Zbych Trofimiuk (born 7 April 1979) is an Australian language teacher, academic, and actor. He is known for his award-winning performance as Mike Masters in the children's television adventure series ''

Sky Trackers The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In th ...

'', and as the lead character Paul Reynolds in the children's

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

series '' Spellbinder''.

Personal life

Born in Prague in the Czech Republic in 1979, to Prague-born sculptor Zoja Trofimiuk and Jurek Trofimiuk, the languages of his early years were Czech, Polish, and German. At four years old, he emigrated with his parents to

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 ...

Australia, where he began to learn English. In 2004, he graduated from Melbourne's Victoria University with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

Performance Studies Performance studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that uses performance as a lens and a tool to study the world. The term ''performance'' is broad, and can include artistic and aesthetic performances like concerts, theatrical events, ...

Career

Television

Trofimiuk is known for his work as a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in film, movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associ ...

in Australian television productions. In 1990, he appeared in

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 ...

's ''Choices'', a short series of mini-dramas about peer pressure and the choices individual children have to make. In 1994, he appeared in an episode of Network 10's short-lived continuation of the popular Australian soap opera, '' A Country Practice''. In 1995, Trofimiuk starred in leading roles in two drama series for children: first in the educational adventure series ''

'', playing Mike Masters, for which he won the Australian Film Institute's Young Actor Award; and second as the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

, Paul Reynolds, in the science fiction series '' Spellbinder''. Both ''Sky Trackers'' and ''Spellbinder'' won the Australian Film Institute's Award for Best Children's Television Drama (in 1994 and 1996 respectively). Also in 1995, Trofimiuk guested in an episode of the second series of '' Snowy River - The McGregor Saga.''

Theatre

In 2005, Trofimiuk performed in the play "Bunny", written and directed by Benjamin Cittadini, at the La Mama Theatre in

Melbourne, Australia 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 metropol ...

. In 2007, he co-directed La Mama's production "Elmo" with its playwright Cittadini. The play was a follow-up to "Bunny," and the second play in the author's "Trilogy of Love Stories."

Film

Trofimiuk played the role of Kane in the 2006 independent film ''Clean''.

Teaching and research

Since 2006, Trofimiuk has taught

English as a foreign language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...

, as a teacher in Australia's English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) scheme; and he is an educational researcher at Melbourne's

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

, in the Digital Education Research Group.

Awards

* Australian Film Institute's Young Actor Award, for ''Sky Trackers'', 1994 *Premier's VCE Award, 1996

Filmography

*''Choices'', 1990 *'' A Country Practice'', 1994. (Episode 14.14, "Tuesday's Child") *''

'', 1994 (completed), 1995 (broadcast) *'' Snowy River: The McGregor Saga'', 1995. (Episode 2.4, "Fathers and Sons") *'' Spellbinder'', 1995 *''Clean'', 2006

References

External links

* 1979 births Living people Australian male television actors Czechoslovak emigrants to Australia Victoria University, Melbourne alumni {{Australia-actor-stub