Nick Simpson-Deeks

Australian actor From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nick Simpson-Deeks is a NIDA-trained Australian actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his portrayal of Archie McMahon in the SBS drama series The Circuit, Rhys Mitchell in Seven Network's Winners & Losers, and James King in the Amazon Original crime series Deadloch.

Born
Nicholas Deeks

OccupationActor
Yearsactive2001–present
Quick facts Born, Occupation ...
Nick Simpson-Deeks
Born
Nicholas Deeks

OccupationActor
Years active2001–present
Notable workThe Circuit, Winners & Losers, Deadloch
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Early life

Simpson-Deeks was born and raised in Werris Creek, New South Wales, and attended Oxley High School in Tamworth.[1] He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2001.[2] In 2006 he was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship which he used to further his actor training at the School at Steppenwolf in Chicago.[3]

Career

Film and television

Simpson-Deeks was a series regular in both seasons of the award-winning[4] legal drama The Circuit, the second season of Winners & Losers (after guest starring in the show's first season), and the sci-fi series Stormworld. Additionally, he has guest-starred in Utopia, The Newsreader, Five Bedrooms, Underbelly: Fat Tony & Co., Wentworth, Mr & Mrs Murder, Play School, City Homicide, The Strange Calls, Temptation, and The Postcard Bandit.[5] He plays forensic pathologist James King in the Amazon Original series, Deadloch.[6]

His film credits include roles in the short films After the Credits, Dropbear, A Simple Song, Shades of Grey and Home. He portrayed Irish rider Pat Smullen in the 2011 feature film The Cup, and filmmaker Billy Name in Jim Sharman's Andy X – a musical film based on the death of Andy Warhol.

Theatre

Simpson-Deeks made his professional theatre debut in Falling on My Left Ear: A Show about George Wallace for the now defunct Railway Street Theatre Company in Parramatta in 2002.[7] The following year, he returned to Railway Street to play the role of Tom in Michael Gow's iconic Australian play, Away.[8] Both productions toured regionally and were directed by Mary-Anne Gifford.[9]

In 2005 he received critical acclaim for his performance in Mark Ravenhill's Handbag at the Seymour Centre.[10] Later that year, he starred in Somewhere – an original musical by Tim Minchin and Kate Mulvany – for Q Theatre.[11]

In 2009, Simpson-Deeks was cast in the ensemble of Jerry Springer: the Opera at the Sydney Opera House as part of Sydney Festival. He joined the original Australian cast of Jersey Boys, in the role of Franki Valli (Alternate), that same year, but left the production prematurely due to health complications.[12] In 2010, he sang the role of Skeets Miller in a one-off concert performance of Adam Guettel's Floyd Collins at City Recital Hall in Sydney.[13]

Simpson-Deeks played the role of Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick in Ned: A New Australian Musical at Bendigo's Ulumbarra Theatre in 2015, and is featured on the show's Official Cast Recording.[14] He reprised the role in concert at The National Theatre, Melbourne in 2017.[15]

He played Chris Bean in the Australian production of The Play That Goes Wrong, and briefly reprised the role during the Australian tour of Peter Pan Goes Wrong in 2019.[16] In between, he toured nationally as Cassius in Bell Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.[17]

Simpson-Deeks has worked extensively with Watch This – a Melbourne-based theatre company dedicated exclusively to the work of Stephen Sondheim – starring in seven of their nine productions to date.[18]

In 2019 he received a Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actor in Musical Theatre for his performance in Falsettos at Melbourne's Chapel Off Chapel. He has been nominated for six Green Room Awards in total.[19]

In 2023, he played the role of Mike Priddle in the Australian premiere of Ghost Stories, at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne.

Other work

Simpson-Deeks created the character of Daniel "Danno" Bookham for the popular educational video game Murder Under the Microscope, and played the role from 2007 to 2012.

In 2018, Simpson-Deeks was featured in the six-part web series Freudian Slip, alongside writer and commentator Benjamin Law.

Filmography

Film

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Roles Notes
2015 Home Theo Short film
2014 Dropbear Dad Short film
2012 Andy X Billy Name Short film
2011 The Cup Pat Smullen Feature film
2011 The Strange Calls Judd Short film
2010 After the Credits Passenger Short film
2003 Temptation Agent TV movie
2003 The Postcard Bandit Prison Guard Greg TV movie
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Television

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Roles Notes Ref
2023 The Newsreader Paul TV series: 4 episodes
2023 Utopia (Australian TV series) Bryce TV series 1 episode
2023 Deadloch James King TV series, 6 episodes [20]
2021 Five Bedrooms Roger TV series, 1 episode
2018 Freudian Slip Jacob's Super Ego TV series, 7 episodes
2011-14 Winners & Losers Rhys Mitchell TV series, 18 episodes
2014 Fat Tony & Co. Bruno Rich TV miniseries, 3 episodes
2013 Mr & Mrs Murder Tyler Betts TV series, 1 episode
2012 The Strange Calls Nick TV series, 1 episode
2010 City Homicide Lleyton Brenner TV series, 1 episode
2007-10 The Circuit Archie McMahon TV series, 11 episodes [21]
2009 Stormworld Apssed TV series, 13 episodes
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Video game

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Roles Notes
2007–12Murder Under the MicroscopeDaniel 'Danno' BookhamEducational video game
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Theatre

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Roles Notes
2000RoadBrink / Mr Iger / Tom Stanley / BlowpipeNIDA Parade Theatre
2000Masurca FogoDancerSydney Olympic Arts Festival
2000A Midsummer Night’s DreamEgeus / PuckNIDA Parade Theatre with Night Sky Productions
2001Kiss Me, KateNIDA Parade Theatre
2002Falling on My Left Ear: A Show about George WallaceYoung George WallaceRailway Street Theatre Company
2003AwayTom / RickRailway Street Theatre Company
2004Dot by Dot with SondheimLoverCabaret @ Bar Me
2004Into the WoodsRapunzel's Prince
2004Embalmer! The MusicalCraigNaked Theatre Company
2005In the Raw: The Windows ProjectNickDarlinghurst Theatre
2005HandbagPhilSeymour Centre with Focus Theatre Company
2005Somewhere: The Magical Musical of PenrithSamQ Theatre
2005Much Ado About NothingClaudio / DogberryNight Sky Productions
2005RosieWilly / Louie / Rita etcIndependent Theatre, Sydney[22]
2006The Paper WallTroy
2006Little Black BookMick
2006A Midsummer Night’s DreamLysander
2007Floyd CollinsSkeets MillerAngel Place City Recital Hall, Sydney Theatre with Kookaburra Musical Theatre
2007Twelfth NightFeste
2008The TurningVic LangPlayhouse, Perth with Perth Theatre Company for Perth International Arts Festival
2008Risky Lunar LoveRabbitCarriageWorks, Sydney with 504 Producers
2009Jerry Springer the OperaEnsembleSydney Opera House for Sydney Festival
2009Jersey BoysFrankie Valli (alternative)Princess Theatre, Melbourne with New Theatricals
2010The Shakespeare RevueVarious
2013–14AssassinsThe Balladeer / Lee Harvey OswaldFortyfivedownstairs, West Gippsland Arts Centre with Watch This
2014The ParricideKolya / MityaLa Mama
2014Pacific OverturesManjirōTheatre Works, Melbourne with Watch This
2015Sweet PhoebeFraserBasement Theatre, Auckland with Both Sides Now Theatre Company
2015/17Ned: A New Australian MusicalConstable Alexander FitzpatrickUlumbarra Theatre, Bendigo with Groaning Dam Productions, National Theatre, Melbourne
2015–16CompanyRobertFortyfivedownstairs, Geelong Arts Centre, Her Majesty's Theatre, Ballarat, West Gippsland Arts Centre with Watch This
2016/18ElegyIraqi refugee (solo performer)Gasworks Melbourne, Stratford Courthouse Theatre Melbourne, West Gippsland Arts Centre, Ararat Performing Arts Centre, Her Majesty's Theatre Ballarat, Geelong Arts Centre with Lab Kelpie
2017The Play That Goes WrongChris BeanComedy Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Roslyn Packer Theatre, Canberra Theatre, Concert Hall QPAC, His Majesty's Theatre Perth with Mischief Theatre[23]
2018FalsettosMendelChapel Off Chapel with StageArt
2018Julius CaesarCassiusAustralian tour with Bell Shakespeare[24]
2018A Little Night MusicDirector / AssistantNational Theatre, Melbourne with Watch This
2019Sunday in the Park with GeorgeGeorgeSouthbank Theatre with Watch This[25]
2019Peter Pan Goes WrongChris BeanAustralian tour
2021The Art of Making ArtOnline
2022Into the WoodsWolf / Cinderella's PrinceArts House Meat Market, Melbourne with Watch This[26]
2022Ghost StoriesMike PriddleMelbourne Athenaeum with Realscape Productions[27]
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[28]

Awards and nominations

More information Year, Award ...
Year Award Category Work Result
2006 Mike Walsh Fellowship Award Award for Acting Won
2007 Macquarie Bank Youth Award Award for Screenwriting Won
2009 West Australian Screen Awards Best Actor (Short Film) Shades of Grey Nominated
2013 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre)[29] Assassins Nominated
2014 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre)[30] Pacific Overtures Nominated
2015 Green Room Awards Leading Actor (Musical Theatre)[31] Company Nominated
2019 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre)[32] Falsettos Won
2021 Green Room Awards Celebration of Online Performance*[33] The Art of Making Art Nominated
2022 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre)[34] Into the Woods Nominated
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*Nominated with Sonya Suares, Nick McInerney, Dean Drieberg and Mel Hillman

References

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