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Colin Friels

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Colin Friels
Friels in 2009
Born (1952-09-25) 25 September 1952 (age 72)
Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland
EducationNational Institute of Dramatic Art (BFA)
OccupationActor
Years active1976–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1984)​
Children2

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

Early life

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Friels was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland.[1] His mother was a mill worker and French polisher, and his father a carpenter.[2][3] 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.[4]

Career

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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.[5]

His first appearance in a released film was in Hoodwink (1981), alongside his future wife, Judy Davis.[6]

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".[7] 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,[8] 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."[citation needed]

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

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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.[9]

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.[1] 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

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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.[1] He publicly criticised Bush administration policy in the Middle East, and supported the Sydney Peace Foundation.[10] 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.[11]

Filmography

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Film

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Short films

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  • The Cavity Caper (1979)
  • Distinguished Guests (1983) – Christopher
  • Lest We Forget (2010) – Sam
  • Sweat (2013) – Ramon, the farmer
  • The Crossing (2016) – The Captain
  • Snared (2017)
  • Fences (2022)- the farmer

Television

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Theatre

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Awards

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Australian Film Institute Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
1986 Colin Friels Best Actor in a Lead Role Won
1987 Colin Friels (for Ground Zero) Nominated
1991 Colin Friels (for Dingo) Nominated
1995 Colin Friels (for Halifax f.p.: Hard Corps) Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Drama Won
2004 Colin Friels (for Tom White) Best Actor in a Lead Role Nominated

Film Critics Circle

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
2004 Colin Friels (for Tom White) Best Actor – Male Won
2006 Colin Friels (for Solo) Nominated
Colin Friels (for The Book of Revelation) Best Supporting Actor Nominated

Helpmann Award

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
2003 Colin Friels (for Copenhagen) Best Male Actor Won

Logie Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
1997 Colin Friels (for Water Rats) Most Outstanding Actor Won
2000 Nominated
2022 Colin Friels (for Wakefield) Most Outstanding Supporting Actor Won

Mo Awards

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The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Colin Friels won one award in that time.[12]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
2002 Colin Friels Male Actor in a Play Won

References

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  1. ^ a b c Interview with Colin Friels, George Negus Tonight (ABC Television), 26 August 2004. http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/profiles/Transcripts/s1186644.htm Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved May 2007.
  2. ^ Doreian, Robyn (9 July 2018). "Colin Friels: What I know about women". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Colin Friels Biography (1952–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  4. ^ "All alumni". National Institute of Dramatic Art. Kensington NSW. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Prisoners". Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  6. ^ Battiata, Mary (15 May 1987). "Dining out on 'Kangaroo'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  7. ^ Hinson, Hal (1988). Ground Zero (review), Washington Post, 30 September 1987.
  8. ^ Australian Television Information Archive: Water Rats http://www.australiantelevision.net/water_rats/waterrats.html
  9. ^ Graeme Webber and Anthony Stavrinos, "Judy Davis takes out violence order against Colin Friels", The Age, 31 October 2002, http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/30/1035683474314.html
  10. ^ Sydney Peace Foundation, Tell Me the Truth About Peace (event), 2005, http://www.spf.arts.usyd.edu.au/events_2005.shtml#TruthAboutPeace, retrieved May 2007.
  11. ^ Bastard Boys (Biography, Drama), Darren K. Hawkins, Ivan Topic, Lynne McGregor, 13 May 2007, retrieved 6 September 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
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