Alan Cinis (born 10 August 1960 in Orange, New South Wales), an Australian politician and actor, has served as a

Councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

on Leichhardt Council, Sydney, New South Wales, representing the

NSW Greens The Greens NSW, also known as the NSW Greens, is a green political party in New South Wales and a member of the Australian Greens. First formed in 1991, the Greens NSW began as a state-level party before joining with other green parties in Austr ...

since 2008. As an actor, Cinis has starred in television, musical drama and film.

Acting career

Cinis commenced his acting career in October 1969, aged nine. His television, film and musical drama credits are extensive, from ''Castaway'' (TV series) in 1974 to '' Underbelly: The Golden Mile'' (TV series) in 2010. He also appeared in ''

Heartbreak High ''Heartbreak High'' is an Australian television program created by Michael Jenkins and Ben Gannon that ran from 1994 to 1996 on Network Ten and 1997 to 1999 on the ABC, for seven series. It was also partially funded from 1996 by BBC2, with ...

'' (TV series) in 1997. Cinis has also appeared in numerous television commercials.

Political career

In 2008, Cinis was elected to Leichhardt Council at the NSW local government elections representing the Eora Leichhardt Lilyfield Ward. As a long-term resident and a veteran of the Australian acting scene, Cinis was appearing in the Australian production of

Billy Elliot the Musical ''Billy Elliot: The Musical'' is a coming-of-age stage musical based on the 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy, a ...

at the

Capitol Theatre, Sydney The Capitol Theatre is a heritage-listed theatre located at 3-15 Campbell Street, Haymarket, in the Sydney central business district, Australia. It was designed by Henry Eli White and John Eberson and built from 1893 to 1928. The property was ...

at the time of his election to Council. He campaigned on a strong anti-crime platform, claiming: "I’ve been a victim of crime – my wife has been shot at, I’ve been bashed in the street and pinned down by local troublemakers. Now I can do my bit to ask the right questions and improve safety..... I’m keen to work with underprivileged kids from wrong side of the tracks, to get in there and make a difference."

Controversy

On 9 November 2010, it was reported that Cinis was arrested after police allegedly seized 12 plastic bags containing "green vegetable matter" and six plants from his Leichhardt home. He was charged with deemed supply, possession and cultivation offences relating to

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

and possessing a prohibited drug. Cinis was released on bail and was scheduled to appear before Balmain local court in December 2010. On 8 June 2011 Cinis pleaded guilty to cultivation and possession and was placed on an 18-month good behaviour bond. The deemed supply charge was withdrawn.

References

External links

Port Jackson Greens – Leichhardt Council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinis, Alan Australian Greens politicians Living people 1960 births Australian male television actors People from New South Wales