Vernon George Wells (born 31 December 1945) is an Australian character actor. He began appearing on Australian television shows in the mid-1970s, such as ''

Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

'', ''

Matlock Police ''Matlock Police'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for The 0-10 Network (now known as Network 10) between 1971 and 1976. The series focused on the police station and crime in the Victorian town of Ma ...

'' and ''

All the Rivers Run ''All the Rivers Run'' is an Australian historical novel by Nancy Cato, first published in 1958. It was inspired by the life of Pearl Wallace, Australia's first river boat Skipper. It was adapted as a 1983 Australian television miniseries sta ...

''. He is best known to international audiences for his role of Wez in the 1981

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

action film ''

Mad Max 2 ''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic Utopian and dystopian fiction, dystopian action film directed by George Miller (filmmaker), G ...

'' and Bennett in the military action film ''

Commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

''. After ''Mad Max 2'', Wells began appearing in Hollywood films, such as science fiction comedies ''

Weird Science Weird Science may refer to: * ''Weird Science'' (film), a 1985 film directed by John Hughes ** ''Weird Science'' (TV series), a television series based on the film ** "Weird Science" (song), the theme song to the film and the TV series by Oingo ...

'' (1985) and ''

Innerspace ''Innerspace'' is a 1987 American science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell, inspired by the 1966 film ''Fantastic Voyage''. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Robert Picardo, and Kevin ...

'' (1987). In the 2000s, Wells acted in the television series ''

Power Rangers Time Force ''Power Rangers Time Force'' is a television series and the ninth season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 24th Super Sentai series ''Mirai Sentai Timeranger'', running for 40 half-hour episodes from February to November 2001. I ...

'' portraying the series' main villain Ransik.

Career

1970s

Wells worked in a quarry, then as a salesman, and then in theatre and rock bands. In the 1970s, he was selected by casting agents to appear in a theatre play, and he started to appear in Australian TV commercials, print advertisements, local Australian TV shows such as ''

'' and ''

'' and historical TV mini-series like '' Against The Wind'', ''

Sara Dane ''Sara Dane'' is a 1982 Australian television miniseries about a woman transported from England to Australia for a crime she did not commit.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p231 Original novel ...

'' and ''

All The Rivers Run ''All the Rivers Run'' is an Australian historical novel by Nancy Cato, first published in 1958. It was inspired by the life of Pearl Wallace, Australia's first river boat Skipper. It was adapted as a 1983 Australian television miniseries sta ...

''. His first cinema appearance was a minor role in '' Felicity'' (1979), a low-budget, erotic fantasy film.

1980s

Wells was cast as the homicidal biker Wez, in ''

'' (1981), filmed around Silverton near

Broken Hill Broken Hill is a city in the Far West (New South Wales), far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Hi ...

in outback

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is the role for which he is probably best known to international audiences, as Wells portrays a psychotic, post-apocalyptic henchman who relentlessly pursues hero

Max Rockatansky Max Rockatansky is the title character and antihero protagonist of the Australian post-apocalyptic action film series ''Mad Max'' created by director George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and producer Byron Kennedy. Max was played by actors ...

(

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

), before meeting a spectacular death at the film's finale. Hollywood beckoned for Wells, and he spoofed his mad biker role in the popular 1985 teen comedy ''

'', written and directed by

John Hughes John Hughes may refer to: Arts and Entertainment Literature *John Hughes (poet) (1677–1720), English poet *John Hughes (1790–1857), English author *John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887), Welsh poet *John Hughes (writer) (born 1961), Australian au ...

and produced by

Joel Silver Joel Silver (born July 14, 1952) is an American film producer. Life and career Silver was born and raised in South Orange, New Jersey, the son of a writer and a public relations executive. His family is Jewish. He attended Columbia High School ...

. Wells so impressed Silver with his work in that film that he was immediately secured for the role of Bennett opposite

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

in ''

'' (1985). When first approached for the role in ''Commando'', Wells was in Australia working on the feature film, ''

Fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

'', based on the real-life Faraday School kidnapping, in a starring role opposite

Rachel Ward Rachel Claire Ward (born 12 September 1957) is an English-Australian actress,

. Wells appeared as Roo Marcus in '' Last Man Standing'' (1987). Wells played a role in the season 4 episode "Hills of Fire".

1990s and 2000s

In 1992, Wells appeared in one of the few roles in which he is not cast as a villain, in the short-lived 1992 television comedy series '' The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys.'' The show was about a professor who accidentally enlarged three

Sea-Monkeys Sea-Monkeys is a marketing term for brine shrimp (''Artemia'') sold as novelty aquarium pets. Developed in the United States in 1957 by Harold von Braunhut, they are sold as eggs intended to be added to water, and most often come bundled in a k ...

to human-size, and then had to deal with their comical ineptness in the world. In 1993, Wells starred in the science fiction film ''

'' with

Christopher Lambert Christophe Guy Denis Lambert (; ; born March 29, 1957), commonly known as Christopher Lambert, is a French-American actor, producer, and writer. He started his career playing supporting parts in several French films, and became internationally f ...

(no connection to the previous movie of the same name). Many of Wells's roles 1990s and 2000s portrayed villains, as in the films '' Circuitry Man'' (1990), '' Kick of Death'' (1997), ''Starforce'' (2000) and ''

'' (2001). In the ''Power Rangers'' episodes, he played the role of Ransik, a mutant crime lord from the year 3000 who travels back in time to take over the world. In 2002, he reprised this role for the ''

Power Rangers Wild Force ''Power Rangers Wild Force'' is a television series and the tenth season of Power Rangers. It is also the anniversary season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 25th Super Sentai series ''Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger'', which itself ...

''/'' Time Force'' two-part team-up episode "Reinforcements from the Future". Wells starred in the 2009 horror film '' Silent Night, Zombie Night''. Vernon Wells also starred in an award-winning role in “Trouble Is My Business (2018)”. His current wife is Japanese, and in 2015, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Commando production, he sent a congratulatory message video to his Japanese fans, partly in Japanese. Wells lost his Pacific Palisades home, belongings and memorabilia in the

Palisades Fire The Palisades Fire was a highly destructive wildfire that began burning in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County on January 7, 2025, and grew to destroy large areas of Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, P ...

in January 2025.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1981) as Wez *''

'' (1985) as Lord General *''

'' (1985) as Bennett *''

'' (1985) as Dabby Duck *''

MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the MacGyver (1985 TV series), 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in Mac ...

'' (1985) as Catlin *''Coming of Age'' (1986) as Chuck Proby (Donald) *''

Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

'' (1986) as Sonny Zajak *''

'' (1987) as Mr. Igoe *'' Last Man Standing'' (1987) as Roo Marcus *''

P.I. Private Investigations ''P.I. Private Investigations'' (also known as ''Private Investigations'') is a 1987 Crime film, crime-thriller film directed by Nigel Dick and starring Clayton Rohner, Ray Sharkey and Paul Le Mat. Premise A young architect finds himself being ...

'' (1987) as Detective North *''

Sunset Sunset (or sundown) is the disappearance of the Sun at the end of the Sun path, below the horizon of the Earth (or any other astronomical object in the Solar System) due to its Earth's rotation, rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth, it ...

'' (1988) as Houseman *''

'' (1988) as Paul Donnay * '' Nam Angels'' (1989) as Chard *''American Eagle'' (1989) as Johnny Burke *''Enemy Unssen'' (1989) as Steiger *''Undeclared War'' (1990) as Hannibal (Sheng zhan feng yun) *'' Circuitry Man'' (1990) as Plughead *'' The Shrimp on the Barbie'' (1990) as Bruce *''

'' (1992) as Maddox *''Ultimatum'' (1994) as Gerard Richter *'' Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II'' (1994) as Plughead *''Manosaurus'' (1994) as Professor Sorenson *'' Space Truckers'' (1996) as Mr. Cutt *''Vulcan'' (1997) as Greg Mitchum *'' Billy Frankenstein'' (1998) as Otto von Sloane *''

'' (2001, TV Series) as Ransik *''

'' (2002, TV Series) as Ransik *''Beneath Loch Ness'' (2001) as Constable *'' Curse of the Forty-Niner'' (2003) as Jeremiah Stone *'' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' (2003) as Acme VP, Child Labor *''Devil's Knight'' (2003) as Frank *'' King of the Ants'' (2003) as Beckett *''

Chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains from sexual activity that is considered immoral or from any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for exampl ...

'' (2005) as Trucker *''

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between ...

'' (2006) as Dr. Dennis Lanyon *'' Tru Loved'' (2007) as Coach Wesley *'' Green Street 2: Stand Your Ground'' (2009) as Tankersley Governor *'' The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie'' (2010) as Scott the Network Head *'' Silent Night, Zombie Night'' (2011) as Paul Irwin *''Jurassic Attack'' (2013) as Agent Grimaldi *'' Throwback'' (2014) as Detective McNab *'' Jurassic City'' (2015) as Agent LaFranco *''Relentless Justice'' (2015) as Mayor Jason Macendale *''

Timber the Treasure Dog ''Timber the Treasure Dog'' is a 2016 American family film directed by Ari Novak and starring Wilford Brimley and featuring the voice of Kix Brooks as the titular character. The film was released to DVD and streaming platforms on January 5, 2016. ...

'' (2016) as Wolf (Voice) *'' The Perfect Weapon'' (2016) as The Interrogator *''

Death House ''Death House'' is a 2017 American horror film written by Gunnar Hansen, who has a cameo in the film, and directed by Harrison Smith. The film features an ensemble cast of horror icons including Kane Hodder, Barbara Crampton, Bill Moseley, Dee W ...

'' (2017) as Nela *''

Landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

'' (2017) as Wexler *''Der Vertrag'' (2017) as Cooper Ryan (Television film) *''Trouble Is My Business'' (2018) as Detective Barry Tate *''Lilith'' (2018) as Phillip *''Loss Prevention'' (2018) as CEO Reginald Bachman *''Glass Jaw'' (2018) as Happy *''The City of Gold'' (2018) as The Inquisitor *''Impact Event'' (2018) as Ed *''Crossbreed'' (2019) as Murphy *''The Silent Natural'' (2019) as Sarah's Father *''Eason's Gold'' (2019) as Eason *''Slayer: The Repentless Killogy'' (2019) as Prison Guard #1 *''Zombies V the C.W.A.'' (2019) as Narrator (Short) *''Emerald Run'' (2020) as Dodson *''No Chance'' (2020) as Barrett Transformed *''Debt Collectors'' (2020) as Cyrus Skinner *''Kill Giggles'' (2020) as Malcolm Fossor (Giggles) *''Await the Dawn'' (2020) as Zed *''Maverick N Grundy'' (2020) as Wesley *''Camp Twilight'' (2020) as Detective Bennett *''Charlie's Christmas Wish'' (2020) as Hank Wentworth *''Starspawn: Overture'' (2020) as Randolph Sutton (Short) *''Social Distance'' (2020) as Gil Oldman Jr. *'' Red Snow'' (2021) as Julius King *''Frost'' (2021) as Grant *Christmas Collision (2021) as Ronan *'' The Price We Pay'' (2022) as The Doctor *''Forbearance'' (2022) as Dr. George Ross *''A Bachelor's Valentine'' (2022) as Stuart Knapp *'' Sally Floss: Digital Detective'' (2022) as Papa *''Ghost'' (2023) as Jeremiah *''The Green Oak Guardian'' (2023) as Lemmy LaRoux

Video games

*'' Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan'' (2005) Ridge *''

Darksiders ''Darksiders'' is a hack and slash action-adventure video game franchise created by Vigil Games, now developed by Gunfire Games, which consists of some of the original members of Vigil. The series is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, where ma ...

'' (2010) Samael *'' Darksiders II'' (2012) Samael *'' Deus Ex: Mankind Divided'' (2016) Jim Miller *''

Darksiders Genesis ''Darksiders Genesis'' is a Top-down perspective, top-down hack and slash Action role-playing game, action role-playing video game developed by American studio Airship Syndicate and published by THQ Nordic. The game was released for Google Stadi ...

'' (2019) as Samael

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Vernon 1945 births Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Australian male video game actors Australian male voice actors Living people Actors from Victoria (state)