Woman Chauvel, Elsa
OBE
- Occupation
- Actor, Director, Film writer and Producer
Written by Kathryn Mcleod, National Film and Sound Archive
Elsa Chauvel was born into a performing family on the 10 February 1898 in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood. Her early career as an actress and performer led to her meeting independent Australian director Charles Chauvel. They married in 1927 and went on to make some of Australia's most iconic films, such as Jedda, Sons of Matthew and 40,000 Horsemen.
During production, Chauvel was widely known for providing assistance wherever she was needed; in addition to her credited roles as a writer, producer and director, she also undertook research, stood in as an actress on set, made costumes, did hair and make-up and coached actors. From her early days as a film pioneer, Chauvel led the way in her later life by promoting Australian cinema, collecting and ensuring the preservation of Chauvel film prints and through her charitable work with the Royal New South Wales Institute for Deaf & Blind Children, and Barnardo's Australia. She died in 1983.
Published Resources
Online Resources
- 'Chauvel, Elsa (1898 - 1983)', The Australian Women's Register, National Foundation for Australian Women, http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE3675b.htm. Details
- 'Elsa Chauvel', in Australian Screen, National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA), http://aso.gov.au/people/Elsa_Chauvel/. Details
- 'Charles Chauvel', in Australian Screen, National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA), http://aso.gov.au/people/Charles_Chauvel/portrait/. Details
- Crichton, Pam, 'Chauvel, Elsa (1898 - 1983)', in Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University (ANU), c.2012, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/chauvel-elsa-12309/text22109. Details