small Business.[12]

In 2021, she was directed by Kokkinos in the ABC TV anthology drama series, Fires. The series is set against the background of the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.

In 2022, she starred in the Australian dark comedy thriller, Slant. Her role was written especially for her.[2]

She is currently part of the ensemble cast of the Hobart-set ABC series, Bay of Fires, with Marta Dusseldorp. She also plays Connie, part of the jury in the second season of legal drama series, The Twelve on Fox Showcase,with Sam Neill.

Filmography

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Film appearances

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Only the Brave Alex Dir. Ana Kokkinos
Open Craft Award (for performance) - 1994 Australian Film Institute Awards
1998 Head On Betty Dir. Ana Kokkinos
2003 The Forest Tanya Short film
Dir. Jo Kennedy
2004 Heartworm Rachaele Short film
Dir. Ben Chessell
2009 One Night Antigone Short film
Dir. Alexandra Schepisi
2013 Quiz Hairdresser Short film
Dir. Alistair Reid
2015 Downriver Rita Dir. Grant Scicluna
2017 Boy Saviour Mother Short film
Dir. Arthur Angel
2018 The Story The Woman Short film
Dir. Steven J. Tandy
2022 Slant Kaye Kopoulos Dir. James Vinson

Television appearances

Year Title Role Notes
1994 A Country Practice Aleki Vlahos 1 episode
1995 Correlli Kim 1 episode
1997–1998 Raw FM Sarah Tomic Series regular
13 episodes
1999 Thunderstone Jett Recurring role
25 episodes
2000 Something in the Air Cheryl Stephanopoulas 2 episodes
2001 The Secret Life of Us Salea 2 episodes
2002 MDA Tina Morello 1 episode
Marshall Law The Woman Short film
Dir. Steven J. Tandy
2003 Blue Heelers Con. Paula Milburn 2 episodes
2005 Scooter: Secret Agent Constable Barnes 1 episode
Last Man Standing Margot 1 episode
2009 Dirt Game Annie 2 episodes
2010 Dead Gorgeous Margot 1 episode
2011 Offspring Jane 1 episode
Rush Anna Vargas Recurring role
8 episodes
2012 Tangle Miss Papas Recurring role
5 episodes
2016 - 2018 Nowhere Boys Anna Recurring role
5 episodes
2017 Utopia Marissa 1 episode
2018 Very Small Business Olivia Micheledes Series regular
8 episodes
How to Stay Married Eileen 1 episode
The Housemate Reinbough's mum 1 episode
2020 AussieWood Irena Wood
2021 Fires Collette TV mini-series
2023–present Bay of Fires Kerry Series regular
2024 The Twelve Connie d'Angelo Series regular

Personal life

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

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.”[2]

References

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  1. ^ Only the Brave National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved on 13 July 2024
  2. ^ a b c Coming soon: The ‘untold story’ of Aussie Greeks – Oh, and it’s set in the 90s Neos Kosmos. 25 May 2021
  3. ^ Selected Awards and Festivals Screen Australia. Retrieved on 13 July 2024
  4. ^ Melbourne International Film Festival Screen Australia. Retrieved on 13 July 2024
  5. ^ Raw FM – What You Can (1997) Australian Screen. Retrieved on 15 July 2024
  6. ^ Head On: I love you Betty National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Retrieved on 12 July 2024
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Thunderstone, Episode 3: This is not my past, I'm in the future National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Retrieved on 14 July 2024
  9. ^ From BMX Bandits to The Secret Life of Us: 11 Australian classics new to Netflix The Guardian. 18 June 2021
  10. ^ The Secret Life of Us: episode guide australiantelevision.net. Retrieved on 15 July 2024
  11. ^ Program: Southern Sun, Aegean Light—The poetry of second-generation Greek-Australian poets ABC Radio National. 27 May 2015
  12. ^ Wayne Hope and Robyn Butler: Back in Business 2018. Retrieved on 15 July 2024
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