Leonie Whyman is an Australian actress and musician. She has appeared in the television series New Gold Mountain and Deadloch. She also performs music under the stage name LEO as a solo artist, and is part of the Australian band Blackfire.
Early life and education Leonie Whyman is from Newcastle, New South Wales. She is part of the Paakantji nation from her grandfather's side of the family, and the Wiradjuri nation from her grandmother's side. She is an only child.
Whyman attended a performing arts high school, where she originally majored in trumpet before switching to guitar and vocals, due to being inspired by her father's musical background. She began acting on television during high school, and had to drop out of school during her last year for one of her acting jobs.
Acting career Whyman's first major role was in two 2011 episodes of the ABC3 series My Place, portraying Waruwi, a young Indigenous girl living in 1788. In 2012 and 2013, she appeared in two episodes of Redfern Now.
In 2015, Whyman acted in a main role on the teen drama series Ready For This. She played Lily, a high school student with a talent for school debating, dealing with grief after her mother's death.
In 2017, she appeared in Dance Academy: The Movie, a film based on the TV show Dance Academy.Dance Academy: The Movie (2017), directed by Jefferey Walker, produced by Joanna Werner. She also appeared in a short film titled Brown Lips in the same year. In 2018 starred in a short film, FOE, as part of the Dark Place horror anthology film.
Whyman had another major role in New Gold Mountain (2021), a historical drama series set during the gold rush in Victoria during the 19th century. In the miniseries, she played Hattie, a young Indigenous tracker. In 2022, Whyman had roles in the Australian-New Zealand film We Are Still Here, and the Australian TV series Mystery Road: Origin.
Whyman acted in the first season of the Australian black comedy crime series Deadloch in 2023. She and Kartanya Maynard played a pair of teenagers from a small Tasmanian town who become embroiled in a murder mystery. The two First Nations characters have their own subplot in the show.
She starred in the short film It Will Find You in 2024 and appeared in the Lords of the Soil in 2025.
In 2026, Whyman acted in the miniseries Goolagong, about the famous Australian tennis player Evonne Goolagong Cawley. She portrayed Goolagong's older sister, Barbara. She also starred in the short film G.O.A.T. as Lilah, a young queer woman living in Broome, Western Australia. The short premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2026.
Whyman has also appeared in guest roles in Black Comedy.
Music career Whyman writes and sings music in several genres, often performing under the stage name "LEO". She performed in Melbourne for NAIDOC week in 2026.
In addition to her solo career, Whyman is a member of the Australian band Blackfire. In the early 2020s, following the band's return from a long hiatus and the release of their third album, Regeneration, Whyman and another musician, Monica McDonald, were inducted into the band to provide backing vocals and play percussion. They released a new album titled Solar Eclipse in 2025. The band is based in Naarm (Melbourne) and is affiliated with Golden Robot Records.
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes 2017Brown LipsKeiraShort film2017Dance Academy: The MovieStudent TillyCredited as "Leonie Joy Whyman"2018Dark PlaceElenaAnthology film; segment: "Foe"2022We Are Still HereJanetAnthology film2024It Will Find YouJackie2025Lords of the SoilGira2026G.O.A.TLilahShort film
Television YearTitleRoleNotes2011My PlaceWaruwi2 episodes2012–2013Redfern NowSelene2 episodes2015Ready For ThisLily CarneyMain cast; 13 episodes2016Black ComedyGuest roles2021New Gold MountainHattieMiniseries; (all) 4 episodes 2022Mystery Road: OriginCissy2023DeadlochTammy HampsonSeason 1; 8 episodes2026GoolagongBarbaraMiniseries; 2 episodes
References