Bovell was born on 23 November 1962 in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and completed his secondary school education in Perth.
[1] His AWGIE award-winning play, Speaking in Tongues,[2](1996) has been seen throughout Australia as well as in Europe and the US and Bovell adapted it for the screen as Lantana (2001).
Both the play and screenplay have been published by Currency Press along with After Dinner (1988), Holy Day (2001), Scenes from a Separation (written with Hannie Rayson) (1995) and Who's Afraid of the Working Class?
Bovell also co-wrote the screenplay for Strictly Ballroom (1992) with Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce and Head On (1998) with Mira Robertson and Ana Kokkinos.
His other film credits include Edge of Darkness (2010) starring Mel Gibson, The Book of Revelation (2006) and Iris (2016).