Elise Bauman
Elise Bauman is a Canadian actress, director, filmmaker and singer. She portrayed the role of Laura Hollis, the lead character of the web series Carmilla.
Career
Bauman began working professionally in the theatre from an early age. In 2009 she made the move to New York City to further her studies by attending Circle in the Square Theatre School, where she was cast as Anya in the graduating classes' production of The Cherry Orchard. In the fall, she returned to the stage once again in Red One Theatre Collective’s The Skriker, by Caryl Churchill, which garnered rave reviews and was rated 5 N’s in NOW Magazine.In 2014, Bauman was cast as the lead character Laura Hollis, the naive and headstrong student of Silas University, in the Canadian web series Carmilla, based on the 1871 Gothic vampire novella of the same name by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.
The series has become popular online for its depiction of LGBT characters and has been viewed over 70 million times on the KindaTV , attracting fans worldwide. When interviewed about how she feels playing a queer character in a series that isn't about being queer, Bauman said:
You don’t see any of the characters being ostracized because of it . In a way, it’s exactly the opposite of what happens on other shows. Their sexuality isn’t the thing that is sticking out about them. It’s the norm. I think that is so refreshing and that it is so wonderful to see...
As a result of Carmilla
In 2016, Bauman starred alongside her Carmilla co-star Natasha Negovanlis in the feature film Almost Adults, directed by Sarah Rotella and written by Adrianna DiLonardo from Unsolicited Projects. Almost Adults was screened at several film festivals before being made available on multiple online platforms, including Netflix, in 2017.
Installments of the third and final season of Carmilla began airing on YouTube in September 2016. During that same year the series won a Canadian Screen Award and a Rockie Award for Branded Content at the Banff World Media Festival.
In 2017, Bauman reprised her role as Laura Hollis in The Carmilla Movie, a feature-length film based on the series, which was released in theatres across Canada on October 26.
In 2018, At the 6th Canadian Screen Awards, Bauman won the Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award, voted on by fans, for her work on Carmilla. Bauman states in her speech, "The entertainment industry is changing but not rapidly enough and we need the voices of the public to prove that diverse stories will have a large and dedicated audience. If we want to see films and shows with inclusive representation both in front of and behind the camera, we need to support those projects. So my ask of you is this; one, seek out and watch projects made by and starring women, people of colour and LGBTQ people. Signal boost these projects to your network of friends. I believe we have the power to change the way we tell our stories and I believe that you, the audience, plays a significant role in that change. Let’s get to it. Thank you!"
In 2018, Bauman made her directorial debut with Canadian musician Ellevan's music video "Keep Going".
Personal life
Bauman came out as bisexual in 2017.Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs. |
| 2014 | Worst Thing I Ever Did | Fallon | Episode: "For Love or Money" | |
| 2014 | The Skriker | Girl skriker | ||
| 2014 | Young Badlands | Bunny | Webseries; 6 episodes | |
| 2014–16 | Carmilla | Laura Eileen Hollis | Webseries; lead role | |
| 2015 | Canadian Star | Herself | Documentary | |
| 2015 | Face the Music | Amanda | Episode: "The Abridged Pilot" | |
| 2015 | Everything's Gonna Be Pink | Theatre School Student | Feature film | |
| 2016 | Almost Adults | Mackenzie | Feature film; main role | |
| 2016 | Slasher | Elise | Episode: "Soon Your Own Eyes Will See" | |
| 2016 | Below Her Mouth | Bridget | Feature film; supporting role | |
| 2017 | Mandy Mayhem's Rapping with Actors | Herself | Episode: "Elise Bauman" | |
| 2017 | FOMO | Kris Ducksworth | Short film | |
| 2017 | The Carmilla Movie | Laura Eileen Hollis | Feature film; main role | |
| 2017 | Murdoch Mysteries | Abigail Liston | Episode: "The Accident" | |
| 2017 | The Inherent Traits of Connor James | Matilda | Short film | |
| 2017 | Becoming Burlesque | Becca | ||
| 2018 | Paper Crane | Short film | ||
| 2018 | The Handmaid's Tale | Jenny | Episode: "First Blood" | |
| 2018 | Frankie Drake Mysteries | Muriel Woods | Episode: "50 Shades of Greyson" | |
| 2018 | 90/91 | Mercedes | Short film; in post production | |
| 2019 | Mary Kills People | Bronwyn | 3 episodes | |
| 2019 | How to Buy a Baby | London | Episode: "Adopt-A-Class" | |
| 2020 | The Good Witch | In post production |