# Kelton Pell

Kelton Pell is an Aboriginal Australian stage, TV, and film actor, best known for his role as the court liaison officer, Sam Wallan, in the SBS legal drama The Circuit.

## Early life

Kelton Pell is a Noongar man from Western Australia.

## Career

Pell has performed on stage since 1985, performing for Yirra Yaakin Theatre, the Black Swan Theatre Company, and the Sydney Theatre Company. Many of these performances were of plays which grew from Indigenous themes.
In 2000 Pell, along with Ningali Lawford and Phil Thomson, wrote a show for Yirra Yaakin called Solid, whose premiere performance was at the Perth International Arts Festival. Because of its sensitive Indigenous subject matter, before the premiere the play was performed for, and was approved by, 2000 Indigenous Australians.
Pell performed in several productions of Bloodland, a play directed by the Stephen Page with a Romeo and Juliet-type of story. The play features traditional Aboriginal languages and Pidgin English, as well as song and dance.
He has also acted in performances of Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Pell acted in the children's TV show The Adventures of the Bush Patrol and the SBS series The Circuit, a legal drama set in the Kimberley.
In 2012 he starred in an episode of the TV series Redfern Now as a well-to-do Aboriginal Australian man living in Redfern, Sydney, whose life seems to be exemplary, but it is revealed that he has been receiving government benefit money fraudulently.
Pell plays vampire hunter Jalingbirri in Warwick Thornton's 2021 horror / comedy series Firebite for AMC+ (later shown on NITV).
In 2022 Pell appeared in the ABC drama series Mystery Road: Origin, in March 2024 in the Stan Original movie Windcatcher.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | Blackfellas | Willice | |
| 2001 | One Night the Moon | Albert Yang | |
| 2002 | Confessions Of A Headhunter | Vinnie, the artist | Short film |
| 2002 | Australian Rules | Tommy Red | |
| 2003 | Cold Turkey | Old Man | |
| 2007 | The Turtle | Pop | Short film |
| 2007 | September | Michael Parker | |
| 2009 | Stone Bros. | Hector | |
| 2009 | Last Ride | Ranger Lyall | |
| 2009 | Aunty Maggie and the Womba Wakgun | Uncle Peter | Short film |
| 2009 | Bran Nue Dae | Mean Drunk | |
| 2011 | Mad Bastards | Mad Dog | |
| 2015 | Redfern Now: Promise Me | Raymond | Television film |
| 2015 | Looking for Grace | Detective | |
| 2016 | Red Dog: True Blue | Durack | |
| 2017 | Three Summers | Jack | |
| 2017 | Nobody's Child | Jimmy | Short film |
| 2020 | The Xrossing | Bobbie | |
| 2021 | Buckley's Chance | Jules | |
| 2024 | Windcatcher | Pop Collins | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1996 | The Adventures of the Bush Patrol | Wazza | |
| 1998 | Minty | Jack | Episode: "If I Were You" |
| 2007–2010 | The Circuit | Sam Wallman | 12 episodes |
| 2011 | Cloudstreet | Bob Crab | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Redfern Now | Raymond | Episode: "Raymond" |
| 2013 | Hard Rock Medical | Uncle Albert | Episode: "Other Side of the Fence" |
| 2014 | The Moodys | Fred | Episode: "Australia Day" |
| 2014 | The Gods of Wheat Street | Odin Freeburn | 6 episodes |
| 2018 | Pine Gap | Paul Dupain | 6 episodes |
| 2019-2020 | The Heights (Australian TV series) | Uncle Max | 48 episodes |
| 2020 | Itch | Barry | 2 episodes |
| 2021-22 | Firebite | Jalingbirri | 5 episodes |
| 2022 | MaveriX | Vic Simmons | 10 episodes |
| 2022 | Mystery Road: Origin | Jack Swan | 3 episodes |

## Awards

Pell has won the following awards:
* In 1991 WA Aboriginal Artist of the Year Award.
* In 1994 Swan Gold Award for Best West Australian Actor.
* In 1996 Contemporary Performing Arts Award for Best Collaboration.
* In 2019 he was also recognised for his outstanding contribution to the Australian film industry and named the CinefestOZ 2019 Screen Legend.