One of the nation’s most successful exports in the film business, Joel Edgerton is an actor, director, writer, producer, and filmmaker. Offstage, he is also an inspiring advocate and charity ambassador who has helped raise millions to further the work of The Fred Hollows Foundation.
WSU proudly conferred him with the award, Doctorate of Letters (honoris causa), at a recent graduation ceremony to recognise his significant contributions to the arts at an international level.
Mr Edgerton was born in Blacktown, attending the Hills Grammar School and then the Nepean Drama School at Western Sydney University, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1995.
Following his graduation, he worked on several stage productions, including in roles with the Sydney Theatre and Bell Shakespeare companies.
In 2001, he debuted in the role of Will McGill in the drama series The Secret Life of Us, a performance that saw him garner national attention and win the Australian Academy Cinema Television Arts (AACTA) Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama.
It was in 2010 that he caught the attention of Hollywood, with his powerful performance as Barry ‘Baz’ Brown in the Australian film, Animal Kingdom, a role that also led to two Best Supporting Actor awards.
His performances include roles in Star Wars: - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: - Revenge of the Sith, Kinky Boots, Zero Dark Thirty, The Great Gatsby, Warrior, Black Mass, It Comes at Night, and Thirteen Lives.
Vice-Chancellor, George Williams said WSU was honoured to recognise Mr Edgerton for his eminence in his field on a global scale.
“Joel Edgerton is an inspiration to creatives from all over the nation, and particularly here in Western Sydney where he was raised and studied with us,” said Professor Williams.
“Mr Edgerton’s journey shows that with hard work, passion, extraordinary talent and, of course, education, that anything is possible.
“His representation of this country on such a monumental level is truly remarkable and we are pleased to honour Mr Edgerton with this honorary doctorate, as the University continues to revitalise its commitment to creative and performing arts in Western Sydney.”
WSU recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Actors Centre Australia (ACA), aimed at renewing performing arts education in Western Sydney.
In partnership, WSU and ACA will collaborate to cultivate a new generation of performing artists equipped with both foundational knowledge and practical skills, enabling other students to follow in Mr Edgerton’s footsteps.
Mr Edgerton has been an ambassador for The Fred Hollows Foundation for over 10 years and supports the foundation’s vision to ensure that everyone, rich or poor, has access to affordable eye care.
On a charitable visit to Nepal in 2012, he witnessed the Foundation’s team restore sight firsthand, in both Nepal and Ethiopia.
In 2017, he called on Hollywood’s elite to host a fundraising gala in Los Angeles that raised half a million dollars for the charity.
Mr Edgerton has also starred in several Australian films, including Wish You Were Here, The Square, and Felony – the latter two films he also wrote and produced – as well as The Stranger, in which he both starred and produced.
In 2015, he received a nomination for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film for The Gift, a psychological horror-thriller film that not only starred in but also wrote, directed and co-produced.
He garnered further critical acclaim, and a Golden Globe Best Actor nomination, for his performance as Richard Loving in the 2016 historical drama, Loving.
In 2018, he wrote, directed and starred in the drama Boy Erased, a compelling film about gay conversion therapy. In 2018 he also produced, co-wrote and starred in The King. More recently, he produced and starred in the acclaimed Apple series, Dark Matter.
