Matt Okine

Okine was born to Mack Okine and Roslyn. His father is an immigrant from Ghana.^[2] He has an older sister. His parents separated when he was 7.^[3] His mother died of breast cancer when he was 12.^[2]

Okine attended Ironside State School and Brisbane State High School and played many sports growing up.^[4][3] He was considered a promising Australian rules football prospect, and was invited to take part in the AFL's NAB Rising Stars national development program.^[5] He stopped playing football after being advised to do so upon entry into drama school at Queensland University of Technology.^[3] He graduated with a bachelor in acting.^[6] He supports his hometown Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.

Okine performed stand-up on Rove, at the Sydney Comedy Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He appeared on TV shows This is Littleton, Legally Brown, Would I Lie to You? and Hughesy, We Have a Problem and was a guest contributor on Dirty Laundry Live, Can of Worms and The Agony of Modern Manners. In 2012, he released a DVD titled Being Black n Chicken n Shit.^[1] He also appeared as Laurie in H₂O: Just Add Water^[7] and Aquamarine as an unknown character.

In 2014, Okine replaced Tom Ballard as co-host on the breakfast show on Triple J after Ballard resigned to pursue stand-up comedy.^[8] In 2016, Okine and Alex Dyson both left Triple J to pursue other interests.

He co-hosted How Not to Behave, which ran for four months on ABC in 2015.^[9]

At the 2015 ARIA Awards, he won Best Comedy Release for Live at the Enmore Theatre.^[10]

In 2017, Okine wrote and starred in The Other Guy on Stan.^[11] A second season was released in 2019.^[12]

In 2019, he published his first novel, Being Black 'N Chicken, & Chips.^[13]

In November 2022, it was revealed that Okine would star as Arthur Beare in a 2023 "reimagining" of classic sitcom Mother and Son which originally aired on ABC TV from 1984 to 1994.^[14] Okine is also the creator, writer and executive producer of the new series.^[14] The concept to adapt the sitcom as a single-camera production from what was originally a multi-camera setup filmed in front of a live studio audience was first proposed by Okine in 2013.^[14] Creator of the original series Geoffrey Atherden would collaborate with Okine on the 2023 version.^[14] On 15 August 2024, Mother and Son was renewed for a second season.^[15] He appeared as Devon in the 2023 TV series The Clearing.^[16]

Okine is one half of the children's music duo Diver City, with Kristy Lee Peters.^[17]

Okine and his partner Belinda Rabe have a daughter.^[18][19]