Syd Brisbane
Australian actor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Syd Brisbane is an Australian actor.
Silent Partner (2001)
Syd Brisbane | |
|---|---|
| Education | Flinders University Drama Centre (1983) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Notable work | Epsilon (1995) Silent Partner (2001) |
Early life and education
Brisbane undertook his formal training at the Flinders University Drama Centre, in Adelaide,[1] graduating in 1983.[2]
Career
In 1990, Brisbane appeared in AFI Award-winning film Struck by Lightning[3][4] and miniseries Shadows of the Heart with Marcus Graham.[citation needed] He then had a role in 1992 TV sports drama miniseries Tracks of Glory, with Cameron Daddo and Richard Roxburgh.[5] He followed this with a role in 1993 independent film Bad Boy Bubby opposite Nicholas Hope.[6] That same year, he appeared opposite Russell Crowe in one of his early roles, in drama film Hammers Over the Anvil.[7]
In 1995, Brisbane starred as 'The Man' in Australian-Italian sci-fi film Epsilon (aka Alien Visitor) directed by Rolf de Heer.[8][9][10] He also featured in 1998 romantic comedy Dead Letter Office with Miranda Otto,[11][12] before playing a customs official in The Missing the following year.[13]
In 2001, Brisbane co-starred with David Field in comedy drama film Silent Partner, in the role of Bill.[14][15] He appeared opposite Nathan Phillips in two films in 2004 – comedy adventure Under the Radar[16] and drama One Perfect Day.[17] A role in TV movie Little Oberon followed in 2005, where he played opposite Sigrid Thornton.[18] In 2006, he played the role of Jeff in comedy feature BoyTown, alongside Glenn Robbins and Mick Molloy.[19] The following year he featured in docudrama film Boxing Day.[20]
In 2012, Brisbane played the part of Gavin 'Cheesy' Cheeseman in Beaconsfield, a TV movie based on the true story of Brant Webb and Todd Russell, who were trapped nearly a kilometre below the surface in a mining disaster.[21] The same year, he had a recurring role as Repro in miniseries Conspiracy 365.[22]
Brisbane played the role of Ben in 2014 crime film Cut Snake, alongside Sullivan Stapleton and Jessica De Gouw.[23] That same year, he had a role as Smythe in Fell, with Daniel Henshall and Jacqueline McKenzie.[24] A part in comedy film Sucker with Timothy Spall and Shaun Micallef followed,[25] as well as the recurring role of Mr Norris, school maths teacher and year head, in children's series Worst Year of My Life Again.[26] He then appeared in the 2016 sequel to Red Dog, family film Red Dog: True Blue, with Jason Isaacs, Levi Miller and Bryan Brown.[27]
In 2020, Brisbane acted in a recurring capacity in drama miniseries Stateless, with Yvonne Strahovski, Cate Blanchett and Jai Courtenay.[28] In 2022, Brisbane was announced as part of the cast for season two of ABC comedy series Aftertaste, in which he played the role of Terry, opposite Erik Thomson and Rachel Griffiths.[29][30] He also played Mark in 2022 Paramount+ drama series More Than This.[31] Most recently, he was named in the cast for the 2026 second season of Amazon Prime black comedy mystery series Deadloch.[32] He is also set to appear in upcoming Stan original series Gnomes, starring Asa Butterfield.[33]
Brisbane has also worked extensively in theatre. In 1998, he performed in a production of The Europeans for Sydney's Wharf Theatre in 1998[34][35] and in Blue Remembered Hills for Belvoir Street Theatre in 2001.[36] In 2012 he performed in a staging of Unpack This! at Subiaco Arts Centre,[37] In 2016, he played the role of Manuel in a national touring production of Fawlty Towers, which was adapted for the stage by John Cleese.[38][39]
Brisbane co-founded theatre production company The Rabble in Melbourne 2006.[40]
Awards
| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Ryan | Green Room Awards | Best Male Performer – Independent Theatre | Nominated | [41] |
| 2024 | Animal Farm | Green Room Awards | Best Performer | Nominated | [42] |
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Shadows of the Heart | Johnny | 2 episodes | |
| 1992 | Tracks of Glory | Larrikan | 2 episodes | [5] |
| 1994 | The Battlers | Smith | ||
| 1995 | Correlli | Steve | 1 episode | |
| 1997 | We Are Angels | Father | 6 episodes | |
| 1998–2001 | Blue Heelers | Various characters | 2 episodes | [43][44] |
| 1999–2002 | Stingers | Various characters | 4 episodes | |
| 2001 | Horace and Tina | Mr Wilson | 1 episode | [45] |
| 2002 | Shock Jock | Chip | 1 episode | |
| The Secret Life of Us | Foreman | 1 episode | [46] | |
| 2003 | MDA | Scott Watts | 1 episode | [47] |
| McLeod's Daughters | Ben | 1 episode | [48] | |
| 2005 | Heartbreak Tour | Sergeant Falk | TV movie | |
| Little Oberon | Butcher | TV movie | [18] | |
| 2008 | The Saddle Club | Gus | 2 episodes | [49] |
| 2010 | City Homicide | Brian Hocking | 1 episode | [50] |
| 2012 | Conspiracy 365 | Repro | 4 episodes | [22] |
| Laid | Peter | 1 episode | [51] | |
| Beaconsfield | Gavin 'Cheesy' Cheeseman | TV movie | [21] | |
| 2013 | Nowhere Boys | Jim | 1 episode | [52] |
| Upper Middle Bogan | Farmer | 1 episode | [53] | |
| Mr & Mrs Murder | Lincoln | 1 episode | ||
| The Doctor Blake Mysteries | Stan Egan | 1 episode | [54] | |
| 2014 | Worst Year of My Life Again | Mr Quinnford Norris | 9 episodes | [26] |
| 2014; 2016 | Wentworth | Martin Tucker | 2 episodes | [55][56][57] |
| 2017 | The Ex-PM | Loins | 1 episode | [58] |
| True Story with Hamish & Andy | JJ | 1 episode | ||
| 2019 | Upright | Barry | 1 episode | [59] |
| The Inbestigators | Gary | 1 episode | [60] | |
| Glitch | Cam | 1 episode | [61] | |
| Bloom | Mayor Patrick Nemaric | 1 episode | [62] | |
| 2020 | Stateless | Teddy | 5 episodes | [28] |
| 2022 | Black Snow | Drinker | 1 episode | [63] |
| Shantaram | Foreperson | 1 episode | ||
| Aftertaste | Terry | 6 episodes | [29][30] | |
| More Than This | Mark | 2 episodes | [31] | |
| 2023 | Utopia | Foreman | 1 episode | [64] |
| 2024 | Buried | Nigel | 3 episodes | |
| High Country | Scooter | 5 episodes | ||
| 2026 | Deadloch | Roger | 6 episodes | [65][32] |
| TBA | Gnomes | [33] |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Struck by Lightning | Spencer | [3][4] | |
| 1993 | Bad Boy Bubby | Yobbo | [6] | |
| Hammers Over the Anvil | Duke | [7] | ||
| 1996 | Epsilon (aka Alien Visitor) | The Man | [8][10] | |
| 1997 | Kiss or Kill | Nikki's father | ||
| 1998 | Dead Letter Office | Kevin | [11][12] | |
| 1999 | The Missing | Customs Official | [13] | |
| 2001 | Silent Partner | Bill | [14] | |
| 2003 | The Legend of Matilda Dixon | Lowell Hansen | ||
| 2004 | Under the Radar | Garry | [16] | |
| Holly's Grail | Short film | |||
| One Perfect Day | Hamish | [17] | ||
| 2006 | The Amazing Adventures of Gavin, a Leafy Seadragon | Gavin (voice) | Short film | [66] |
| BoyTown | Jeff | [19] | ||
| The Cow Thief | Cow Thief | Short film | [67] | |
| 2007 | Boxing Day | Dave | [20] | |
| Let Me Not | Mr Lovett | |||
| 2008 | Why I Fired My Secretary | Kevin | Short film | |
| Hawker | Hawker | Short film | [68] | |
| 2009 | The Pistachio Effect | Kevin | Short film | [69] |
| 2010 | Agency Time | Van | Short film | |
| 2011 | Keeper | Beggar | Short film | |
| 2014 | Cut Snake | Ben | [23] | |
| Fell | Smythe | [24] | ||
| 2015 | Sucker | Micky | [25] | |
| 2016 | Red Dog: True Blue | Big John | [70][27] | |
| 2017 | The Knife Salesman | Tom | Short film | [71] |
| 2019 | Dirt Music | Chugger | ||
| 2022 | Sam and Sophie | Yelling Poet | Short film | [72] |
| 2023 | Related | Short film | ||
| 2026 | Silent Night | Brett (voice) | Short film | |
| TBA | The Busking Adventures of Violet and Sparkles | Luke | Short film – Completed | |
| TBA | Tone | The Coach | Short film – Post-production | |
| TBA | Who Needs Love Songs? | Post-production |
Theatre
As actor
As director
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Been So Long | Director | Bunka, Adelaide | [73] |
| 2006–2007 | Osama the Hero | Director | Old Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney, Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne with Tamarama Rock Surfers, La Mama & The Rabble | [97][73] |
| 2007 | Dreaming | Director | Illawarra Performing Arts Centre | [73] |
| 2023 | The Crucible | Co-Director | Melbourne Athenaeum with Australian Shakespeare Co | [73] |