Colin Friels

Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952) is an Australian actor of theatre, TV, film and presenter.

Early life

Friels was born 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 along with Linden Wilkinson and Michael Siberry.

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 wide 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'', a role which won him the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor at the 1997 awards. In his acceptance speech he said, "I'm very flattered for this and it's all rather silly, isn't it? So, thank you very much."

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 have two children, Jack and Charlotte. Their relationship was briefly in the media when an argument led to a domestic violence court order against Friels: however, they remained together.

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. 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

Television

Theatre

Awards & nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Friels, Colin
1952 births
Australian male film actors
Australian people of Irish descent
Australian people of Scottish descent
Best Actor AACTA Award winners
Australian children's television presenters
Helpmann Award winners
Living people
Logie Award winners
National Institute of Dramatic Art alumni
People from Kilwinning
Scottish male film actors
Male actors from North Ayrshire