Meyne Wyatt (born 14 August 1989) is an Australian actor. Wyatt graduated from 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 ...
in 2010 and appeared in several theatre productions around the country. For his performance in ''Silent Disco'', Wyatt was named Best Newcomer at the 2011 Sydney Theatre Awards. In 2012, he played a supporting role in the musical comedy film ''
The Sapphires'' and also made his debut with the
Bell Shakespeare
Bell Shakespeare is an Australian theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare, his contemporaries and other classics. It is based in Sydney.
The Bell Shakespeare vision is to create theatre that allows audiences of all wal ...
company. The following year, Wyatt appeared in ''
The Broken Shore
''The Broken Shore'' (2005) is a Duncan Lawrie Dagger award-winning novel by Australian author Peter Temple.
Synopsis
The novel's central character is Joe Cashin, a Melbourne homicide detective. Following serious physical injuries he is posted ...
'' and ''
The Turning''. His appearance in the second season of ''
Redfern Now
''Redfern Now'' is an Australian drama television series, that first aired on ABC1 in 2012. The program follows the lives of 6 Aboriginal Australian families living in the urban hub of Redfern, Sydney. The series provides insight into contempo ...
'' earned him nominations for
Most Outstanding Newcomer at the
2014 Logie Awards and
Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama at the
3rd AACTA Awards
The 3rd Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (generally known as AACTA Awards) are a series of awards which includes the 3rd AACTA Awards Luncheon, the 3rd AACTA Awards ceremony and the 3rd AACTA International Awards. The former ...
. From 2014 to 2016, Wyatt played the ongoing role of
Nate Kinski in ''
Neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...
''.
Early life
Meyne Wyatt was born in Kalgoorlie on 14 August 1989, to Sue, a painter and children's book illustrator, and Brian, who worked for the
National Native Title Council
Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have rights ...
.
His father was a
Yamatji
Yamatji (or Yamaji) is a Wajarri word that has at least three different meanings:
* a member of the Watjarri people
* any Aboriginal Australian person from the Murchison region of Western Australia
* any group made up of members of different I ...
man, while his mother is from the
Wongatha
Wangkatha, otherwise written Wongatha, Wongutha, Wankatja, Wongi or Wangai, is a language and the identity of eight Aboriginal Australian peoples of the Eastern Goldfields region. The Wangkatja language groups cover the following towns: Coolgar ...
group.
Wyatt is the youngest of four siblings and he attended
Hale School
Hale School is an independent, Anglican day and boarding school for boys, located in Wembley Downs, a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
Named after the school founded by Bishop Mathew Blagden Hale in 1858, Hale School claims to b ...
in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
from the age of 13. After leaving Hale, Wyatt completed a theatre course at the
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition. WAAPA (commonly pronounced "whopp-a") operates as a part of ECU, located at the ECU campus in ...
(WAAPA). He auditioned for full-time places at WAAPA and 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), and was accepted into both. He decided to attend NIDA and graduated in 2010.
Career
Following his graduation from NIDA, Wyatt appeared in several theatre productions in Sydney,
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
and
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
. He won the Best Newcomer accolade at the 2011
Sydney Theatre Awards
The Sydney Theatre Awards are annual awards to recognise the strength, quality and diversity of professional theatre in Sydney, Australia. They were established in 2005 by a group of major Sydney theatre critics. The awards recognise mainstage and ...
for his performance as an Aboriginal teenager in Lachlan Philpott's production of ''Silent Disco''.
In 2012, Wyatt was cast in the supporting role of Jimmy Middleton in the musical comedy film ''
The Sapphires''.
Wyatt also made his debut with the
Bell Shakespeare
Bell Shakespeare is an Australian theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare, his contemporaries and other classics. It is based in Sydney.
The Bell Shakespeare vision is to create theatre that allows audiences of all wal ...
company, in a production of ''
The School for Wives
''The School for Wives'' (french: L'école des femmes; ) is a theatrical comedy written by the seventeenth century French playwright Molière and considered by some critics to be one of his finest achievements. It was first staged at the Palai ...
''.
In early 2013, Wyatt starred in the lead role of Ralph Meyers's production of ''
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...
'' at the
New Victory Theater
The New Victory Theater is a theater at 209 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, near Times Square. Built in 1900 as the Republic Theatre (also Theatre Republic), it was designed by Albert Westover and ...
. In that same year, Wyatt filmed a supporting role in ''The Broken Shore'', a television miniseries based on
Peter Temple
Peter Temple (10 March 1946 – 8 March 2018) was an Australian crime fiction writer, mainly known for his ''Jack Irish'' novel series. He won several awards for his writing, including the Gold Dagger in 2007, the first for an Australian. He w ...
's 2005
novel of the same name. He also appeared in the
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of
Tim Winton
Timothy John Winton (born 4 August 1960) is an Australian writer. He has written novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and short stories. In 1997, he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and has won the Miles ...
's short story collection ''
The Turning''.
Wyatt played Frank Leaper, a footballer "who walks away at a key moment of his career", in the segment titled ''Family'', which was directed by
Shaun Gladwell
Shaun Gladwell (born 1972) is an Australian contemporary artist whose work spans moving image, painting, photography, sculpture, installation, performance and virtual reality.
Early life
Gladwell was born in Sydney in 1972 and graduated from Syd ...
.
Wyatt appeared in the second season of ''
Redfern Now
''Redfern Now'' is an Australian drama television series, that first aired on ABC1 in 2012. The program follows the lives of 6 Aboriginal Australian families living in the urban hub of Redfern, Sydney. The series provides insight into contempo ...
'' as a father whose newborn baby goes missing. He was initially cast in the first season of the drama, but had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict.
For his performance in ''Redfern Now'', Wyatt received nominations for
Most Outstanding Newcomer at the
2014 Logie Awards and
Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama at the
3rd AACTA Awards
The 3rd Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (generally known as AACTA Awards) are a series of awards which includes the 3rd AACTA Awards Luncheon, the 3rd AACTA Awards ceremony and the 3rd AACTA International Awards. The former ...
. Wyatt also joined the cast of feature film ''
Strangerland
''Strangerland'' is a 2015 drama suspense film directed by Kim Farrant in her directorial debut, and written by Michael Kinirons and Fiona Seres. The film stars Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, and Hugo Weaving. The film premiered at the Sundan ...
'', alongside
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...
and
Joseph Fiennes
Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (), known as Joseph Fiennes, is an English actor of film, stage, and television. Journalist Zoe Williams observed that "he seemed to be the go-to actor for English cultural history". Fiennes is particul ...
.
On 20 July 2014, it was announced that Wyatt had joined the cast of long-running soap opera ''
Neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...
'' as
Nate Kinski.
Wyatt is the first
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
actor to join the main cast since the show began in 1985.
Executive producer
Jason Herbison
Jason Herbison (born 1972) is an Australian television producer, screenwriter and novelist, most recently serving as the executive producer of the soap opera ''Neighbours''. He has written scripts for numerous television serials, and has publis ...
stated the decision to cast an Indigenous actor was "unintentional" and that Wyatt had been the best actor for the role.
Wyatt relocated to Melbourne for filming and made his screen debut as Nate on 18 August 2014.
Wyatt began appearing in the six-part sketch-comedy show ''
Black Comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
'' in November 2014.
Wyatt took a break from ''Neighbours'' to appear in a Sydney Theatre Company production of ''
King Lear
''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.
It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...
'', alongside
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy ...
from November 2015 to January 2016.
Wyatt's father died from throat cancer in October, causing him to miss the first two weeks of rehearsals.
The director,
Neil Armfield
Neil Geoffrey Armfield (born 22 April 1955) is an Australian director of theatre, film and opera.
Biography
Born in Sydney, Armfield is the third and youngest son of Len, a factory worker at the nearby Arnott's Biscuits factory and Nita Armf ...
, briefly considered re-casting the role of Edmund, as he was concerned that Wyatt would find it hard to play a man who plots to murder his father.
However, Wyatt found the play "a good distraction".
Wyatt also appeared in the feature film ''What If It Works?''.
Wyatt left ''Neighbours'' in early 2016 and his character's last scenes aired in June that year. In 2017, Wyatt appeared in the American series ''
The Leftovers'', which was filmed in Australia. In 2018, he was a regular in the television drama series ''
Mystery Road'' as Cedric Thompson.
Wyatt's first play, ''City of Gold'', was published in July 2019 by Currency Press. A co-production between
Queensland Theatre
Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Browne Theatre and the Queensland Performi ...
and
Griffin Theatre
Griffin Theatre Company is an Australian theatre specialising in new works, based in Sydney. Founded in 1979, it is the resident theatre company at the SBW Stables Theatre in Kings Cross. the artistic director is Declan Green.
Artistic direc ...
premiered the play in Brisbane, before transferring to Sydney. It was shortlisted for the 2020
Victorian Premier's Prize for Drama
The Victorian Premier's Prize for Drama is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Awards. The winner of this category prize vies with four other category winners (fiction; non-fiction; poetry; young adult literature) for overal ...
, and Wyatt won the 2019 Best Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Mainstage Production accolade at the
Sydney Theatre Awards
The Sydney Theatre Awards are annual awards to recognise the strength, quality and diversity of professional theatre in Sydney, Australia. They were established in 2005 by a group of major Sydney theatre critics. The awards recognise mainstage and ...
for his role in it.
Wyatt starred in the 2021
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
television comedy series ''
Preppers
Survivalism is a social movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists or preppers) who proactively prepare for emergencies, such as natural disasters, as well as other disasters causing disruption to social order (that is, civil disord ...
''.
Art
In 2020, encouraged by his mother, he entered a self-portrait in the
Archibald Prize
The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...
and became the first Indigenous artist to win the
Packing Room Prize.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyatt, Meyne
Living people
1989 births
21st-century Australian male actors
Archibald Prize finalists
Australian male film actors
Australian male soap opera actors
Indigenous Australian male actors
Male actors from Western Australia
People from Kalgoorlie