Leigh Whannell

Actor, Writer, Producer

Birthdate: Jan 17, 1977

Birthplace: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Leigh Whannell grew up in Melbourne, Australia, where, at the age of four, he developed an obsession with telling stories. Whether it be through acting, writing or filmmaking, his primary love was getting a reaction from an audience. In 1995, at the age of 18, he was accepted into the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology's prestigious Media Arts course, where he met fellow filmmaker James Wan. In his second year of college, he landed the role of "film guy" on a Saturday morning TV show aimed at teens called Recovery (1996). Filmed totally live in the studio and hosted by actual teenagers, the ground-breaking show was hugely popular down under and was the first to bring "alternative culture" to Australia's TV screens, featuring live performances from bands like Sonic Youth, Weezer, Public Enemy, Ben Harper, Pulp and hundreds more. Hosting the film component of the show, Leigh was lucky enough to interview people like Tim Burton, Peter Jackson, Russell Crowe, George Clooney, and eventually went on the host the show in 1999. After graduating from college, Leigh found himself working more and more as a "host" or "presenter" on Australian TV - all the while hatching a plan with James Wan to finally fulfill his dream of making a film. Small acting roles cropped up from time to time (including one in The Matrix Reloaded (2003), which Leigh has said was "the most fun I've ever had in my life") and, along with those, some frustrating near-misses (and not so near-misses: like his cringe-inducing audition for "Lord Of The Rings", in which he paid $90 to have "hobbit ears" grafted onto his head, turning up at the casting office dressed as a hobbit - needless to say he didn't get the role). However, it was missing out on a role in Alex Proyas Australian film Garage Days (2002) that finally broke the camel's back. He called Wan and told him that if they wanted to get a film made, they would have to pay for it themselves. Saw (2004) was born. After nine months of writing, Leigh had written the screenplay for what he thought would be a self-financed, "Blair Witch"-style feature, with him starring and James directing. The script gained so much attention that soon enough, they were shopping it around Hollywood....and the rest is history.

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Saw

(2004)

Cooties

(2014)

The Invisible Man

(2020)

Insidious

(2010)

Filmography

director

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Upcoming (1)

2025 |
Wolf Man
Wolf Man
2025
R
Horror
A family at a remote farmhouse is attacked by an unseen animal, but as the night stretches on, the father begins to transform into something unrecognizable.
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2020 |
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man
2020
R
2h 4m
Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
7.1
When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
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2018 |
Upgrade
Upgrade
2018
R
1h 40m
Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
7.5
Set in the near-future, technology controls nearly all aspects of life. But when the world of Grey, a self-labeled technophobe, is turned upside down, his only hope for revenge is an experimental computer chip implant.
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producer

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2023 |
Insidious: The Red Door
Insidious: The Red Door
2023
PG-13
1h 47m
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
5.5
The Lamberts must go deeper into The Further than ever before to put their demons to rest once and for all.
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actor

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2018 |
The Mule
The Mule
2018
R
1h 56m
Crime, Drama, Thriller
7
A ninety-year-old horticulturist and Korean War veteran turns drug mule for a Mexican cartel.
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asGavin Alastair Ellis
2018 |
Insidious: The Last Key
Insidious: The Last Key
2018
PG-13
1h 43m
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
5.7
Parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet, as she is drawn back to her ghostly childhood home where the terror began.
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asSpecs
2017 |
Keep Watching
Keep Watching
2017
R
1h 29m
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
4.3
A family become imprisoned in their home by intruders who force them to play a life and death game where the mysterious rules become clear as the night unfolds.
asMatt
2014 |
Cooties
2014 |
Cootiesas Doug
2013 |
The Pardonas Clement Moss
2015 |
Insidious: Chapter 3
Insidious: Chapter 3
2015
PG-13
1h 37m
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.
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asSpecs
2013 |
Insidious: Chapter 2
Insidious: Chapter 2
2013
PG-13
1h 46m
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
The Lamberts believe that they have defeated the spirits that have haunted their family, but they soon discover that evil is not beaten so easily.
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asSpecs
2010 |
Insidious
2010 |
Insidiousas Specs
2008 |
Dying Breedas Matt
2007 |
Dead Silence
2006 |
Saw III
2006 |
Saw IIIas Adam
2005 |
Saw II
2004 |
One Perfect Dayas Chris
2004 |
Saw
Saw
2004
R
1h 43m
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
7.6
Two men awaken to find themselves on the opposite sides of a dead body, each with specific instructions to kill the other or face consequences. These two are the latest victims of the Jigsaw Killer.
asAdam
1998 |
Stygianas Clown
1998 |
Stygianas Punk Kid

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2017 |
78/52
78/52
2017
Not Rated
1h 31m
Documentary
7.3
An unprecedented look at the iconic shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), the "man behind the curtain", and the screen murder that profoundly changed the course of world cinema.