Jimi Bani is an

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

actor, known for his portrayal of land rights activist Eddie Mabo in the 2012 tele-movie '' Mabo'', several television series, and theatre performances.

Early life and education

A Torres Strait Islander ( Mabuiag Island) of the Wadagadum people, where his father was a tribal chief, he attended the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

Career

Bani's first role was in the 2006 mini-series, '' RAN: Remote Area Nurse'', that aired on SBS One. In 2012, he appeared on

ABC1 ABC TV, formerly known as ABC1, is an Australian national public television network. It is owned and operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the flagship (broadcasting), flagship ABC Television (Australian TV network), A ...

's series, '' The Straits'' and on the tele-movie '' Mabo'', both of which were nominated for awards. Bani appeared in ''

Redfern Now ''Redfern Now'' is an Australian drama television series featuring the lives of Aboriginal Australian families living in Redfern, New South Wales, Redfern, Sydney, that first aired on ABC1 in 2012. A second season followed in 2013, and the ser ...

'', a six-part series produced by Blackfella Films that went to air on

in late 2012. From late 2013 through 2014 Bani performed in ''The Shadow King'' for which he received a

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

nomination. The play was produced by the

Malthouse Theatre Malthouse Theatre is the resident theatre company of The Malthouse building in Southbank, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct. In the 1980s it was known as the Playbox Theatre Company and was housed in the Playbox Theatre in Melbourne's CBD ...

in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals –

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

, Brisbane Festival,

Melbourne Festival Melbourne International Arts Festival, formerly Spoleto Festival Melbourne – Festival of the Three Worlds, then Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, becoming commonly known as Melbourne Festival, was a major international arts festi ...

, Perth International Arts Festival and

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney, that runs for three weeks every January since it was established in 1977. The festival program features over 100 events from local and international artists and inclu ...

. Bani was a member of Queensland Theatre’s National Artistic Team to assist Artistic Director Sam Strong with its 2017 season. In 2017 he appeared in a Queensland Theatre production entitled ''My Name is Jimi'' which he co-created with Jason Klarwein who also directed the production. The performers included members of his family in a performance which " ... whisks you away to his island for an evening of music, dance, stand-up and storytelling. Four generations of one family take the stage, as Jimi’s grandmother, mother, son and brothers help him spin yarns of totems, traditions and childhood memories". The show was also performed at the

in 2018. In early 2022 Bani played George in a State Theatre Company South Australia production of

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), ''The Sandbox (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...

's ''

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of middle-aged couple Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they rece ...

'', to acclaim by critics. Later in 2022, Bani and Jason Klarwein staged an adaptation of ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'' at Queensland Theatre, set in the Torres Straits. It was originally premiered at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair in 2021. Bani played Othello as a member of the Torres Straits Light Infantry Battalion during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The production was staged in three languages; Kala Lagaw Ya, Yumplatok and English. Performing cultural songs and dances alongside Bani, were his three brothers.

Personal life

Bani is a father of five children with partner Idelia, and together they live in Cairns, Queensland. He has three brothers – Richard, Gabriel Bani and Conwell. Bani's great-grandfather was a member of the Torres Straits Light Infantry.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bani, Jimi Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century Australian male actors Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Indigenous Australian male actors