Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952) is an Australian actor of stage, film and television. He has received numerous accolades, including AACTA/AFI Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (for the 1986's Malcolm) and Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama (for Nine Network's Halifax f.p.), two Helpmann Awards for Best Male Actor in a Play, and two Logie Awards.
Early life Colin Friels was born on 25 September 1952 in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland.Interview with Colin Friels, George Negus Tonight (ABC Television), 26 August 2004. http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/profiles/Transcripts/s1186644.htm , retrieved May 2007. His mother was a mill worker and French polisher, and his father a carpenter. He lived in Kilbirnie until 1963, when his family moved to Australia, arriving in Darwin, Northern Territory before settling in the Melbourne suburb of Bentleigh. He worked as a bricklayer's labourer before studying at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating in 1976.
Career Friels career began with work mostly in theatre and television. In 1980, Friels was a presenter on the Australian version of Play School, the series for young children. His first film role was in the unreleased Prisoners (1981), appearing with David Hemmings and Tatum O'Neal.
His first appearance in a released film was in Hoodwink (1981), alongside his future wife, Judy Davis.
In 1986, he played the title role in Malcolm, about a shy mechanical genius, for which he was awarded the 1986 AFI Award for Best Actor. Friels was also nominated for the Best Actor award the following year, for his role in Ground Zero, but did not win: the film received mixed reviews, with one describing him as "a proficient enough actor, but...miscast".Hinson, Hal (1988). Ground Zero (review), Washington Post, 30 September 1987. Friels later won another AFI Award in 1995 for his starring role in the 1994 Halifax f.p. telemovie Hard Corps. Friels has played a range of other roles. He was a megalomaniac corporate executive in the 1990 feature film Darkman.
From 1996 to 1999, he played Frank Holloway on Water Rats,Australian Television Information Archive: Water Rats http://www.australiantelevision.net/water_rats/waterrats.html a role which won him the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor at the 1997 awards.
Since 2003, Friels has appeared as the main character in the BlackJack series of telemovies. In 2010 he also starred in Killing Time where he played notorious underworld figure Lewis Moran. In 2018, he played Tony Ballantyne in the TV miniseries Mystery Road, again opposite Judy Davis.
In 2021, Friels appeared as Jack Ramsay in the second season of the ABC series Total Control, a Coalition MP facing off against independent candidate Alex Irving.
Personal life Friels has been married to actress Judy Davis since 1984; the couple has two children. Their relationship was briefly in the media when Judy Davis was granted a domestic violence court order against Friels: however, they remained together.Graeme Webber and Anthony Stavrinos, "Judy Davis takes out violence order against Colin Friels", The Age, 31 October 2002, https://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/30/1035683474314.html
In late 1997, Friels was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. However, his treatment was successful, and he is one of the very few sufferers of this disease to go into long-term remission. During his treatment he continued to work on the set of Water Rats, until eventually the impact of the chemotherapy stopped him working, and he chose to have his character written out of the series by sending him on a sailing journey around the world. At this time, however, he also continued his stage work, and was performing in Sydney Theatre Company's Macbeth.
Political views Friels believes that social and political awareness comes with acting, and is known for his engagement in policy debates, including industrial issues such as workplace relations and free trade. He publicly criticised Bush administration policy in the Middle East, and supported the Sydney Peace Foundation.Sydney Peace Foundation, Tell Me the Truth About Peace (event), 2005, http://www.spf.arts.usyd.edu.au/events_2005.shtml#TruthAboutPeace, retrieved May 2007. His engagement with social issues has been evident in his acting work, with two prominent examples being his lead role in Ground Zero, in which he played a cameraman investigating British nuclear testing in South Australia, and his appearance in the ABC television drama Bastard Boys, in which he played union official John Coombs.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Type 1979 The Cavity Caper Short film 1980 Big Toys TV movie 1981 Hoodwink Robert Feature film 1982 Monkey Grip Javo Feature film 1982 Prisoners Nick Feature film 1983 Buddies Mike Feature film 1983 Distinguished Guests Christopher Short film 1984 The Coolangatta Gold (aka The Gold & the Glory Adam Lucas Feature film 1985 The Man in the Iron Mask Phillippe (voice) Animated TV movie 1986 Kangaroo Richard Somers Feature film 1986 Malcolm Malcolm Hughes Feature film 1987 Ground Zero Harvey Denton Feature film 1988 Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train The Man Feature film 1988 Grievous Bodily Harm Tom Stewart Feature film 1988 High Tide Mick Feature film 1990 Darkman Louis Strack Jr Feature film 1990 Weekend with Kate Richard Muir Feature film 1991 Class Action Michael Grazier Feature film 1992 Dingo John 'Dingo' Anderson Feature film 1992 Last Man Hanged Ronald Ryan 1993 The Nostradamus Kid American Preacher Feature film 1993 The Burning Piano: A Portrait of Patrick White TV movie 1994 A Good Man in Africa Morgan Leafy Feature film 1995 Angel Baby Morris Feature film 1995 Back of Beyond Connor 1996 Cosi Errol Grier Feature film 1996 Mr. Reliable (aka My Entire Life) Wally Mellish Feature film 1998 Dark City Eddie Walenski Feature film 2000 Marriage Acts David McKinnon TV movie 2001 The Man Who Sued God David Myers Feature film 2001 My Husband, My Killer Bob Inkster TV movie 2001 Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story George Temple TV movie 2002 Black and White Father Tom Dixon Feature film 2003 Temptation Robert Francobelli TV movie 2003 Max's Dreaming Mark Bryce 2003–2007 BlackJack Jack Kempson TV movies 2004 Tom White Tom White Feature film 2005 The Illustrated Family Doctor Ray Gill Feature film 2006 Solo Jack Barrett Feature film 2006 The Book of Revelation Olsen Feature film 2006 Bom Bali Narrator Documentary film 2008 The Informant Doug Lamont TV movie 2008 Australia: Land of Parrots Narrator Documentary film 2009 Blind Company Geoff Brewster Feature film 2010 Lest We Forget Sam 2010 Matching Jack Professor Nelson Feature film 2010 The Nothing Men Jack Simpson 2010 Tomorrow, When The War Began Dr Clements Feature film 2011 A Heartbeat Away Mayor Riddick Feature film 2011 Ned's Head Narrator TV movie 2011 The Eye of the Storm Athol Shreve Feature film 2011 The Man Who Jumped Narrator 2012 Mabo Justice Moynihan Documentary film 2012 Jack Irish: Bad Debts Garth Bruce TV movie 2013 Sweat Ramon, the farmer Short film 2013 The Turning Narrator Anthology feature film (segment: "Ash Wednesday") 2013 Schapelle Mick Corby TV movie 2016 The Crossing The Captain Short film 2017 Snared Short film 2022 Fences The Farmer Short film 2022 Interceptor Frank Collins Feature film
Television Year Title Role Type 1980–1981 Play School Presenter TV series 1983 For the Term of His Natural Life Rufus Dawes / Richard Devine Miniseries, 3 episodes 1992 Police Rescue Lew Campbell TV series, season 2, episode 9: "Reasons to Live" 1993 Seven Deadly Sins Roger Pascoe Miniseries, 1 episode: "Pride" 1993 Stark Sly Morgan Miniseries, 3 episodes 1995 Halifax f.p. Kevin Tait TV series, season 1, episode 5: "Hard Corps" 1995 Space: Above and Beyond Lt. Colonel Fouts TV series, pilot episode 1996–1999 Water Rats Frank Holloway TV series, 109 episodes 2001 The Farm Tom Cooper Miniseries, 3 episodes 2006 Life at 1 Narrator Documentary miniseries, 2 episodes 2004 The Mystery of Natalie Wood Nick Gurdin Miniseries, episode 1 2007 Bastard Boys John Coombs Miniseries, 1 episode 2007 Air Australia Narrator Miniseries 2009 Gangs of Oz Narrator Documentary TV series 2010 Killing Time Lewis Moran Miniseries, 8 episodes 2011 Wild Boys Mad Dog Morgan TV series, episode 11 2015 Sydney Sailboat (aka Bubble Bath Bay) Terry the Tug (voice) Animated TV series, 52 episodes 2015 Go Back to Where You Came From Narrator Documentary series, 3 episodes 2016 Changed Forever: The Making of Australia Narrator Miniseries, episode 2: "ANZACS" 2016 DNA Nation Narrator 3 episodes 2016 The Secret Daughter Jack Norton TV series, 6 episodes 2016 First Contact Narrator Documentary TV series, 3 episodes 2017–2020 Filthy Rich and Homeless Narrator Documentary TV series 2018 Mystery Road Tony Ballantyne TV series, season 1, 6 episodes 2021 Wakefield Baz Madden Miniseries, episode 7 2021 Total Control Jack Ramsay MP TV series, season 2, 6 episodes 2022 Pieces of Her Older Eli Wexler TV series, episode 6 2022 Underbelly: Vanishing Act George K Miniseries, 3 episodes 2026Last SeenGareth ReidTV series, 1 episode
Theatre