Toby Schmitz

Theatre

Schmitz has performed in numerous stage productions for Sydney Theatre Company,^[7] Company B at Belvoir St Theatre and Griffin Theatre Company.^[8] His STC credits include The School for Scandal directed by Judy Davis and the premiere and national tour of David Williamson's The Great Man directed by Robyn Nevin. He has also had leading roles in George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara, Andrew Upton's Hanging Man, Tony McNamara's The Great, Nina Raine's Rabbit and Tom Stoppard's Travesties. Several of these productions toured interstate.^[9]

Schmitz appeared in the 2000 premiere of Brendan Cowell’s Men for Rogue Star Productions at Sydney's Old Fitzroy Theatre. Cowell, on the search for a “suave and cocky” actor, cast Schmitz in the play after encountering him at an STC audition, marking the beginning of regular collaborations,^[10] including Schmitz appearing in a lead role in Cowell's Self Esteem in 2007 and playing the title role in Ruben Guthrie for Company B in 2008 and 2009.^[9]

For Griffin Theatre Company, Schmitz played the central role of Luke Boyce in Louis Nowra's The Boyce Trilogy – The Woman with Dog's Eyes (2004),^[11] The Marvellous Boy (2005)^[12] and The Emperor of Sydney (2006),^[13] all directed by David Berthold.^[13]

In 2009, Schmitz played the role of Coleman in The Lonesome West at Belvoir.^[1] He then played the eponymous character Hamlet in the successful 2010 La Boite Theatre production in Brisbane, directed by David Berthold.^[14]

Schmitz played the lead role of Elyot Chase in Noël Coward's Private Lives, to packed audiences in Sydney and Canberra in 2012.^[15] The same year, he appeared in Strange Interlude,^[9] before once again playing the title role in Hamlet in 2013. That same year, he appeared opposite Tim Minchin in a Sydney Theatre Company production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.^[9][4] The pair had previously appeared together in a 1996 university production of the play, albeit in minor roles.^[7]

In 2015, Schmitz appeared in Andrew Upton's adaptation of Chekhov's play Platonov, titled The Present, for Sydney Theatre Company, opposite Cate Blanchett, Jacqueline McKenzie, Marshall Napier and Richard Roxburgh. In 2016, the production moved to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York City for the Broadway debut of Schmitz and the rest of the cast.^[16]

In 2022, Schmitz took on the role of Benedick in Bell Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Later that year and into 2023, he began playing Emperor Joseph II, alongside Michael Sheen as Salieri, in a production of Amadeus at the Sydney Opera House. For one performance in January, he played the role of Salieri.^[17]

Schmitz played the dual roles of Dad and Crow in his adaptation of Grief Is the Thing with Feathers for Belvoir.^[18] It won awards for Best New Australian Work and Best Mainstage Production at the Sydney Theatre Awards.^[19] while Schmitz was also nominated for Best Performance in a Leading Role in a Mainstage Production.^[19] In February 2026, Schmitz began appearing opposite Damon Herriman and Richard Roxburgh, as Yvan in the comic Yasmina Reza play Art, which is currently touring nationally.^[20]

Television

Schmitz's first television appearance was in the drama series Sweat in 1996, playing the role of Cameron, opposite Heath Ledger and Martin Henderson.^{[citation needed]}

Beginning in 2004, Schmitz had a lead role as Gabe Francobelli in short-lived series The Cooks.^[21][22] In 2010, he scored a role in the Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks-produced war drama miniseries The Pacific.^[23]

In 2011, Schmitz appeared in the third instalment of the Underbelly Files series of telemovies, titled The Man Who Got Away, portraying the lead role of notorious drug smuggler and organised crime figurehead David McMillan.^[24] The same year, he played the part of Barry Humphries, opposite Asher Keddie as Ita Buttrose, in two-part miniseries Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo.^[25] Schmitz then teamed up with Angus Sampson in 2012, for Season 1 of the Australian word game Randling, hosted by Andrew Denton on ABC1.^[26][27]

In 2014, Schmitz joined an ensemble cast in Starz American action-adventure series Black Sails, as historical pirate John Rackham.^[28] The series was written to be a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island.^[29] He played the role for all four seasons of the series.^[28] In 2017, he starred opposite Claudia Karvan in the ABC legal drama Newton's Law,^[1] portraying Lewis Hughes.^[30]

In 2020, Schmitz had a recurring role as John in Bloom.^[31] The same year, he was in miniseries Reckoning, playing opposite Sam Trammell and Aden Young as John Ainsworth.^[32] In 2021, he featured in Mexican horror S.O.Z. Soldados o Zombies^{[citation needed]} and the following year appeared in the first season of 2022 series The Twelve, playing the role of Otto Bell.^[33]

In 2024, Schmitz played corrupt detective Tim Cotton, opposite Simon Baker, Bryan Brown, Travis Fimmel and Phoebe Tonkin in miniseries Boy Swallows Universe, based on Trent Dalton's 2018 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name.^[34]

Schmitz's other television credits include McLeod's Daughters, The Heartbreak Tour, White Collar Blue, Water Rats, Fat Cow Motel, Home and Away and Temptation.^[23]

Film

Schmitz's has also appeared in numerous films. His early roles included 2002 short film Heaven with Rose Byrne^{[citation needed]} and 2003 comedy The Rage in Placid Lake opposite Ben Lee and reuniting with Byrne.^[35] In 2004, he had a minor role in romantic drama Somersault with Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington,^[36] and played Gary opposite Matthew Newton and Ewen Leslie in Right Here Right Now, which he also co-wrote and co-produced, together with Newton.^[37]

In 2006, Schmitz played the role of Trent in Solo, opposite Colin Friels and Vince Colosimo.^[38][23] He then reunited with Matthew Newton and Ewen Leslie in 2008 film Three Blind Mice.^[39] The film played at numerous international film festivals and won awards including the 11th FIPRESCI International Critics Award at the London Film Festival.^[40]

In 2010, Schmitz appeared in romantic superhero comedy/drama film Griff the Invisible opposite Ryan Kwanten.^[41] The following year he played lead character and narrator Goodchild in LBF (an acronym for 'Living Between Fucks').^[42]

Writing and directing

Schmitz is also a playwright. After a solid grounding in writing revue and stand-up comedy at university in Perth, Schmitz wrote his first play, dreamalittledreamalittle, while studying acting at NIDA. It was presented there in 1998^[43] and was later restaged at Belvoir St Theatre.^[9]

In 2000, Schmitz directed a production of Howard Korder's Boys' Life at Sydney's Bondi Pavilion for the Sydney Fringe Festival.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, Schmitz won Sydney Theatre Company's Patrick White Playwrights' Award with his play Lucky, which was later produced by the Australian Theatre for Young People.^[6][4] His play Chicks Will Dig You! was performed as part of Company B's 2003 B Sharp season and won the Australian National Playwrights' Centre's New Dramatists Award in 2004.^[6] It was also shortlisted for the 2003 Philip Parsons Young Playwrights Award.^[4]

Schmitz reunited with Tim Minchin in 2004, when his satirical Christmas pantomime This Blasted Earth (co-written with actor Travis Cotton) was staged at Sydney's Old Fitzroy Hotel.^[4] The same year, Australian film Right Here Right Now was released, which Schmitz co-wrote with Matthew Newton.^[44]

In 2007, Schmitz wrote and directed Capture the Flag for Tamarama Rock Surfers.^[6] He later toured a production of the play nationally with Playwriting Australia in 2011.^[6] In 2008, he directed Neil LaBute's This Is How It Goes, at Sydney's Darlinghurst Theatre, to critical acclaim.^[6] In 2012, his play I Want to Sleep with Tom Stoppard was a hit at Bondi Pavilion.^[4] The following year, Melbourne's Malthouse Theatre staged a production of The Dragon, Schmitz's adaptation of an Evgeny Schwartz fable.^[4]

Schmitz's other plays include Fifteen and Then Some, Pan, Cunt Pi, and A Christmas Miracle with Music.^[6] His play Grazing the Phosphorus was commissioned by the National Institute of Dramatic Art.^{[citation needed]}

In 2017, Schmitz directed the premiere of Louis Nowra’s This Much is True at Sydney's Old Fitz Theatre to critical acclaim.^[6] In 2025, together with Cowell and Ewen Leslie, Schmitz devised and starred in Hamlet Camp at Carriageworks, a play exploring the 'baggage' of actors who have played Hamlet.^[10] The same year, he adapted a production of Grief Is the Thing with Feathers together with Simon Phillips for Belvoir.^[18]

Schmitz's first novel, The Empress Murders, was published by Allen & Unwin in 2025.^[45]

Film

Television

Video game

As actor

As director / writer