Erik Thomson is a Scottish-born New Zealand-Australian actor. He is known for playing Hades in the television series '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', '' Xena Warrior Princess'' and '' Young Hercules'', Dr. Mitch Stevens in '' All Saints'' and Dave Rafter in '' Packed to the Rafters''. Thomson won an Australian Film Institute Award for his performance in the Australian feature film '' Somersault''.

Early life

Erik Thomson was born in Inverness,

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and his family emigrated to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

when he was seven. He studied performing arts at the New Zealand Drama School in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

and

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

and drama at Victoria University of Wellington.

Career

Thomson had a number of television roles in New Zealand, starting with ''Marlin Bay'', a drama set in a casino and resort. He won a wider fan following for his occasional appearances as the god Hades in the series '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' and '' Young Hercules'', all three series of which were filmed in New Zealand. In 1995, Thomson moved to Australia and landed regular roles in '' Pacific Drive'', medical series '' All Saints'' (1999–2003) and '' The Alice'' (2005). He has had guest roles on such series as '' Wildside'' and '' Always Greener''. From 2008 to 2013, Thomson played Dave Rafter on the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

dramedy Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

series '' Packed to the Rafters''. From 2015 to 2018 he had the lead role in '' 800 Words''. Thomson's work in theatre includes roles in '' Complete Works of Shakespeare'', ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'', '' Twelve Angry Men'', and '' Angels in America''. Thomson's film credits include the role of soldier Simon Mollison in the 2008 film '' The Black Balloon'' with Toni Collette. He appeared in '' Somersault'' with Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington, which scored him an AFI Award. He also featured in '' Accidents Happen'' with Geena Davis and '' Storm Boy'' with Geoffrey Rush, and Finn Little. In 2023, Thomson appeared in channel 7 series ''The Claremont Murders.'' In 2024 Thomson was named in the cast for ''Kangaroo Island.'' On 21 October 2024, Thomson was announced to play Scrooge for the 2024 theatre season of ''A Christmas Carol.''

Awards

Thomson won an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in '' Somersault'', and was nominated for his work in '' The Black Balloon''. For television, he has been nominated for a Logie Award five times and has won two Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor. (The Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor was referred to as "Best Actor" in 2016 and 2017)

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Erik 1960s births Year of birth uncertain Living people Best Supporting Actor AACTA Award winners Logie Award winners Naturalised citizens of New Zealand New Zealand expatriates in Australia New Zealand male television actors People from Inverness Scottish emigrants to New Zealand Scottish expatriates in Australia Scottish male television actors