Terry Serio

Film and television

Serio's breakout role was as the lead, Mike in the 1982 Australian culture action film Running on Empty, alongside Max Cullen and Penne Hackforth-Jones. Early roles in the film With Prejudice (1983) and TV films High Country (1983) and Rooted (1985) followed. In 1986 he played the lead in biographical miniseries Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe (for which he received AFI nomination for Best Actor) and in 1987 he played Franco in miniseries Fields of Fire.^[2]

Numerous guest roles in television series followed, including Rafferty's Rules, The Flying Doctors, A Country Practice, Chances, Phoenix and Police Rescue. In 1995, he played the recurring role of Captain Sam Phillips in thirteen episodes of Ocean Girl, before taking on further guest roles in Heartbreak High, G.P., Flipper, Fallen Angels, Wildside, All Saints, Stingers and Blue Heelers.

Television guest appearances continued into the 2000s, with Halifax f.p., Farscape, Water Rats, The Secret Life of Us, Young Lions, McLeod's Daughters, Home and Away, Blue Water High and Stupid, Stupid Man. Later television credits have included Underbelly, Rake and The Letdown. He had recurring roles as Terry Renner in legal series Janet King and Carmine in drama series The Secret Daughter.^[3]

Serio's film roles have included 1995 thriller Back of Beyond, 1997 family adventure comedy Joey and 2001 comedy/drama He Died With a Felafel in his Hand, starring Noah Taylor. He also appeared in the TV movie Heroes' Mountain (2002) based on the true story of the Thredbo tragedy and survival of Stuart Diver, starring Craig McLachlan. The same year, he appeared in 2002 crime comedy Dirty Deeds opposite an all-star cast including Bryan Brown, Toni Collette, Sam Neill, Sam Worthington and John Goodman.

In 2005, Serio starred in Little Fish, alongside Cate Blanchett, Sam Neill and Hugo Weaving and in 2009, he appeared in the TV movie A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne, based on a true story. In 2010 he was in 33 Postcards, alongside Guy Pearce and Claudia Karvan. His most recent film appearance was in the 2021 LGBTQIA film We All Lie My Darling.

Since 2011, Serio has been teaching Screen Acting at The Actors Pulse.^[4]

Theatre

Serio has also worked in theatre, both nationally and internationally, with roles in Rasputin, Hair, The Threepenny Opera, Blasted, 4.48 Psychosis, Summer Rain, Concussion, Under Ice and Way to Heaven at the Griffin Theatre. He notably played the roles of former prime ministers Bob Hawke and John Howard in the Belvoir musical Keating!, earning him the 2007 Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical.^[5]

His radio show Stagefright on the cult radio station FBi 94.5FM has also been successful on the Sydney theatre scene.^[6]

Music

Serio is also an accomplished musician and singer/songwriter. He was a member of The Elks from 1976 to 1978. They released several albums and performed throughout Sydney and Melbourne.^[7]

In 1991, he was part of a twelve-piece country band, The Honky Tonk Angels, with fellow actors Justine Clarke, Lo Carmen, Noah Taylor and Kym Wilson as well as Monica McMahon and musical director Peter Head (Carmen's father). Guest performers included Robyn Archer and Tex Perkins. They performed in Sydney and Melbourne and appeared live on Tonight Live with Steve Vizard, but disbanded in 1992 without recording.^[8][9]

More recently, Serio has played in the country band urban roots band Ministry of Truth, which he formed in Sydney's Surry Hills together with Jon Schofield from Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls. They performed at the Illawarra Folk Festival and Gulgong Folk Festival in 2014 and 2015, and have also recorded. The current sound and lineup was established early in 2010 and they still currently perform.^[10] He is also in Sydney band Oh Reach.^[11]

Film

Television

As actor

As director

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