Luke Ford (born 26 March 1981) is a Canadian-Australian actor. His career began in television in 2000 and his first film role was in 2006 before being cast in '' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' in 2008. Ford's regular television roles include those in the Australian series ''

Underbelly Underbelly is the side of something that is not normally seen. Figuratively, it means a vulnerable or weak part, similar to the term Achilles' heel, or alternatively, a hidden, illicit side of society. This term could refer to: Business * ...

'' in 2013, ''

Cleverman A cleverman is a traditional healer and keeper of culture in many Aboriginal cultures of Australia. The roles, terms for, and abilities of a cleverman vary between different Aboriginal nations. Some clevermen heal bodily injuries and illnesse ...

'' in 2017, and ''

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

'' in 2021.

Early life

Ford was born on 26 March 1981 in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada but raised in Sydney, Australia. He attended

Parramatta Marist High School , motto_translation = Go Forth With Strength , location = 2 Darcy Road, Westmead, Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Australia ...

in Westmead, Sydney, and once worked at the Winston Hills Hotel, and a short stint at Universal Magazines in

North Ryde North Ryde is a suburb located in the Northern Sydney region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Ryde is located 15 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City ...

. Ford studied acting at The Actor's Pulse in Sydney, becoming one of the school's earliest graduates. He later returned to teach the

Meisner technique The Meisner technique is an approach to acting developed by American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner. The goal of the Meisner approach is for the actor to not focus on themselves and instead concentrate on the other actors in the immediate ...

when he was between film roles.

Film career

Ford began acting professionally with a string of performances on Australian television, starting with a guest-starring role on '' Water Rats'', followed by roles on ''

McLeod's Daughters ''McLeod's Daughters'' is an Australian drama television series created by Posie Graeme-Evans and Caroline Stanton for the Nine Network, which aired from 8 August 2001, to 31 January 2009, lasting eight seasons. It stars Lisa Chappell and Brid ...

'', ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...

'', '' Stingers'', '' Breakers'' and '' All Saints''. He appeared in the TV movie ''

Junction Boys The Junction Boys were the "survivors" of Texas A&M Aggies football coach Bear Bryant's 10-day summer camp in Junction, Texas, beginning September 1, 1954. The ordeal became the subject of a 2001 book by Jim Dent, ''The Junction Boys'',

'' alongside

Tom Berenger Tom Berenger (born Thomas Michael Moore; May 31, 1949) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in ''Platoon'' (1986). He is also known for playing Jake ...

, as Iphicles in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

miniseries ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

'', and in the short-lived Australian series ''Headland''. Ford was short listed for a 'Best New Talent'

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 his recurring role of Craig Woodland on ''McLeod's Daughters''. Ford's film career began with the release of the Australian film ''

Kokoda Kokoda is a station town in the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea. It is famous as the northern end of the Kokoda Track, site of the eponymous Kokoda Track campaign of World War II. In that campaign, it had strategic significance because it had the ...

'' in 2006, delivering a performance as Burke, a slain soldier on the

Kokoda Trail The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland – in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanese ...

. Next came '' The Black Balloon'' with

Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, includ ...

, a performance that won him an

Australian Film Institute Award The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry ...

for Best Supporting Actor in 2008. In the film, Ford plays Charlie Mollison, a boy with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

and

ADD Addition (usually signified by the plus symbol ) is one of the four basic operations of arithmetic, the other three being subtraction, multiplication and division. The addition of two whole numbers results in the total amount or '' sum'' of ...

. Ford spent six months researching the role, including taking to the streets of Sydney in character to determine the effectiveness of his characterisation. ''The Black Balloon'' premiered at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

, where it won the

Crystal Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

award. Immediately following ''The Black Balloon'', Ford signed on to star in the third instalment of the Mummy series, '' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' opposite

Brendan Fraser Brendan James Fraser ( ; born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor known for his leading roles in blockbusters, comedies, and dramatic films. Having graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts in 1990, he made his film debut in '' ...

and

Maria Bello Maria Elena Bello (born April 18, 1967) is an American actress and writer. Her film roles include ''Permanent Midnight'' (1998), ''Payback (1999 film), Payback'' (1999), ''Coyote Ugly (film), Coyote Ugly'' (2000), ''The Cooler'' (2003), ''A Hist ...

. In the film, Ford plays Alex O'Connell, son of Fraser's

Rick O'Connell Richard "Rick" O’Connell is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the second incarnation of ''The Mummy'' franchise. He is portrayed by Brendan Fraser. Fraser reprised the role of O'Connell in ''The Mummy Returns'' released in 2001 ...

and Bello's Evelyn O'Connell. The film was released in the US on 1 August 2008 and grossed $403 million worldwide.Michael Fleming
"Ford to star in third 'Mummy': Shooting will begin in Montreal 27 July"
Variety, 30 April 2007 In 2009, he had roles in ''

3 Acts of Murder ''3 Acts of Murder'' is a 2009 Australian television film directed by Rowan Woods. It is based on the true-life story of how author Arthur Upfield inadvertently inspired The Murchison Murders. The film starred Robert Menzies as Upfield and Luk ...

'' and ''Ghost Machine''. In 2010 and 2011, he had roles in several Australian films, including '' Animal Kingdom'', '' Red Dog'' and '' Face to Face''.

Filmography

Films

Television

Video games

References

External links

*
Interview – Web Wombat Movie Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Luke 1981 births Male actors from Vancouver Australian male film actors Australian people of Canadian descent Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Living people 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Australian male actors Male actors from Sydney Best Supporting Actor AACTA Award winners