Steve Bisley
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Steve Bisley (born 26 December 1951) is an
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...
writer, film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the films ''
Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic Action film, action film series and media franchise created by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with ''Mad Max (film), Mad Max'', and was followed by thre ...
'' and ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts First-person narrative, first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious mil ...
''. On TV, some of his better-known roles include Detective Sergeant Jack Christey on '' Water Rats'' and Jim Knight on '' Doctor Doctor''.


Early life

Bisley was born at
Lake Munmorah, New South Wales Lake Munmorah is a List of Central Coast suburbs, suburb of the Central Coast (New South Wales), Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Local government areas of New South Wales, local government area. Location ...
and grew up on a small farm called Stillways. The son of schoolteachers, he moved to Sydney just after his seventeenth birthday. After a few years of working in various jobs, he enrolled in 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), graduating with a degree in acting in 1977. Other actors in his class included
Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...
,
Judy Davis Judith Davis (born 23 April 1955) is an Australian actress in film, television, and on stage. With a career spanning over 40 years, she has been commended for her versatility and regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Frequen ...
,
Debra Lawrance Debra Lawrance (born 1 January 1957) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role on '' Home and Away'', as Pippa Ross, which she played from 1990 to 1998, and has made a number of return appearances as the character, the most re ...
and
Sally McKenzie Sally McKenzie (born 8 February 1955) also credited as Sally MacKenzie, is an Australian actress, director, playwright and screenwriter. She graduated from Australia's prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1977. She later earned a ...
.


Career

While still training at NIDA, Bisley and his friend Mel Gibson made their film debuts in '' Summer City'' (1977). Towards the end of the course, they were approached by director George Miller and asked to audition for parts in ''
Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic Action film, action film series and media franchise created by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with ''Mad Max (film), Mad Max'', and was followed by thre ...
'' (1979). Both were successful and Bisley went on to play "Jim Goose", the best friend and partner to Gibson's titular character. ''Mad Max'' has since become a
cult classic A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
and it launched Mel Gibson to mainstream stardom. After this, Bisley played the lead role in the thriller ''
The Chain Reaction ''The Chain Reaction'' is a 1980 Australian science fiction thriller film directed and written by Ian Barry. The film stars Steve Bisley and Arna-Maria Winchester. The film's plot is about an engineer badly injured in an accident caused by an ...
'' (1980), with Mel Gibson making a brief appearance. His other early film credits include roles in ''
The Highest Honor ''The Highest Honour'' is a 1982 Australian/Japanese co-production about Operation Jaywick and Operation Rimau by Z Special Unit during World War II. The same story inspired the TV mini-series '' Heroes'' (1988) and '' Heroes II: The Return'' (1 ...
'' (1983), ''
The Winds of Jarrah ''The Winds of Jarrah'' is a 1983 Australian film adapted from a Mills & Boon novel. It was never released to cinemas.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p117 The film wa ...
'' (1983), ''
Fast Talking ''Fast Talking'' is a 1984 Australian film written and directed by Ken Cameron. It starred Rod Zuanic and Steve Bisley and Tracy Mann Production Cameron had been a school teacher before he became a filmmaker and the script was based on his pers ...
'' (1984) and '' Silver City'' (1984). In 1980, Bisley played Joe Byrne in '' The Last Outlaw'', a critically acclaimed TV mini-series about
Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...
. He was also seen in ''
A Town Like Alice ''A Town Like Alice'' (United States title: ''The Legacy'') is a romance novel by Nevil Shute, published in 1950 when Shute had newly settled in Australia. Jean Paget, a young Englishwoman, becomes romantically interested in a fellow prisoner ...
'', ''The Boy in the Bush'' and the original 1985 miniseries of the medical drama ''
The Flying Doctors ''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. T ...
''. In 1986, he and his family temporarily relocated to London where he took the lead role in the BBC series ''
Call Me Mister ''Call Me Mister'' is a revue with sketches by Arnold Auerbach and words and music by Harold Rome. The title refers to troops who are happily returning to civilian life and no longer want to be addressed by their military ranks. The Broadway pr ...
''. Back in Australia, he played the lead role in the 1988 TV movie ''
The Clean Machine ''The Clean Machine'' is a 1988 Australian tele movie about police corruption starring Steve Bisley. It was one of four telemovies made by Kennedy Miller around this time. Plot Inspector Eddie Riordan is appointed to head a new anti-corruption ...
''. For his role as Inspector Ed Riordan, he won the Best Actor in a One-off Drama accolade at the 1988
Penguin Awards The Penguin Award is an annual award given for excellence in broadcasting by the Television Society of Australia. It was founded in 1954. The award trophy depicts an ear listening to a television tube, but strongly resembles a penguin, hence the ...
. In 1990 he co-starred with
Ben Mendelsohn Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his breakout role in ''The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987) and since then he has had roles in films such as '' Animal Kingdom'' (2010) ...
in the cult teen comedy ''
The Big Steal ''The Big Steal'' is a 1949 American black-and-white film noir reteaming '' Out of the Past'' stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. The film was directed by Don Siegel, based on the short story "The Road to Carmichael's" by Richard Wormser. Pl ...
''. His performance as shonky car salesman Gordon Farkas remains one of his most remembered roles. In 1992, Bisley joined the cast of ''
Police Rescue ''Police Rescue'' is an Australian television series which originally aired on ABC TV between 1989 and 1996. It was produced by ABC and Southern Star Xanadu in association with the BBC. Apart from the 61 episodes, there was a 90-minute pilo ...
'', playing Senior Sergeant Kevin 'Nipper' Harris. He appeared in 29 episodes, leaving in 1995. He was next seen as Dr Henry King in the ABC-TV series After this, he became a regular on the third and final season of the critically acclaimed
satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...
television series ''
Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...
''. In 1998, he began to appear as a guest in Nine’s police drama series '' Water Rats'', playing Detective Jack Christey. The following year, he became one of the lead actors on the show, replacing
Colin Friels Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952) is a Scottish-born Australian actor of theatre, TV and film and presenter Early life Friels was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland.Interview with Colin Friels, ''George Negus Tonight'' (ABC Television ...
who had quit due to ill health. Bisley left the show in 2001 but it turned out that his final episode was also the series’ swansong. Also a stage actor, Bisley has appeared in drama productions. His stage roles include parts in
Ray Lawler Raymond Evenor Lawler (born 23 May 1921) is an Australian actor, dramatist, and theatre producer and director. His most notable play was his tenth, '' Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' (1953), which had its premiere in Melbourne in 1955. The ...
's ''
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll ''Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' is an Australian play written by Ray Lawler and first performed at the Union Theatre in Melbourne on 28 November 1955. The play is considered to be the most significant in Australian theatre history, and a " ...
'' (1985/1995) and as
Banjo Paterson Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, (17 February 18645 February 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the ...
in the musical theatre production of '' The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular'' (August–October 2002). In July 2003, he presented a season of television documentaries on the
National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...
. From 2007-2009, he played CMDR Steve Marshall on ''
Sea Patrol ''Sea Patrol'' is an Australian television drama that ran from 2007 to 2011, set on board HMAS ''Hammersley'', a fictional patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The series focused on the ship and the lives of its crew members. Despi ...
''. From 2016-2018. he was seen in the first two series of '' Doctor Doctor'', playing the father of the lead character. In 2016, Bisley appeared as
Harry Firth Henry Leslie Firth (18 April 1918 – 27 April 2014) was an Australian racing driver and team manager. Firth was a leading race and rally driver during the 1950s and 1960s and continued as an influential team manager with first the Ford works ...
in the two-part Australian miniseries '' Brock'' on
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
. The miniseries was based on the life of Australian motor racing legend
Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock (26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006), known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain", or simply "Brocky", was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, al ...
. In 2013, he appeared as Dan Cody in
Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...
's adaptation of ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts First-person narrative, first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious mil ...
''. He was also seen in the Australian films '' Red Hill'' (2010) and ''
Boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is no ...
'' (2017). He has revealed that he turned down a role in Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film ''
Romeo + Juliet Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy '' Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a pr ...
'' because he read the script and thought "this is going nowhere".. In 2022 he appeared in '' Mystery Road:Origins''. In 2013, Bisley published his first book, called ''Stillways: A Memoir''. The book recounted his life growing up in Lake Munmorah, finishing when he was in his mid-teens. The book was well-received and was subsequently shortlisted for the 2014 Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction in the
NSW Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...
, the
Queensland Literary Awards The Queensland Literary Awards is an awards program established in 2012 by the Queensland literary community, funded by sponsors and administered by the State Library of Queensland. Like the former Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, the QLAs ...
, and the 2014
National Biography Award The National Biography Award, established in Australia in 1996, is awarded for the best published work of biographical or autobiographical writing by an Australian. It aims "to encourage the highest standards of writing biography and autobiography ...
. In 2017, Bisley published his second book, a memoir called ''All the Burning Bridges''. Picking up where ''Stillways'' had left off, it covered his adult life. He has said he does not plan to write any more memoirs. Instead, he is concentrating on writing his first novel.


Personal life

Steve Bisley has been married once. Prior to his marriage, he had four children with long-time partner Shauna Forrest. During the 1980s Forrest was a costume designer for models and actresses. He married Sally Burleigh, a media publicist, in 2000. They had two children before divorcing in 2006. In September 2009 Bisley was charged with assaulting Burleigh and, on 15 September 2010, he was found guilty and sentenced to 300 hours of community service. Bisley lodged an appeal against the conviction. In July 2013 while promoting his autobiography, ''Stillways: A Memoir'', he described the assault as "a push and shove incident with high emotion displayed on both sides".


Awards

* Winner
AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...
award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1984 film '' Silver City''. * Winner
AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...
award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1990 film ''
The Big Steal ''The Big Steal'' is a 1949 American black-and-white film noir reteaming '' Out of the Past'' stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. The film was directed by Don Siegel, based on the short story "The Road to Carmichael's" by Richard Wormser. Pl ...
''. * Member of the
Australian Film Walk of Fame The Australian Film Walk of Fame is a collection of plaques on the footpath outside the Ritz Cinema in the suburb of Randwick, Sydney, Australia. Formed in 2008 at the Ritz Cinema, the initiative was established to honour Australian actors and ...
in recognition of his film and television career.


Filmography

*'' Summer City'' (1977) .... Boo *''
Newsfront ''Newsfront'' is a 1978 Australian drama film starring Bill Hunter, Wendy Hughes, Chris Haywood and Bryan Brown, directed by Phillip Noyce. The screenplay is written by David Elfick, Bob Ellis, Philippe Mora, and Phillip Noyce. The original mus ...
'' (1978) .... The Iceman *''
Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic Action film, action film series and media franchise created by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with ''Mad Max (film), Mad Max'', and was followed by thre ...
'' (1979) .... Jim Goose *''
The Last of the Knucklemen ''The Last of the Knucklemen'' is a 1979 Australian film directed by Tim Burstall. Plot The story involves a gang of rough miners. Tom ( Peter Hehir) turns up at the mine looking for a place to hide. He allies himself with the mining foreman Tar ...
'' (1979) .... Mad Dog *''
The Chain Reaction ''The Chain Reaction'' is a 1980 Australian science fiction thriller film directed and written by Ian Barry. The film stars Steve Bisley and Arna-Maria Winchester. The film's plot is about an engineer badly injured in an accident caused by an ...
'' (1980) .... Larry *''
The Highest Honor ''The Highest Honour'' is a 1982 Australian/Japanese co-production about Operation Jaywick and Operation Rimau by Z Special Unit during World War II. The same story inspired the TV mini-series '' Heroes'' (1988) and '' Heroes II: The Return'' (1 ...
'' (1982) .... A.B. W.G. Falls *''
Squizzy Taylor Joseph Theodore Leslie "Squizzy" Taylor (29 June 1888 – 27 October 1927) was an Australian gangster from Melbourne. He appeared repeatedly and sometimes prominently in Melbourne news media because of suspicions, formal accusations and some co ...
'' (1982) .... 'Snowy' Cutmore *''
The Winds of Jarrah ''The Winds of Jarrah'' is a 1983 Australian film adapted from a Mills & Boon novel. It was never released to cinemas.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p117 The film wa ...
'' (1983) .... Clem Mathieson *''
Fast Talking ''Fast Talking'' is a 1984 Australian film written and directed by Ken Cameron. It starred Rod Zuanic and Steve Bisley and Tracy Mann Production Cameron had been a school teacher before he became a filmmaker and the script was based on his pers ...
'' (1984) .... Redback *'' Silver City'' (1984) .... Victor *''The Clean Machine'' (1988) .... Ed Riordan *''
The Big Steal ''The Big Steal'' is a 1949 American black-and-white film noir reteaming '' Out of the Past'' stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. The film was directed by Don Siegel, based on the short story "The Road to Carmichael's" by Richard Wormser. Pl ...
'' (1990) .... Gordon Farkas *'' Over the Hill'' (1992) .... Benedict *''Sanctuary'' (1995) .... Robert 'Bob' King *
Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...
(1997) ... Graham "Prowsey" Prowse *''In the Red'' (1999) .... Sparky *''The View from Greenhaven'' (2008) .... Lach *''
Subdivision Subdivision may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Subdivision (metre), in music * ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009 * "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2) * ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005 * "Subdivisions" (song), by Rus ...
'' (2009) .... Harry *'' Red Hill'' (2010) .... Old Bill *'' I Love You Too'' (2010) .... Bill *''The Wedding Party'' (2010) .... Roger *''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts First-person narrative, first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious mil ...
'' (2013) .... Dan Cody *'' Doctor Doctor'' (2016–2018) .... Jim Knight


References

* "''The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia – Theatre . Film . Radio . Television – Volume 1''" – Ann Atkinson, Linsay Knight, Margaret McPhee – Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd., 1996 * "''The Australian Film and Television Companion''" – compiled by Tony Harrison – Simon & Schuster Australia, 1994


External links

*
Steve Bisley's ''Water Rats'' profile
– Australian Television Information Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Bisley, Steve 1951 births 20th-century Australian male actors 21st-century Australian male actors Australian male film actors Australian male musical theatre actors Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Australian memoirists Living people National Institute of Dramatic Art alumni