# Ian Bliss

Ian Bliss (born 30 June 1966) is an Australian film, television, and stage character actor, he has appeared in numerous Australian television dramas including Heartbreak High, Wentworth and as several characters in the Underbelly universe.

## Education

Bliss graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art. Bliss also attained a Bachelor of Education while studying his acting degree at NIDA.

## Career

Bliss starred in an episode of Halifax f.p. in 1996.
He is best known for his role as Bane and Agent Smith in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (2003), for which he was chosen by the Wachowskis because of his accurate impersonation of Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith's program form), and also his partial resemblance to Weaving.
After the Matrix sequels, Bliss took minor roles in the feature films Stealth and Superman Returns. He played the Peacekeeper scientist Drillic in the Farscape episode "Losing Time". Bliss appeared in episode 8 of the 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific as Capt. Le Francois, and appeared in surf series The Reef. He has appeared in several Australian television drama series including Heartbreak High, Underbelly, Blue Murder and Canal Road.
Stage performances include the lead role in War Horse, in Sydney's Lyric Theatre.
Bliss is also a sought-after voice-over artist and has provided his voice to many animated series such as Big Words, Small Stories, Kuu Kuu Harajuku, Get Ace and SheZow. He has also given his voice to the Bowel Cancer Australia campaigns that went to air every year from 2018. Bliss also provided his voice for numerous audiobooks including Dinner with the Schnabels and Final Act.
Bliss appeared in Underbelly adaptation Informer 3838 as Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland, the commissioner who oversaw the gangland war issuing Taskforce Purana. This was his third appearance in the Underbelly universe, having also appeared in the original Underbelly as 'Mr L' and in Fat Tony & Co as Bernie Edwards.
In 2018 Bliss appeared in season 6 of Wentworth, playing Senior Detective Collins; he reprised the role in the final series of Wentworth, appearing in a total of six episodes.
Bliss in 2022 joined the cast for SBS drama Safe Home, where he played Detective O'Connor.
In 2023, he appeared in the horror movie Late Night with the Devil in the role of Carmichael Haig. Bliss revealed later in an interview that he originally was hired as a reader for the movie's audition process and was set to play a different role in the film, but four days before filming began, he was asked to take over the role of Haig. In the same interview, Bliss confirmed that he would appear in the upcoming Netflix series The Survivors.
In 2023, Bliss appeared in the theatre play My Sister Jill.
On 5 March 2025, Bliss was announced as a nominee for Best Supporting Actor for the Australian Film Critics Association Awards for his role in Late Night with the Devil.

## Personal life

Bliss has been married to actress Jacquie Brennan since 2001. They met on the set of the theatre play Silhouette. Bliss and Brennan have two children together.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | Precious | Jean | Short film |
| 1994 | Country Life | David Archdale | Feature film |
| 1999 | Siam Sunset | Martin | Feature film |
| 1999 | Passion | Army Officer | Feature film |
| 1999 | Powerburn | Dex | |
| 2000 | Bound | Carter | Short film |
| 2001 | The Bank | Executive #1 | Feature film |
| 2003 | The Matrix Reloaded | Bane / Agent Smith | Feature film |
| 2003 | The Long Lunch | Italo Julep | |
| 2003 | The Matrix Revolutions | Bane / Agent Smith | Feature film |
| 2005 | Man-Thing | Rodney Thibadeaux | Feature film |
| 2005 | Stealth | Lt. Aaron Shaftsbury | Feature film |
| 2005 | Danya | Patrick | Short film |
| 2006 | Superman Returns | Shuttle Commander | Feature film |
| 2008 | Playing for Charlie | Drew Hobbs | |
| 2009 | Together Alone | Vladimus | Short film |
| 2016 | Waster of Time | Time Traveller | Short film |
| 2020 | Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears | Vincent Montague | feature film |
| 2023 | Late Night with the Devil | Carmichael Haig | feature film- Nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Australian Film Critics Association) |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | Pugwall | Man on Phone | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Blue Murder | Bobby Chapman | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1995-1996 | Heartbreak High | Andrew Bell | TV series, 23 episodes |
| 1996 | Halifax f.p. | Garry | TV series, episode: "Cradle and All" |
| 1996-2000 | Water Rats | Colin Fleetwood / Max Prescott | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1997 | Big Sky | James McCourt | TV series, episode: "The McCourt Family" |
| 1997 | Home and Away | Kye Lyons | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 1997 | Murder Call | Scott McKenna | TV series, episode: "Ashes to Ashes" |
| 1998 | Good Guys Bad Guys | Keith McLeod | TV series, episode: "Blood Is Thicker Than Walter" |
| 1999-2001 | BackBerner | Various | TV series, 11 episodes |
| 2000 | Tales of the South Seas | | TV series, episode: "Blackbirding" |
| 2000-2003 | Stingers | Nick Lynch / Masely / Marty Stockwell | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2001 | Farscape | PK Scientist Drillic | TV series, episode: "Losing Time" |
| 2002 | The Lost World | Professor Hamilton | TV series, episode: "Suspicion" |
| 2002 | Bootleg | Darius Crowe | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2002-2007 | All Saints | Kevin Maguire / Jimmy 'Buzz' Beasley | TV series, 7 episodes |
| 2003 | The Postcard Bandit | Potter | TV movie |
| 2003 | Blue Heelers | Dave Williams | TV series, episode: "Safety Last" |
| 2003 | Making Time | Col Bryant | TV movie |
| 2004-2006 | Love My Way | Darren Longman | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 2005-2007 | McLeod's Daughters | Detective Christopher Montello | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Tripping Over | Ken | TV series 4 episodes |
| 2007 | The Catalpa Rescue | John Breslin | TV movie |
| 2007 | Gumnutz: A Juicy Tale | Larry / Peer Point J. Marino (voice) | TV movie |
| 2007-2010 | City Homicide | Lance Hardwick / Toby Hendricks | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Underbelly | Mr. L | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 2008 | Canal Road | Bradley Thompson | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2008 | Very Small Business | Tony Orsini | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 2008 | Monash: The Forgotten Anzac | Charles Bean | TV movie |
| 2009 | Dirt Game | Bart | TV series, episode: "Boab Dreaming" |
| 2009 | Rush | Ollie Godard | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2010 | The Pacific | Capt. Le Francois | TV miniseries, episode: "Iwo Jima" |
| 2011 | Killing Time | Detective Inspector Patteron | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Twentysomething | Auctioneer | TV series, episode: "Lost and Found" |
| 2011 | Crownies | Inspector Red Bindall | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2012 | Underground: The Julian Assange Story | Vince | TV movie |
| 2013 | The Doctor Blake Mysteries | Keith Morrisey | TV series, episode: "Still Water" |
| 2013 | Mr & Mrs Murder | Robin Boydell | TV series, episode: "A Dog's Life" |
| 2014 | Fat Tony & Co. | Bernie Edwards | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2014 | The Time of Our Lives | Tony Bridges | TV series, episode: "The Negotiation" |
| 2014 | Get Ace | Professor Pringle (voice) | TV series, 9 episodes |
| 2014 | ANZAC Girls | Colonel Constantine de Crespigny | TV series, episode: "Love" |
| 2014 | It's a Date | Alan | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2015 | Gallipoli | Colonel Brazier | TV miniseries, episode: "The Breakout" |
| 2015-2018 | Kuu Kuu Harajuku | Commander Bo-ring / General No Fun / Various | TV series, 156 episodes; voice roles |
| 2016 | Wanted | Luke Delaney | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Hunters | Burton | TV series, episode: "The Beginning & the End" |
| 2016 | Winners & Losers | Colin Gammell | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2016 | The Wrong Girl | Gareth | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2017 | Sherazade: The Untold Stories | Yunan (voice) | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 2018 | Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You | Val Guest (uncredited) | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2018 | Wrong Kind of Black | Police Officer 1 | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 2018-2021 | Wentworth | Senior Detective Collins | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 2019 | Reef Break | Jones | TV series, episode: "The Hohenzollern Collection" |
| 2020 | Informer 3838 | Simon Overland | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Fires | Gary Saunders | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2021 | Big Words, Small Stories | Grandpa Rex, Chaz, Various (voices) | TV series, 65 episodes |
| 2021 | Harrow | Charlie Oberg | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2023 | Safe Home | Detective O'Connor | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 2023 | Utopia | Doug | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2025 | The Survivors | Geoff Mallott | TV series |

### Audio books

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2022 | Dinner with the Schnabels | Narrator | Author: Tony Jordan |
| 2021 | Final Act | Narrator | Author: Sarah Bailey |
| 2016 | Clade | Narrator | Author: James Bradley |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | Enter the Matrix | Bane / Agent Smith | Video game |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2025 | The Black Woman of Gippsland | Sergeant | Melbourne Theatre Company |
| 2023 | My Sister Jill | Jack | Melbourne Theatre Company |
| 2018 | Jasper Jones | Mr Bucktin/Warick | Queensland Theatre Company |
| 2017 | Dream Lover | Ensemble | |
| 2016 | Jasper Jones | Mr Bucktin/Warick | Queensland Theatre Company |
| 2014-15 | North By Northwest | Budnikov | Melbourne Theatre Company |
| 2013 | War Horse | Ted Narracott / Colonel Strauss | AustralIan tour |
| 2011 | Hamlet | Marcellus | Melbourne Theatre Company |
| 2011 | Apologia | Peter | Melbourne Theatre Company |
| 2010 | Richard III | Clarance / Ratcliff | Melbourne Theatre Company |
| 2009 | Savage River | Kingsley | Griffin Theatre Company |
| 1999 | Silohoutte | Inspector Brunton | Marian Street Theatre |
| 1997 | Jake and Pete | Crow / Snake | Theatre of Image |
| | Lone Star | Cletis | |
| 1994 | The Happy Prince | Mayor | |
| 2001-08 | Jake and Pete | Crow / Snake | International tour |
| | Journey's End | Stanhope | |

## Awards

| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result |
| 2025 | Late Night with the Devil | Australian Film Critics Association Award | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated |
| 2024 | My Sister Jill | Green Room Awards | Best Production | Won |
| 2024 | My Sister Jill | Green Room Awards | Best Ensemble | Won |
| 2015 | North By Northwest | Green Room Awards | Best Ensembel | Won |