Lewis Fitz-Gerald (born 15 November 1958) is an Australian actor, screenwriter and television director.
Early life and education Fitz-Gerald studied acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating in 1978 with a Bachelor of Dramatic Art.
He furthered his education in 2009, when he obtained a Master of Arts (Comms), and again in 2016, when he completed a Doctorate of Philosophy, both at University of New England (UNE).
Career Fitz-Gerald had an early recurring guest role in Skyways from 1979–1980, playing Leslie Foy. Guest roles in The Sullivans, Cop Shop and Young Ramsay followed, before scoring his first film role in Bruce Beresford's 1980 biographical war drama Breaker Morant, opposite Bryan Brown and Jack Thompson, in which he played Lt. George Witton, a junior officer, who'd quickly become disillusioned.
He appeared in several miniseries' including The Last Outlaw (1980), Outbreak of Love and I Can Jump Puddles (both 1981), followed by the 1982 drama film We of the Never Never (based on the 1908 autobiographical novel of the same name) alongside John Jarratt and Angela Punch McGregor. Other film credits of the 1980s included Fighting Back (1982), The Boy Who Had Everything (1985), The More Things Change (1986) and Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train (1987), as well as TV films The Dean Case (1983), Time's Raging (1985), Ivanhoe (1986) and Police State (1989).
Fitz-Gerald secured a 26-episode role as pilot David Gibson in medical drama series The Flying Doctors in 1986. It was his first long-running series and he admitted to thinking "long and hard" before signing up. To aid his portrayal of David, Fitz-Gerald spent time with real-life pilots to learn about flying. He also starred as Tony in the acclaimed 1987 TV movie The Shiralee, opposite Bryan Brown.
In 1988, he appeared alongside Meryl Streep and Sam Neill in the Fred Schepisi biopic Evil Angels (aka A Cry in the Dark), which portrayed the true story of the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain and the ensuing legal case and media storm. The same year, he starred in Rikky and Pete. Television guest credits in the late 1980s included western drama series Five Mile Creek, the American Mission: Impossible reboot (filmed in Australia), and the sports miniseries The Four Minute Mile.
The 1990s brought further guest roles in series' including EARTH Force, A Country Practice, G.P., Time Trax, The Damnation of Harvey McHugh, Snowy River: The Mcgregor Saga, Cody: Bad Love, Big Sky, Murder Call, Wildside, Good Guys, Bad Guys, Stingers.
Fitz-Gerald earned an AFI Award nomination for his 1993 directorial docudrama film The Last Man Hanged, in which he also starred as journalist, Keith Willey, who followed the events leading up to the hanging of Ronald Ryan in Pentridge Prison in 1967.
He played the recurring role of Dr. Sebert Blitho in medical drama series RFDS from 1993 to 1994, and had a part in 1994 buddy movie Spider and Rose opposite Ruth Cracknell. He next portrayed Les in 1996 mystery thriller film Dead Heart, and the same year, appeared in anthology series, Twisted Tales.
At the turn of the century, Fitz-Gerald starred in the Hollywood sci-fi film Pitch Black alongside Vin Diesel and Radha Mitchell. Television guest roles of the era included Ponderosa, Farscape, Out There and Blue Heelers and appearances in miniseries' and TV movies included The Three Stooges (2000), Border Patrol (2001), The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004) and Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure (2005). In 2009, he appeared in drama film The Boys are Back, alongside British actor Clive Owen, the TV movie A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne and crime series Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities. The following year he scored a recurring guest role as Snr Detective Gordon Eaves in long-running soap opera Home and Away.
In 2011, Fitz-Gerald had a lead role in ABC legal drama series Crownies, as David Sinclair, King's boss and the director of public prosecutions. That same year, he appeared as racehorse owner Sir Michael Smurfit in The Cup, the true story of the 2002 Melbourne Cup, which he followed with romantic comedy Not Suitable for Children (2012) opposite Ryan Kwanten and Hollywood superhero blockbuster The Wolverine (2013) starring Hugh Jackman.
Fitz-Gerald played Alan Reid in 2013 political drama miniseries Power Games: The Packer–Murdoch War and resumed his role as David Sinclair in Crownies spin-off, Janet King. In 2016, he had an ongoing part in US drama series Hunters, as Truss Jackson.
Later guest roles have been in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Winter, Rake, Blue Murder: Killer Cop, Reef Break and The Wilds, while more recent film credits include Dance Academy: The Movie (2017) and Harmony (2018). In 2018, Fitz-Gerald was also named for six-part ABC / Netflix political thriller series Pine Gap, in which he played Rudi Fox, the Chief of Intelligence at Pine Gap, a Defence Facility in remote Central Australia.
Fitz-Gerald appeared in both seasons of psychological thriller series The Secrets She Keeps, beginning in 2020. In 2022, he played the recurring role of Henry in political comedy series The PM's Daughter. His most recent television role has been as Richard Rankin in NCIS: Sydney from 2023 to 2025.
Fitz-Gerald helped found Belvoir St Theatre Company and has also acted extensively for the stage, since the 1970s. He has lectured in Screen and Media Studies at Australia's University of New England School of the Arts since 2017.
Awards YearWorkAwardCategoryResult 1980 Breaker Morant Australian Film Institute Awards Best Supporting Actor 1981 I Can Jump Puddles Best Actor 1993 The Last Man Hanged Best Documentary 1994 Race Against Prime Time Australian Teachers of Media Best Educational Documentary 2012 Crownies Equity Ensemble Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Filmography
Television (as actor) YearTitleRoleNotesRef 1979–1980 Skyways Leslie Foy 6 episodes 1980 Young Ramsay Maurice Morpeth 1 episode Cop Shop Daryn 2 episodes The Sullivans Dirk 2 episodes The Last Outlaw Tom Lloyd Miniseries, 4 episodes 1981 Outbreak of Love Captain John Wickham Miniseries I Can Jump Puddles Alan Marshall / Narrator Miniseries, 9 episodes 1983 The Dean Case George Dean TV movie 1984 Five Mile Creek Nigel 1 episode 1985 Time's Raging David TV movie 1986 Ivanhoe Ivanhoe Animated TV movie The Flying Doctors David 'Gibbo' Gibson 24 episodes 1987 The Shiralee Tony Miniseries, 2 episodes 1988 The Four Minute Mile Denis Johansson Miniseries 1989 Mission: Impossible Matthew Rhine 1 episode Police State Gary Crooke TV movie 1990 EARTH Force Halloran 1 episode 1991 A Country Practice Tony Harvey 2 episodes 1993 Time Trax Charlie Burke 2 episodes G.P. Geoff Hardy 2 episodes 1993–1994 RFDS Dr. Sebert Blitho 13 episodes 1994 The Damnation of Harvey McHugh Trevor Martin 1 episode Cody: Bad Love Martin Campbell TV movie 1996 Snowy River: The Mcgregor Saga Henry Faulkner 1 episode Naked: Stories of Men Stanky Anthology series, episode: "Coral Island" 1997 Big Sky Tom 1 episode The Adventures of Sam Billy Branscombe Animated series, 2 episodes 1998 Good Guys, Bad Guys Marshall Dobbs 1 episode Wildside Bryant 2 episodes Murder Call Lionel McKenzie 1 episode 1999 Stingers Det. Snr. Sgt. Vic Slater 1 episode 2000 The Three Stooges Jules White TV movie 2001 Ponderosa Henry Stewart 1 episode Border Patrol Roderick Helms TV movie 2002 Farscape Kor Toska 1 episode 2004The Mystery of Natalie Wood Dr Thayer Miniseries Blue Heelers Jim Morgan 1 episode Out There 1 episode 2005 Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure Winston Fletcher TV movie 2009 Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities John Aston 3 episodes A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne Gary Jubelin TV movie 2010 Home and Away Snr. Det. Gordon Eaves 4 episodes 2011 Crownies David Sinclair QC 22 episodes 2013 Power Games: The Packer–Murdoch War Alan Reid Miniseries, 2 episodes Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Professor Bradbury 1 episode 2014 Janet King David Sinclair QC 4 episodes 2015 Winter Bjorn Johannson 2 episodes 2016 Rake Mandel 1 episode Hunters Truss Jackson 13 episodes 2017 Blue Murder: Killer Cop Commissioner Miniseries, 1 episode 2018Pine Gap Rudi Fox 6 episodes 2019 Reef Break Sonny Turner/ Bob Clark 2 episodes 2020 The Wilds Ted Wolchak 1 episode 2020; 2022 The Secrets She Keeps Reg 9 episodes 2022 The PM's Daughter Henry 10 episodes 2023 Queen of Oz Peter Walsh 1 episode 2023; 2025 NCIS: Sydney Colonel Richard Rankin 6 episodes
Film (as actor) YearTitleRoleNotesRef 1980 Breaker Morant George 1982 We of the Never Never Jack Fighting Back John Embling 1985 The Boy Who Had Everything Vandervelt 1986 The More Things Change Barry 1987 Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train Brian 1988 Rikky and Pete Adam A Cry in the Dark (aka Evil Angels) Tipple 1989 Life in the Balance Short film 1993 The Last Man Hanged Keith Willey 1994 Spider and Rose Robert Dougherty Change PT Short film 1996 Dead Heart Les / Teacher 1998 War Story Father Short film 2000 Pitch Black Paris P. Ogilvie 2006 Loveproof Short film 2009 The Boys are Back Tim Walker 2011 Lachlan Macquarie: The Father of Australia Commissioner Bigge The Cup Sir Michael Smurfit Phone Call Stanley Short film 2012 Not Suitable For Children Dr McKenzie 2013 The Wolverine Attorney #1 2015 Truth Louis Boccardi 2017 Dance Academy: The Movie ICU Dr Kelly 2018 Pimped Michael Hanson Harmony Mr Lenox 2022 Thirteen Lives Vern Unsworth 2023 What About Sal Geoff 2025 Spit Ian Hamblin KC
Writer / director YearTitleRoleNotesRef 1993 The Last Man Hanged Writer / director TV docudrama film 1994 The Gadfly Writer / director TV documentary film 1995 Race Against Prime Time Director Documentary 1997 Big Sky Storyliner 1998 Twisted Tales Director 1 episode 1999–2000 Stingers Director 4 episodes 2000 Aria and Pasta Director Documentary series, 7 episodes 2001 Water Rats Director / Second Unit Director 2 episodes / 5 episodes 2001–2002 Ponderosa Director 4 episodes 2002 McLeod's Daughters Director 2 episodes 2003 Sex and Drugs and Rock’N’Roll Writer 2003–2006 Home and Away Director 59 episodes 2008 Neighbours Director 5 episodes Out of the Blue Director 15 episodes 2016 39,000 Doors Create Writer / Director / Producer Feature documentary
Theatre YearTitleRoleNotes 1976 Carlotta and Maximillian Napoleon Adelaide Festival 1979 Jumpers Nimrod Theatre Company1982 The Maid's Tragedy Lead MTC Death of a Salesman Howard Seymour Centre, Sydney with Nimrod Theatre Company 1984 The Blind Giant is Dancing Bruce Fitzgerald Sydney Theatre Company1985 The Margarine Conspiracy Tom Doctor in Spite of Himself Rex Leandro Playing with Fire The Son The Bourgeois Wedding Groom Perfect Mismatch Stuart Torquato Tasso Antonio 1988 Dreams in an Empty City Chris West End, London 1990 Top Silk Tony Turner Adelaide & Canberra tour with Kinselas Productions 1991 Master Builder Ragnar Brovik Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney 1993 The Perfectionist Stuart Marian St Theatre, Sydney 1997 Black Mary Captain King Company B, Sydney 2023 Wild Thing Geoff / Various characters Arts on Tour
See also List of University of New England (Australia) people
References
External links