Luke Ford (born 26 March 1981) is a Canadian-Australian actor. His career began in television in 2000 and his first film role was in 2006 before being cast in '' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' in 2008. Ford's regular television roles include those in the Australian series '' Underbelly'' in 2013, '' Cleverman'' in 2017, and ''

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the Unit ...

'' in 2021.

Early life

Ford was born on 26 March 1981 in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada but raised in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia. He attended Parramatta Marist High School in Westmead, Sydney, and once worked at the Winston Hills Hotel, and a short stint at Universal Magazines in

North Ryde North Ryde is a suburb located in the Northern Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. North Ryde is located 15 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Ryde. One of ...

. Ford studied acting at The Actor's Pulse in Sydney, becoming one of the school's earliest graduates. He later returned to teach the Meisner technique when he was between film roles.

Film career

Ford began acting professionally with a string of performances on Australian television, starting with a guest-starring role on '' Water Rats'', followed by roles on '' McLeod's Daughters'', ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, N ...

'', '' Stingers'', '' Breakers'' and '' All Saints''. He appeared in the TV movie ''

Junction Boys The Junction Boys were the "survivors" of Texas A&M Aggies football coach Bear Bryant's brutal 10-day summer camp in Junction, Texas, beginning September 1, 1954. The ordeal became the subject of a 2001 book by Jim Dent (author), Jim Dent, ''The ...

'' alongside

Tom Berenger Tom Berenger (born Thomas Michael Moore; May 31, 1949) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in ''Platoon'' (1986). He is also known for playing ...

, as Iphicles in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

miniseries ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

'', and in the short-lived Australian series ''Headland''. Ford was short listed for a 'Best New Talent'

Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Television in Australia, Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The eve ...

for his recurring role of Craig Woodland on ''McLeod's Daughters''. Ford's film career began with the release of the Australian film '' Kokoda'' in 2006, delivering a performance as Burke, a slain soldier on the Kokoda Trail. Next came '' The Black Balloon'' with

Toni Collette Toni Collette (born Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television, blockbusters and independent films, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, wit ...

, a performance that won him an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2008. In the film, Ford plays Charlie Mollison, a teenager with

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

and ADD. Ford spent six months researching the role, including taking to the streets of Sydney in character to determine the effectiveness of his characterisation. ''The Black Balloon'' premiered at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

, where it won the Crystal Bear award. Immediately following ''The Black Balloon'', Ford signed on to star in the third instalment of the Mummy series, '' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' opposite Brendan Fraser and Maria Bello. In the film, Ford plays Alex O'Connell, son of Fraser's Rick O'Connell and Bello's Evelyn O'Connell. The film was released in the US on 1 August 2008 and grossed $403 million worldwide.Michael Fleming
"Ford to star in third 'Mummy': Shooting will begin in Montreal 27 July"
Variety, 30 April 2007 In 2009, he had roles in '' 3 Acts of Murder'' and ''Ghost Machine''. In 2010 and 2011, he had roles in several Australian films, including '' Animal Kingdom'', '' Red Dog'' and '' Face to Face''.

Filmography

Films

Television

Video games

References

External links

*
Interview – Web Wombat Movie Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Luke 1981 births Male actors from Vancouver Australian male film actors Australian people of Canadian descent Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Living people 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Australian male actors Male actors from Sydney Best Supporting Actor AACTA Award winners People educated at Parramatta Marist High School