Elena Mandalis

Elena Mandalis (Έλενα Μανδάλη), 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
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). Mandalis won the Open Craft Award for her performance at the 1994 Australian Film Institute Awards (later known as the AACTA Awards). The film was screened at film festivals around the world and won Best Film at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 1994.

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.

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. The film, based on the 1995 novel Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas, received nine nominations at the 1998 Australian Film Institute Awards.

The following year she played Jett for 25 episodes in the Australian science fiction television series, Thunderstone. 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.

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.

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

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.

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
Film appearances

Television appearances

Personal life
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.”