Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952) is a Scottish-born Australian actor of theatre, TV and film and presenter

Early life

Friels was born in

Kilwinning Kilwinning (, sco, Kilwinnin; gd, Cill D’Fhinnein) is a town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is on the River Garnock, north of Irvine, about southwest of Glasgow. It is known as "The Crossroads of Ayrshire". Kilwinning was also a Civil Pa ...

, Ayrshire, Scotland.Interview with Colin Friels, ''George Negus Tonight'' (ABC Television), 26 August 2004. http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/profiles/Transcripts/s1186644.htm , retrieved May 2007. His mother was a mill worker and

French polisher French polishing is a wood finishing technique that results in a very high gloss surface, with a deep colour and chatoyancy. French polishing consists of applying many thin coats of shellac dissolved in denatured alcohol using a rubbing pad lubri ...

, and his father a carpenter. He lived in

Kilbirnie Kilbirnie ( Gaelic: ''Cill Bhraonaigh'') is a small town of 7,280 (as of 2001) inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around southwest of Glasgow and approximately from Paisle ...

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 The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...

(NIDA), graduating in 1976 along with Linden Wilkinson and

Michael Siberry Michael Siberry (born 1956) is an Australian stage and screen actor. Life and career Siberry was born in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, Australia and began his career in Adel ...

Acting 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 A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'' (1981), appearing with David Hemmings and

Tatum O'Neal Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born November 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award, winning at age 10 for her performance as Addie Loggins in '' Paper Moon'' (1973) opposite her father, Ryan O'Neal. S ...

. His first appearance in a released film was in '' Hoodwink'' (1981), alongside his future wife,

Judy Davis Judith Davis (born 23 April 1955) is an Australian actress in film, television, and on stage. With a career spanning over 40 years, she has been commended for her versatility and regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Frequen ...

. In 1986, he played the title role in ''

Malcolm Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to: People * Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Clan Malcolm * Maol Choluim de Innerpeffray, 14th-century bishop-elect of Dunkeld Nobility * Máe ...

'', about a shy mechanical genius, for which he was awarded the 1986

AFI Award The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsi ...

for Best Actor. Friels was also nominated for the Best Actor award the following year, for his role in ''

Ground Zero In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. In the case of an explosion above the ground, ''ground zero'' is the point on the groun ...

'', but did not win: the film received mixed reviews, with one describing him as "a proficient enough actor, but...miscast".Hinson, Hal (1988)
Ground Zero (review)
''Washington Post'', 30 September 1987. Friels later won another

in 1995 for his starring role in the 1994 ''

Halifax f.p. ''Halifax f.p.'' is an Australian television crime series produced by Nine Network from 1994 to 2002. The series stars Rebecca Gibney as Doctor Jane Halifax, a forensic psychiatrist investigating cases involving the mental state of suspects or ...

telemovie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

''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 The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

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 Lewis Moran (7 July 1941 – 31 March 2004) was an Australian organized crime figure and patriarch of the infamous Moran family of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Notable for his involvement in the Melbourne gangland killings, Moran was shot de ...

. 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

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 Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs ( chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...

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 The Sydney Peace Prize is awarded by the Sydney Peace Foundation, a non profit organisation associated with the University of Sydney. The prize promotes peace with justice and the practice of nonviolence. It aims to encourage public interest and d ...

. 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

* '' Hoodwink'' (1981) – Robert * '' Monkey Grip'' (1982) – Javo * '' Buddies'' (1983) – Mike * ''

For the Term of His Natural Life ''For the Term of His Natural Life'' is a story written by Marcus Clarke and published in ''The Australian Journal'' between 1870 and 1872 (as ''His Natural Life''). It was published as a novel in 1874 and is the best known novelisation of life ...

'' (1983) - Rufus Dawes/Richard Devine * ''

The Coolangatta Gold The Coolangatta Gold is one of the premier events in the sport of Ironman (surf lifesaving). The event is organised by Surf Life Saving Australia. The Event History In 1984, Peter Schrek was writing a movie featuring the talents of ironman ...

'' (1984) – Adam Lucas * ''

Kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

'' (1986) – Richard Somers * ''

'' (1986) – Malcolm Hughes * ''

'' (1987) – Harvey Denton * ''

High Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...

'' (1988) – Mick * '' Darkman'' (1990) – Louis Strack Jr * ''

Weekend with Kate ''Weekend with Kate'' is a 1990 Australian film directed by Arch Nicholson and starring Colin Friels and Catherine McClements Catherine McClements is an Australian stage, film and television actress and television presenter. She is known for ...

'' (1990) – Richard Muir * ''

Class Action A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class actio ...

'' (1991) – Michael Grazier * '' Dingo'' (1992) – John Anderson * ''

Police Rescue ''Police Rescue'' is an Australian television series which originally aired on ABC TV between 1989 and 1996. It was produced by ABC and Southern Star Xanadu in association with the BBC. Apart from the 61 episodes, there was a 90-minute pi ...

'' (1992) – Lew * '' Stark'' (1993) – Sly Morgan * ''

A Good Man in Africa ''A Good Man in Africa'' is a 1994 comedy-drama film, based on William Boyd's 1981 novel ''A Good Man in Africa'' and directed by Bruce Beresford. The film starred Colin Friels, Sean Connery, John Lithgow, Joanne Whalley, Diana Rigg and Louis Gos ...

'' (1994) – Morgan Leafy * '' Angel Baby'' (1995) – Morris * ''

Back of Beyond ''Back of Beyond'' is a 1995 Australian film. According to Ozmovies: "The film was released in Sydney and Melbourne on 2nd November 1995, but quickly disappeared." It was released on VHS in Australia and laserdisc in the United States but is no ...

'' (1995) * ''

'' episode "Hard Corps" (1995) - Det Snr Sgt Kevin Tait * ''

Cosi Cosi, COSI or CoSi may refer to: * '' Così'', a 1992 play by Louis Nowra ** ''Cosi'' (film), 1996, based on the play * Così (restaurant), an American fast-casual restaurant chain * Compton Spectrometer and Imager, or COSI, a NASA telescope to ...

'' (1996) – Errol * '' Mr. Reliable'' (1996) – Wally Mellish *'' Water Rats'' – Frank Holloway (91 episodes, 1996–1999) * '' Dark City'' (1998) – Eddie Walenski * ''

The Man Who Sued God ''The Man Who Sued God'' is a 2001 Australian comedy film starring Billy Connolly and Judy Davis, and directed by Mark Joffe. The film was a financial success, debuting at number one at the Australian box office in the week of its launch. Plot ...

'' (2001) – David Myers * '' Black and White'' (2002) – Father Tom Dixon * '' BlackJack'' (2003-2007) – Jack Kempson * ''

The Mystery of Natalie Wood ''The Mystery of Natalie Wood'' is a two-part 2004 made-for-TV biographical film directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Partly based on the biographies ''Natasha: the Biography of Natalie Wood'' written by Suzanne Finstad and ''Natalie & R.J.'' written by ...

'' (2004) - Nick Gurdin * '' Tom White'' (2004) – Tom White * '' Bastard Boys'' (2007) – John Coombs * ''The Informant'' (2008) – Doug Lamont * ''

Gangs of Oz ''Gangs of Oz'' is an Australian television documentary series on the Seven Network narrated by actor Colin Friels Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952) is a Scottish-born Australian actor of theatre, TV and film and presenter Early life F ...

'' (2009) – Narrator * ''

Blind Company ''Blind Company'' is a 2009 feature film directed by Melbourne auteur Alkinos Tsilimidos and starring Colin Friels. It premiered at the 2009 Melbourne International Film Festival. Development ''Blind Company'' is adapted from Austin Pendleton' ...

'' (2009) - Geoff Brewster * '' Killing Time'' (2010) – Lewis Moran * '' Matching Jack'' (2010) - Professor Nelson * ''The Nothing Men'' (2010) - Jack Simpson * ''

Tomorrow, When The War Began ''Tomorrow, When the War Began'' is the first book in the ''Tomorrow'' series by John Marsden. It was published in 1993, and is a young adult invasion novel, detailing a high-intensity invasion and occupation of Australia by a foreign power. Th ...

'' (2010) - Dr Clements * '' The Eye of the Storm'' (2011) – Athol Shreve * ''The Man Who Jumped'' (2011) - Narrator * '' Schapelle'' (2013) - Mick Corby * '' Sydney Sailboat'' (2015) - Terry (Voice) * '' The Secret Daughter'' (2016) - Jack Norton * '' Mystery Road'' (2018) – Tony Ballantyne * '' Total Control'' (2019) - Jack Ramsay MP * ''

Interceptor Interceptor may refer to: Vehicles * Interceptor aircraft (or simply "interceptor"), a type of point defense fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft * Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a police car * ...

'' (2022) - Frank Collins

Awards

Australian Film Institute Awards

, - , 1986 , Colin Friels , Best Actor in a Lead Role , , - , 1987 , Colin Friels (for ''

'') , Best Actor in a Lead Role , , - , 1991 , Colin Friels (for '' Dingo'') , Best Actor in a Lead Role , , - , 1995 , Colin Friels (for ''

: Hard Corps'') , Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Drama , , - , 2004 , Colin Friels (for '' Tom White'') , Best Actor in a Lead Role , , -

Film Critics Circle

, - , 2004 , Colin Friels (for ''Tom White'') , Best Actor – Male , , - , rowspan="2", 2006 , Colin Friels (for ''

Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

'') , Best Actor – Male , , - , Colin Friels (for ''

The Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...

'') , Best Supporting Actor , , -

Helpmann Award

, - , 2003 , Colin Friels (for ''

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

'') , Best Male Actor , , -

Logie Awards

, - , 1997 , Colin Friels (for '' Water Rats'') , Most Outstanding Actor , , - , 2000 , Colin Friels (for ''Water Rats'') , Most Outstanding Actor , , - , 2022 , Colin Friels (for ''

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

'') , Most Outstanding Supporting Actor , , -

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Colin Friels won one award in that time. (wins only) , - , 2002 , Colin Friels , Male Actor in a Play , , -

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Friels, Colin 1952 births Australian male film actors Australian people of Irish descent Australian people of Scottish descent Best Actor AACTA Award winners Australian children's television presenters Helpmann Award winners Living people Logie Award winners National Institute of Dramatic Art alumni People from Kilwinning Scottish male film actors