Ross Newton (born 20 February 1967) is an Australian actor born in
Melbourne, Victoria
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung–Taungurung language, Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the St ...
, he graduated from NIDA in 1989, and is best known for playing
Greg Marshall in the television soap opera ''
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 ...
''.
Career
Newton grew up in the Australian city
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
.
Newton first wanted to act aged five, after watching the film ''
The Wizard of Oz''. After watching numerous
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...
,
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
and
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in ''Giant'' (1956). In the next ten years ...
films, Newton realised we wanted a career in acting.
To begin his acting career, Newton studied at the
National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.
[ Newton's parents believed that acting would only be a mere hobby for their son. However, aged fifteen at NIDA, he began appearing in Melbourne based theatre shows. He graduated from NIDA in 1989 but had already began making contacts within the television industry.][
In 1990, Newton joined the cast of the ]Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
soap opera '' Family and Friends'', playing the role of construction worker Thommo.[ Thommo was Newton's first regular and prominent television role.][ In 1991, Newton played the role of John Harding in the Australian erotic thriller film '']Fatal Bond
''Fatal Bond'' is a 1991 Australian erotic thriller film, directed by Vince Monton, starring Linda Blair and Jerome Ehlers. It was filmed in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, New South Wales, including Narrabeen Caravan Park.
Synopsis
Leon ...
''. That year, Newton joined the cast of 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 ...
soap opera ''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 ...
'', playing the regular role of Greg Marshall. Newton originally signed a two-year contract with the series. During Newton's time on the show, he created an iconic character and storyline with Nicolle Dickson
Nicolle Dickson (born 29 January 1969) is an Australian former actress, who was best known for playing the original character of teenage tearaway Bobby Simpson in soap opera ''Home and Away'' from 1988 to 1993. She left the acting profession a ...
who played Bobby Simpson. After one year in the series, Newton believed his character was boring and convinced producers to make Greg a more exciting role by committing adultery.[ Newton decided to leave the role in 1993. In 1994, Newton joined other Australian actors in the British pantomime season.
In 2002, Newton appeared in the Australian-American science fiction television series, '']Farscape
''Farscape'' is an Australian-American science fiction television series, produced originally for the Nine Network. It premiered in the US on Sci-Fi Channel's SciFi Friday, 19 March 1999, at 8:00 pm EST as their anchor series. The series was c ...
'', playing the role of Sloggard. Newton was seen by casting directors for the role of Samwise Gamgee
Samwise Gamgee (, usually called Sam) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. A hobbit, Samwise is the chief supporting character of ''The Lord of the Rings'', serving as the sidekick of the protagonist Frodo Baggins. Sam ...
in ''The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
'' film franchise. He "worked hard" on the audition but lost out to Sean Astin.
Personal life
Newton is openly gay but never spoke about his sexuality during his early career. Newton has been in a relationship with dressage rider and trainer, Lucas Hurps for more than twenty-five years. In 2019, Newton revealed that he concealed his sexuality on the advice of a ''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 ...
'' producer who suggested being honest could affect his acting career. Newton recalled that it was "really challenging" and had a "huge effect" on his personal life.[ He similarly told a reporter from '']The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' that he believed his sexuality had affected which acting roles he won, adding "there was a big shadow about my sexuality and ageing gay."[ Away from acting, Newton works as a fundraiser and development co-ordinator for the Western Sydney University, which he still works as of 2022.][
]
Filmography
:Sources:
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Ross
1967 births
Australian male film actors
Australian male television actors
Australian gay actors
Living people
People educated at Ivanhoe Grammar School