# Colin Friels

Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952) is an Australian actor of theatre, TV, film and presenter.

## Early life

Friels was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland. His mother was a mill worker and French polisher, and his father a carpenter. He lived in Kilbirnie until 1963, when his family moved to Australia, arriving in Darwin, Northern Territory before settling in the Melbourne suburb of Bentleigh. He worked as a bricklayer's labourer before studying at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating in 1976 along with Linden Wilkinson and Michael Siberry.

## Career

Friels career began with work mostly in theatre and television. In 1980, Friels was a presenter on the Australian version of Play School, the series for young children. His first film role was in the unreleased Prisoners (1981), appearing with David Hemmings and Tatum O'Neal.
His first appearance in a released film was in Hoodwink (1981), alongside his future wife, Judy Davis.
In 1986, he played the title role in Malcolm, about a shy mechanical genius, for which he was awarded the 1986 AFI Award for Best Actor. Friels was also nominated for the Best Actor award the following year, for his role in Ground Zero, but did not win: the film received mixed reviews, with one describing him as "a proficient enough actor, but...miscast". Friels later won another AFI Award in 1995 for his starring role in the 1994 Halifax f.p. telemovie Hard Corps. Friels has played a wide range of other roles. He was a megalomaniac corporate executive in the 1990 feature film Darkman.
From 1996 to 1999, he played Frank Holloway on Water Rats, a role which won him the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor at the 1997 awards. In his acceptance speech he said, "I'm very flattered for this and it's all rather silly, isn't it? So, thank you very much."
Since 2003, Friels has appeared as the main character in the BlackJack series of telemovies. In 2010 he also starred in Killing Time where he played notorious underworld figure Lewis Moran. In 2018, he played Tony Ballantyne in the TV miniseries Mystery Road, again opposite Judy Davis.
In 2021, Friels appeared as Jack Ramsay in the second season of the ABC series Total Control, a Coalition MP facing off against independent candidate Alex Irving.

## Personal life

Friels has been married to actress Judy Davis since 1984; the couple have two children, Jack and Charlotte. Their relationship was briefly in the media when an argument led to a domestic violence court order against Friels: however, they remained together.
In late 1997, Friels was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. However, his treatment was successful, and he is one of the very few sufferers of this disease to go into long-term remission. During his treatment he continued to work on the set of Water Rats, until eventually the impact of the chemotherapy stopped him working, and he chose to have his character written out of the series by sending him on a sailing journey around the world. At this time, however, he also continued his stage work, and was performing in Sydney Theatre Company's Macbeth.

### Political views

Friels believes that social and political awareness comes with acting, and is known for his engagement in policy debates, including industrial issues such as workplace relations and free trade. He publicly criticised Bush administration policy in the Middle East, and supported the Sydney Peace Foundation. His engagement with social issues has been evident in his acting work, with two prominent examples being his lead role in Ground Zero, in which he played a cameraman investigating British nuclear testing in South Australia, and his appearance in the ABC television drama Bastard Boys, in which he played union official John Coombs.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 1979 | The Cavity Caper | | Short film |
| 1980 | Big Toys | | TV movie |
| 1981 | Hoodwink | Robert | Feature film |
| 1982 | Monkey Grip | Javo | Feature film |
| 1982 | Prisoners | Nick | Feature film |
| 1983 | Buddies | Mike | Feature film |
| 1983 | Distinguished Guests | Christopher | Short film |
| 1984 | The Coolangatta Gold (aka The Gold & the Glory | Adam Lucas | Feature film |
| 1985 | The Man in the Iron Mask | Phillippe (voice) | Animated TV movie |
| 1986 | Kangaroo | Richard Somers | Feature film |
| 1986 | Malcolm | Malcolm Hughes | Feature film |
| 1987 | Ground Zero | Harvey Denton | Feature film |
| 1988 | Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train | The Man | Feature film |
| 1988 | Grievous Bodily Harm | Tom Stewart | Feature film |
| 1988 | High Tide | Mick | Feature film |
| 1990 | Darkman | Louis Strack Jr | Feature film |
| 1990 | Weekend with Kate | Richard Muir | Feature film |
| 1991 | Class Action | Michael Grazier | Feature film |
| 1992 | Dingo | John 'Dingo' Anderson | Feature film |
| 1992 | Last Man Hanged | Ronald Ryan | |
| 1993 | The Nostradamus Kid | American Preacher | Feature film |
| 1993 | The Burning Piano: A Portrait of Patrick White | | TV movie |
| 1994 | A Good Man in Africa | Morgan Leafy | Feature film |
| 1995 | Angel Baby | Morris | Feature film |
| 1995 | Back of Beyond | Connor | |
| 1996 | Cosi | Errol Grier | Feature film |
| 1996 | Mr. Reliable (aka My Entire Life) | Wally Mellish | Feature film |
| 1998 | Dark City | Eddie Walenski | Feature film |
| 2000 | Marriage Acts | David McKinnon | TV movie |
| 2001 | The Man Who Sued God | David Myers | Feature film |
| 2001 | My Husband, My Killer | Bob Inkster | TV movie |
| 2001 | Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story | George Temple | TV movie |
| 2002 | Black and White | Father Tom Dixon | Feature film |
| 2003 | Temptation | Robert Francobelli | TV movie |
| 2003 | Max's Dreaming | Mark Bryce | |
| 2003–2007 | BlackJack | Jack Kempson | TV movies |
| 2004 | Tom White | Tom White | Feature film |
| 2005 | The Illustrated Family Doctor | Ray Gill | Feature film |
| 2006 | Solo | Jack Barrett | Feature film |
| 2006 | The Book of Revelation | Olsen | Feature film |
| 2006 | Bom Bali | Narrator | Documentary film |
| 2008 | The Informant | Doug Lamont | TV movie |
| 2008 | Australia: Land of Parrots | Narrator | Documentary film |
| 2009 | Blind Company | Geoff Brewster | Feature film |
| 2010 | Lest We Forget | Sam | |
| 2010 | Matching Jack | Professor Nelson | Feature film |
| 2010 | The Nothing Men | Jack Simpson | |
| 2010 | Tomorrow, When The War Began | Dr Clements | Feature film |
| 2011 | A Heartbeat Away | Mayor Riddick | Feature film |
| 2011 | Ned's Head | Narrator | TV movie |
| 2011 | The Eye of the Storm | Athol Shreve | Feature film |
| 2011 | The Man Who Jumped | Narrator | |
| 2012 | Mabo | Justice Moynihan | Documentary film |
| 2012 | Jack Irish: Bad Debts | Garth Bruce | TV movie |
| 2013 | Sweat | Ramon, the farmer | Short film |
| 2013 | The Turning | Narrator | Anthology feature film (segment: "Ash Wednesday") |
| 2013 | Schapelle | Mick Corby | TV movie |
| 2016 | The Crossing | The Captain | Short film |
| 2017 | Snared | | Short film |
| 2022 | Fences | The Farmer | Short film |
| 2022 | Interceptor | Frank Collins | Feature film |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 1980–1981 | Play School | Presenter | TV series |
| 1983 | For the Term of His Natural Life | Rufus Dawes / Richard Devine | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1992 | Police Rescue | Lew Campbell | TV series, season 2, episode 9: "Reasons to Live" |
| 1993 | Seven Deadly Sins | Roger Pascoe | Miniseries, 1 episode: "Pride" |
| 1993 | Stark | Sly Morgan | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1995 | Halifax f.p. | Kevin Tait | TV series, season 1, episode 5: "Hard Corps" |
| 1995 | Space: Above and Beyond | Lt. Colonel Fouts | TV series, pilot episode |
| 1996–1999 | Water Rats | Frank Holloway | TV series, 109 episodes |
| 2001 | The Farm | Tom Cooper | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Life at 1 | Narrator | Documentary miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2004 | The Mystery of Natalie Wood | Nick Gurdin | Miniseries, episode 1 |
| 2007 | Bastard Boys | John Coombs | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2007 | Air Australia | Narrator | Miniseries |
| 2009 | Gangs of Oz | Narrator | Documentary TV series |
| 2010 | Killing Time | Lewis Moran | Miniseries, 8 episodes |
| 2011 | Wild Boys | Mad Dog Morgan | TV series, episode 11 |
| 2015 | Sydney Sailboat (aka Bubble Bath Bay) | Terry the Tug (voice) | Animated TV series, 52 episodes |
| 2015 | Go Back to Where You Came From | Narrator | Documentary series, 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Changed Forever: The Making of Australia | Narrator | Miniseries, episode 2: "ANZACS" |
| 2016 | DNA Nation | Narrator | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | The Secret Daughter | Jack Norton | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 2016 | First Contact | Narrator | Documentary TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2017–2020 | Filthy Rich and Homeless | Narrator | Documentary TV series |
| 2018 | Mystery Road | Tony Ballantyne | TV series, season 1, 6 episodes |
| 2021 | Wakefield | Baz Madden | Miniseries, episode 7 |
| 2021 | Total Control | Jack Ramsay MP | TV series, season 2, 6 episodes |
| 2022 | Pieces of Her | Older Eli Wexler | TV series, episode 6 |
| 2022 | Underbelly: Vanishing Act | George K | Miniseries, 3 episodes |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Theatre Co. |
| 1975 | Rio Rita | | NIDA with Old Tote Theatre Company |
| 1975 | Three Sisters | Soliony | NIDA Theatre, Sydney |
| 1976 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | | Newcastle, NIDA Theatre, Sydney |
| 1976 | Miss Hook of Holland | Joost de Coop | NIDA Theatre, Sydney |
| 1977 | The School for Scandal | Sir Harry Bumper | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1977 | The Cherry Orchard | | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1977 | Fall Out Follies | | STCSA |
| 1977 | Family Lore | James Singer | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1977 | Swansong for Antlers | Damien Anderson | Theatre 62, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1977 | The Right Man | Policeman / Interjector | Theatre 62, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1977 | Annie Get Your Gun | Tommy | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1977 | Macbeth | Macduff | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1977 | They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | | Space Theatre, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1978 | Oedipus the King / Oedipus at Colonus | Chorus of Theban & Athenian Elders | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1978 | Ah Romance! | | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1978 | Cedoona | Garrie | Space Theatre, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1978 | Henry IV, Part 1 & Henry IV, Part 2 | Poins | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1978 | The Les Darcy Show | Les Darcy | Space Theatre, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1978 | Peer Gynt | Cowgirl / Eunuch | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA & Magpie Theatre Company |
| 1978; 1979 | A Manual of Trench Warfare | Barry Moon | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA / Seymour Centre, Sydney |
| 1978 | Cymbeline | Cloten | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1978; 1979 | Summer of the Seventeenth Doll | Johnnie Dowd | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1979 | Hamlet | Laertes | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1979 | American Buffalo | Bobby | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1979 | The Shaughraun | Reilly | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1979 | The Caucasian Chalk Circle | Simon Chachava | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 1979; 1980 | Twelfth Night | Sebastian | Playhouse, Adelaide with STC |
| 1979 | The Matchmaker | | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1980 | Traitors | Joseph Rubin | Nimrod Theatre Company, Sydney |
| 1980 | Oresteia | Old Person of Aros / Elektra / Orestes | Nimrod Theatre Company, Sydney |
| 1980 | Inside the Island | Private O'Neill / Bert / Private Watson | Nimrod Theatre Company, Sydney |
| 1980 | Volpone | Bornario / Peregrine | Nimrod Theatre, Sydney with STC |
| 1981 | The Man from Mukinupin | Jack Tuesday / Harry Tuesday | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 1981 | Hamlet | Hamlet | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 1981; 1985 | Cloud Nine | Betty / Edward | Nimrod Theatre, Sydney with Sydney Theatre Company |
| 1982 | Macbeth | | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 1982 | Butterflies of Kalimantan | | Women in Arts Festival |
| 1983 | Miss Julie | | Nimrod Theatre Company, Sydney |
| 1983 | The Bear | | Nimrod Theatre Company, Sydney |
| 1984 | King Lear | Edmund | Bankstown District Sports Club, Sydney, Seymour Centre, Sydney with Nimrod Theatre Company |
| 1985 | Il Magnifico | Lorenzo Medici | Seymour Centre, Sydney with Nimrod Theatre Company |
| 1985 | Zastrossi | Zastrossi | Seymour Centre, Sydney with Nimrod Theatre Company |
| 1986 | Sweet Bird of Youth | Chance Wayne | Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, Opera Theatre, Adelaide, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Princess Theatre, Melbourne with Davis Morley & Harold Pinter Productions |
| 1986 | Hedda Gabler | Ejlert Løvborg | Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC |
| 1987 | The Winter’s Tale | Leontes | Seymour Centre, Sydney with Nimrod Theatre Company |
| 1988 | Orphans | Treat | Sydney Opera House, Canberra Theatre, Regal Theatre, Perth with Gary Penny Productions |
| 1991 | The Cherry Orchard | Lapakhin | Suncorp Theatre with Queensland Theatre |
| 1992 | Shadow & Splendour | Viktor Sager | Suncorp Theatre with Queensland Theatre, Playhouse, Adelaide |
| 1994 | The Temple | Laurie Blake | Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC |
| 1994 | Macbeth | Macduff | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 1995 | The Incorruptible | Ion Stafford | Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne with Playbox Theatre |
| 1999 | Macbeth | Macbeth | STC |
| 2001 | The School for Scandal | Sir Peter Teazle | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 2001 | Dom Juan | | STC |
| 2002 | Copenhagen | Heisenberg | Wharf Theatre, Sydney, Glen Street Theatre, Sydney with STC |
| 2004 | Victory: Choices in Reaction | Charles II | Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC |
| 2011 | Zebra | Larry | Sydney Theatre Company |
| 2012; 2013 | Red | Mark Rothko | The Sumner, Melbourne with MTC, Playhouse, Brisbane with Queensland Theatre |
| 2012 | Death of a Salesman | Willy Loman | Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney, Geelong Arts Centre, Theatre Royal Sydney |
| 2013 | Moving Parts | Sean | NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney |
| 2015 | Endgame | Hamm | Southbank Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 2015 | Mortido | Detective Grubbe | Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide, Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney |
| 2015 | Summer of the Seventeenth Doll | Roo | STCSA |
| 2016 | Skylight | Tom Sergeant | Southbank Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 2016 | Faith Healer | Francis Hardy | Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney, Southbank Theatre, Melbourne |
| 2018 | Scaramouche Jones | Scaramouche Jones | Fairfax Studio with Arts Centre Melbourne, Space Theatre, Adelaide |
| 2016 | Dance of Death | Edgar | Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney / STCSA |
| 2019 | Life of Galileo | Galileo Galilei | Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney |
| 2024 | Into the Shimmering World | | Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC |

## Awards & nominations

| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result |
| 1986 | Malcolm | AFI Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Won |
| 1987 | Ground Zero | AFI Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated |
| 1991 | Dingo | AFI Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated |
| 1995 | Halifax f.p.: Hard Corps | AFI Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Drama | Won |
| 1997 | Water Rats | Logie Awards | Most Outstanding Actor | Won |
| 2000 | Water Rats | Logie Awards | Most Outstanding Actor | Nominated |
| 2002 | Copenhagen | Mo Awards | Best Male Actor in a Play | Won |
| 2003 | Copenhagen | Helpmann Awards | Best Male Actor | Won |
| 2004 | Tom White | AFI Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated |
| 2004 | Tom White | Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actor – Male | Won |
| 2006 | Solo | Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actor – Male | Nominated |
| 2006 | The Book of Revelation | Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated |
| 2022 | Wakefield | Logie Awards | Most Outstanding Supporting Actor | Won |