Michael Balk is an Australian actor, television presenter, radio announcer and producer.
Personal life
Michael grew up in the Clarence Valley in Northern Rivers
New South Wales. He attended primary and secondary school in Grafton before moving to Brisbane to study Arts/Law at
Queensland University of Technology.
Balk is the nephew of acclaimed filmmaker
Philip Hearnshaw
Philip Hearnshaw (29 December 1952 – 24 July 2012) was an acclaimed Australian filmmaker best known for his work with George Miller and Doug Mitchell.
Early life and education
Philip was one of four children to parents Eric Hearnshaw MM, ...
, and grandson of Australian Liberal Politician
Eric Hearnshaw
Eric Hearnshaw (21 May 1893 – 20 July 1967) was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1945 until 1965. He was a member of the Liberal Party.
Hearnshaw was born in Sheffield, England, the son of ...
.
Career
Balk is best known for his original television roles, notably scrapboy in
dirtgirlworld & Get Grubby TV, Glen Goosebump in
SMASHHDOWN!
''Smashhdown!'' is an Australian children's sports game show on 9Go!. The show features sports challenges and trivia to find "Australia's number one junior sports all-rounder".
Production
Series 1 of the series began airing on 17 December 2018 ...
, and various characters on
BrainBuzz.
Michael appears in musicals, theatre productions and television commercials.
Between 2006 and 2010 Michael was lead presenter and producer at
Steve Irwin’s
Australia Zoo
Australia Zoo is a zoo located in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast near Beerwah, Queensland, Beerwah/Glass House Mountains National Park, Glass House Mountains. It is a member of the Zoo and A ...
.
Michael is the president of the Australian charity the
Actors & Entertainers Benevolent Fund of Queensland. He served as president of
Actors Equity Queensland for many years and is a board director for the
MEAA
The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), also sometimes referred to as the Alliance, is the Australian trade union and professional organisation which covers the media, entertainment, sports and arts industries.
Its Musicians section c ...
.
Awards and nominations
Michael was nominated for Best Emerging Artist at the
Matilda Awards in 2005 and 2006.
In 2010 dirtgirlworld was nominated for a
Logie Award in the Outstanding Children's Program category. The creators of the show dedicated the nomination to key creatives on the team citing Michael Balk among them.
The stars of dirtgirlworld were recognized with an
AFI Award
The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsi ...
in Melbourne, Australia in 2010.
dirtgirlworld also received nominations for a
BAFTA and Prix Jeunesse Award in 2010, and for Outstanding Preschool Programme at the 2011 JAPAN prize in Tokyo.
In 2013, Balk and the team from the ABC went on to win the
International Digital Emmy Award in Cannes for their work on dirtgirlworld.
Balk was voted in the Clarence Valley's Most Influential People of 2019.
References
External links
*
Michael Balk Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balk, Michael
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century Australian actors
Date of birth missing (living people)
Australian male television actors
21st-century Australian male actors
Balk, Michael