Nick Simpson-Deeks is a

NIDA Nida or NIDA may refer to: People * Nida Allam (born 1993), American politician * Nida Fazli (1938–2016), Indian Hindi and Urdu poet and lyricist * Nida Eliz Üstündağ (born 1996), Turkish female swimmer * Eugene Nida (1914–2011), American l ...

-trained Australian actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his portrayal of Archie McMahon in the SBS drama series '' The Circuit'', Rhys Mitchell in

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

's ''

Winners & Losers ''Winners & Losers'' is an Australian television drama series first broadcast on the Seven Network on 22 March 2011. It was created by the producers of ''Packed to the Rafters'' and is aired in the show's former time slot. ''Winners & Losers'' ...

'', and James King in the

Amazon Original In 2013, Amazon.com began distributing original television shows through its Amazon Prime Video service, some of which are developed in-house by Amazon Studios. Original programming Drama Comedy Animation Adult animation Anime Kids & fa ...

crime series '' Deadloch.''

Early life

Simpson-Deeks was born and raised in

Werris Creek Werris Creek is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, near Tamworth, New South Wales, Tamworth, in Liverpool Plains Shire. It is north of Quirindi, New South Wales, Quirindi and is at the junction of the Main North railway line, New South ...

, New South Wales, and attended

Oxley High School Oxley High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school, located in North Tamworth, in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1968, the school enrolled approximately 970 stude ...

in Tamworth. He 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 2001. In 2006 he was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship which he used to further his actor training at the School at Steppenwolf in Chicago.

Career

Film and television

Simpson-Deeks was a series regular in both seasons of the award-winning legal drama '' The Circuit'', the second season of ''

'' (after guest starring in the show's first season), and the sci-fi series ''

Stormworld ''Stormworld'' is a drama television series which first aired on Space (Canadian TV channel), Space on 18 March 2009 in Canada with a repeat broadcast in August 2009 and aired in Australia on the Nine Network in 2009. The show follows two boys ...

''. Additionally, he has guest-starred in ''

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

The Newsreader ''The Newsreader'' is an Australian television drama series created by Michael Lucas, broadcast on ABC. The six-part series, exploring the personal and professional lives of journalists and crew within a 1980s Australian newsroom, premiered on 1 ...

,'' ''

Five Bedrooms ''Five Bedrooms'' is an Australian comedy-drama television series, which first screened on Network 10. The eight part series premiered on 15 May 2019, at 8:40 pm. In the United States, the series started streaming on Peacock on April 15, ...

'', '' Underbelly: Fat Tony & Co.'', ''

Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...

'', ''

Mr & Mrs Murder ''Mr & Mrs Murder'' is a 13-part Australian crime comedy television series produced by FremantleMedia Australia in association with Bravado Productions. It originally ran on Network Ten on from 20 February to 15 May 2013. The murder mystery seri ...

'', '' Play School'', ''

City Homicide ''City Homicide'' is an Australian television drama series that aired on the Seven Network between 27 August 2007 and 30 March 2011. The series was set on the Homicide floor of a metropolitan police headquarters in Melbourne. The main characte ...

'', ''

The Strange Calls ''The Strange Calls'' is an Australian television comedy series based on a short film with the same title, which had been produced by Daley Pearson and released in 2011. The series, broadcast in 2012, follows the adventures of Toby Banks, a youn ...

'', ''Temptation'', and ''

The Postcard Bandit ''The Postcard Bandit'' is a 2003 Australian television film directed by Tony Tilse, loosely based on the life of a convicted bank robber Brenden James Abbott. The plot is based on the biographical book ''No Fixed Address'' by newspaperman Dere ...

''. He plays forensic pathologist James King in the

series, '' Deadloch''. His film credits include roles in the short films ''After the Credits'', ''Dropbear'', ''A Simple Song'', ''Shades of Grey'' and ''Home.'' He portrayed Irish rider

Pat Smullen Patrick Joseph Smullen (22 May 1977 – 15 September 2020), was an Irish jockey who won the Irish flat racing Champion Jockey title nine times. In a career running from 1992 to 2018 he rode 1,845 winners in Ireland and 47 in Britain. Amongst his ...

in the 2011 feature film '' The Cup'', and filmmaker

Billy Name William George Linich (February 22, 1940 – July 18, 2016), known professionally as Billy Name, was an American photographer, filmmaker, and lighting designer. He was the archivist of The Factory from 1964 to 1970. His brief romance and subsequ ...

Jim Sharman James David Sharman (born 12 March 1945) is an Australian director and writer for film and stage with more than 70 productions to his credit. He is renowned in Australia for his work as a theatre director from the 1960s to the present, and is b ...

's ''Andy X –'' a musical film based on the death of

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

Theatre

Simpson-Deeks made his professional theatre debut in ''Falling on My Left Ear: A Show about

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...

'' for the now defunct Railway Street Theatre Company in Parramatta in 2002. The following year, he returned to Railway Street to play the role of Tom in

Michael Gow Michael Gow is an Australian playwright and director most famed for his 1986 work '' Away''. Early life As a student at Sydney University, Gow acted and directed with the Dramatic Society from 1973-1976. After graduation, Gow went on to act pro ...

's iconic Australian play, ''Away''. Both productions toured regionally and were directed by Mary-Anne Gifford. In 2005 he received critical acclaim for his performance in

Mark Ravenhill Mark Ravenhill (born 7 June 1966) is an English playwright, actor and journalist. Ravenhill is one of the most widely performed playwrights in British theatre of the late-twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His major plays include ''Shoppin ...

's ''Handbag'' at the

Seymour Centre The Seymour Centre is a multi-purpose performing arts centre within the University of Sydney in the Australian city of Sydney. It is located on the corner of City Rd and Cleveland St in Chippendale, just south-west of the city centre. The b ...

. Later that year, he starred in ''Somewhere –'' an original musical by Tim Minchin and

Kate Mulvany Kate Mulvany (born 24 February 1977) is an Australian actress, playwright and screenwriter. She works in theatre, television and film, with roles in ''Hunters '' (2020–2023), ''The Great Gatsby'' (2013), ''Griff the Invisible'' (2010) and '' ...

– for Q Theatre. In 2009, Simpson-Deeks was cast in the ensemble of ''Jerry Springer: the Opera'' at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

as part of

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney that runs for three weeks every January, since it was established in 1977. The festival program features in excess of 100 events from local and international artists an ...

. He joined the original Australian cast of ''

Jersey Boys ''Jersey Boys'' is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and eventual break-up of th ...

'', in the role of Franki Valli (Alternate), that same year, but left the production prematurely due to health complications. In 2010, he sang the role of Skeets Miller in a one-off concert performance of

Adam Guettel Adam Guettel (; born December 16, 1964) is an American composer-lyricist of musical theater and opera. The grandson of musical theatre composer Richard Rodgers, he is best known for his musical '' The Light in the Piazza'', for which he won the To ...

's ''

Floyd Collins William Floyd Collins (July 20, 1887 – February 13, 1925) was an American cave explorer, principally in a region of Kentucky that houses hundreds of miles of interconnected caves, today a part of Mammoth Cave National Park, the longest ...

'' at

City Recital Hall City Recital Hall in Sydney, Australia, is a purpose-built concert venue with the capacity for an audience of 1,238 people seated over three tiers of sloped seating. It is situated in the city centre in Angel Place, just off Martin Place. City ...

in Sydney. Simpson-Deeks played the role of Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick in ''Ned: A New Australian Musical'' at Bendigo's

Ulumbarra Theatre The Ulumbarra Theatre ( /ʌlʌmbɹa/ ) is a 953 seat theater in Bendigo, Victoria. The stage is in a Black box style and equipped with a fly system. It opened in 2015 and was estimated to cost $25,800,00 on the site of the Sandhurst Goal whic ...

in 2015, and is featured on the show's Official Cast Recording. He reprised the role in concert at The National Theatre, Melbourne in 2017. He played Chris Bean in the Australian production of ''

The Play That Goes Wrong ''The Play That Goes Wrong'' is a 2012 play by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields of Mischief Theatre Company. It won Best New Comedy at the 2015 Laurence Olivier Awards. As of September 2021, the show has been running since 201 ...

'', and briefly reprised the role during the Australian tour of '' Peter Pan Goes Wrong'' in 2019. In between, he toured nationally as Cassius in

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 ...

's ''Julius Caesar''. Simpson-Deeks has worked extensively with Watch This – a Melbourne-based theatre company dedicated exclusively to the work of

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

– starring in seven of their nine productions to date. In 2019 he received a

Green Room Award The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne. The awards were started in 1982 when Blair Edgar and Steven Tandy formed the Green Room Awards A ...

for Best Supporting Actor in Musical Theatre for his performance in ''

Falsettos ''Falsettos'' is a sung-through musical with a book by William Finn and James Lapine, and music and lyrics by Finn. The musical consists of ''March of the Falsettos'' (1981) and ''Falsettoland'' (1990), the last two installments in a trio of on ...

'' at Melbourne's

Chapel Off Chapel Chapel Off Chapel is a theatre venue in Prahran, Melbourne. Located near Chapel Street and opened in 1995, the venue consists of the 255-seat Chapel Theatre, the 150-seat Chapel Loft and a visual arts gallery. Chapel Off Chapel is particularly ...

. He has been nominated for six Green Room Awards in total. In 2023, he played the role of Mike Priddle in the Australian premiere of ''Ghost Stories'', at the

Athenaeum Theatre The Athenaeum or Melbourne Athenaeum is an art and cultural hub in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1839, it is the city's oldest cultural institution. Its building on Collins Street in the East End ...

in Melbourne.

Other work

Simpson-Deeks created the character of Daniel "Danno" Bookham for the popular educational video game ''Murder Under the Microscope'', and played the role from 2007 to 2012. In 2018, Simpson-Deeks was featured in the six-part web series ''Freudian Slip'', alongside writer and commentator Benjamin Law.

Theatrical credits

*''

Ghost Stories A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature''. ...

'' for Realscape *''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story ...

'' for Watch This *''

Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting ''A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatt ...

'' for Watch This *'' Peter Pan Goes Wrong'' Australian Tour *''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

'' for

*''

'' Australian Tour *''

Sweet Phoebe ''Sweet Phoebe'' is an Australian play script by Michael Gow. The 1994 world premiere production starring Cate Blanchett was by Sydney Theatre Company under the artistic direction of Wayne Harrison. Other notable performances of the play include ...

'' for Both Sides Now *''

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

'' for Watch This and

Fortyfivedownstairs fortyfivedownstairs is a not-for-profit theatre and gallery in Melbourne, Australia. Located on the lower floors of a brick nineteenth century building in Flinders Lane, it showcases visual art, independent theatre and live music. An institution ...

*''Ned: A New Australian Musical'' for Groaning Dam *''

Pacific Overtures ''Pacific Overtures'' is a Musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by John Weidman, with "additional material by" Hugh Wheeler. Set in 19th-century Japan, it tells the story of the country's westernization ...

'' for Watch This and

Theatre Works Theatre Works is a theatre venue, presenter and producer of independent theatre in St Kilda, Melbourne. Theatre Works was founded as Theatreworks, a theatre company, in 1980 by a group of young graduates from the Victorian College of the Arts ...

*''The Parricide'' for

La Mama La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

*''

Assassins (musical) ''Assassins'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by John Weidman, based on an original concept by Charles Gilbert Jr. Using the framing device of an all-American, yet sinister, carnival game, the semi-revue po ...

'' for Watch This and

*''

'' for Angel Place City Recital Hall *''

'' for New Theatricals *''

Jerry Springer the Opera ''Jerry Springer: The Opera'' is a British musical written by Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee, based on the talk show ''Jerry Springer''. It contains irreverent treatment of Christian themes, extensive profanity, and surreal images, such as a ...

'' for

and

*''The Turning'' for

Perth Theatre Company Perth Theatre Company was a live theatre company in Perth, Western Australia. History Perth Theatre Company was founded as SWY Theatre Company by graduates from the specialist Theatre Arts course at John Curtin Senior High School in 1983. Betwe ...

*''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' and ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

'' for Night Sky Productions *''Handbag'' for Focus Theatre *''The Windows Project'' for

Darlinghurst Theatre Darlinghurst Theatre is an independent theatre company based at the Eternity Playhouse in Darlinghurst, New South Wales. Glenn Terry established the company in 1993 initially as an inner-city drama school. Darlinghurst Theatre productions were ...

*''Somewhere'' for Q Theatre *''

Away Away may refer to: Film and television * ''Away'' (2016 film), a 2016 British film * ''Away'' (2019 film), a 2019 animated silent film * ''Away'' (TV series), a 2020 science fiction drama on Netflix Literature * ''Away'' (play), a 1986 play by M ...

'' and ''Falling on My Left Ear: A Show about George Wallace'' for Railway Street

Awards and nominations

*''Nominated with Sonya Suares, Nick McInerney, Dean Drieberg and Mel Hillman''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson-Deeks, Nick Living people Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Year of birth missing (living people)