Andrew McFarlane (Australian actor)
Andrew McFarlane | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 (age 74–75) Albany, Western Australia, Australia |
| Occupations | Actor, television presenter |
| Years active | 1971–present |
Andrew McFarlane (born 1951)[1] is an Australian actor with many stage, television, and film credits.
Early life and education
McFarlane was born in Albany, Western Australia.[2][3] The family moved to Brisbane in the 1960s, often taking long trips to Adelaide where his grandparents lived.[4] His father was a cattle drover and McFarlane accompanied him to far west Queensland, droving, when he was eleven.[4]
After the family relocated to Melbourne, McFarlane attended Camberwell Grammar School, where he was involved in school plays and school cadets.[2][3]
McFarlane studied a Bachelor of Dramatic Art majoring in Acting, at Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA),[5] graduating in 1973, alongside actress Tina Bursill.[6]
Crawfords police dramas Homicide and Matlock Police, McFarlane won a recurring role on Division 4, before joining World War II soap opera The Sullivans, as oldest son John Sullivan.[7] He left the series after eighteen months and in the storyline John was reported missing in action – the writers left his final fate unresolved, in the hope McFarlane would return to the show. He returned to the role in the TV movie spinoff The John Sullivan Story.[8] The role gained McFarlane a Sammy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series in 1977.[9]
In 1977, McFarlane appeared in the Walt Disney family film Harness Fever, as Teddy's older brother Doone Boyd.[10][11] It was released in UK cinemas in 1977[12] and again in mid 1978,[13] under the name Born to Run. It wasn't released in Australia however, until 1979.[14] The same year, it was split into two parts and shown on American television on NBC's The Wonderful World of Disney.[15]
From 1979 to 1983, McFarlane had a lead role opposite Robert Coleby in action drama series Patrol Boat, as Lieutenant David Keating.[8][10] During this time, he also appeared alongside an all-star cast in the 1982 World War I miniseries 1915, as Robert Gillen. A big budget production, the series was sold to over 40 countries, creating a demand for Australian programming in the US.[10][16]
McFarlane took the lead role of Dr Tom Callaghan in the miniseries The Flying Doctors in 1985,[8] reprising the role in the ongoing series that followed. He left the series after 16 episodes, at the height of its popularity in September 1986,[17] but returned in the fifth season in August 1989 for a further 37 episodes,[18] through to 1991.[19] He also appeared in Rafferty's Rules as Police Prosecutor Gibson in 1988.[7]
From 1995 to 1997, McFarlane had a regular role in children's fantasy adventure series Spellbinder, as Paul's widowed father and scientist, Dr Brian Reynolds.[20][10] He also had a recurring role in New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, as Bobby Wrightman jr in 1996, before playing Jeff Scheppers in teen series Heartbreak High the following year.[10]
McFarlane began a long-running presenting role on children's series Play School in 2000,[21] with a tenure of over 25 years to date. He then took on two soap opera characters, playing Ian Osbourne, the father of Tasha Andrews in Home and Away in 2004[7] and Izzy Hoyland's father, Bobby Hoyland in Neighbours in 2005.[7] He also played Hugh Delaney in the drama series The Alice from 2005 to 2006.[10]
In 2009, McFarlane portrayed prominent Australian anti-drugs campaigner and murder victim Donald Mackay in the second season of the Underbelly franchise, Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities.[21] He appeared in a musical for the first time in 2010, in Fame – The Musical at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney.[22]
In 2014, McFarlane had a supporting role as Jim Miller in period drama series Love Child.[23] He also had a recurring role, playing against type, as nefarious Dr Milson in post-war drama series A Place to Call Home.[24] That same year, McFarlane played paedophile priest Father Marco Andrassi in the Foxtel miniseries Devil's Playground, alongside Toni Collette and Simon Burke. The series was devised as a sequel to the 1976 Fred Schepisi film of the same name, which also starred Burke.[25] His portrayal earned him a win at the ASTRA Awards for Most Outstanding Performance in a TV Drama and an AACTA Award nomination for Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama.[10][26]
McFarlane next appeared as Dick Hibey in American political drama feature Truth, opposite Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett.[27] The same year, he had a starring role in ABC's six-part supernatural drama series Glitch,[28] portraying Vic Eastley. In 2016, he followed this with a main role as corrupt politician Geoff Matthews in Cleverman[29] and regular parts in both The Code as Neil, and eight-part crime series Hyde & Seek as Stuart Flanagan.[30] He then starred as Eric Whitley in Newton's Law in 2017.[10]
In 2019, McFarlane appeared alongside Anna Torv, in series Secret City, as Air Chief Marshall Lockwood, a character involved in a political cover-up.[31] 2023 saw McFarlane perform in a Sydney Theatre Company production of Hubris & Humiliation which earned him a win for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Mainstage Production at the Sydney Theatre Awards.[32] In 2025, he reunited with Torv in drama series The Newsreader, playing the recurring role of media mogul Richard Bertrand.[33][34]
Most recently, McFarlane has starred in 2025 American miniseries Spartacus: House of Ashur, portraying Gabinius,[35] a corrupt Roman senator.[36] He played Charles Mallory in David Williamson's The Social Ladder at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre from January to March 2026.[37]
Personal life
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Sammy Award | Best Supporting Actor in a TV series | The Sullivans | Won | [9] |
| 2014 | ASTRA Award | Most Outstanding Performance in a TV Drama | Devil's Playground | Won | [10][26] |
| 2015 | AACTA Award | Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Nominated | [10][26] | |
| 2023 | Sydney Theatre Award | Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Mainstage Production | Hubris & Humiliation | Won | [32] |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Break of Day | Tom Cooper | Feature film | [38] |
| 1981 | Doctors & Nurses | Milligan | Feature film | |
| 1985 | I Can't Get Started | Freddy | Feature film | |
| 1988 | Boulevard of Broken Dreams | Jonathan Lovell | Feature film | |
| 2007 | Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance | Trevor Morgan | Feature film | |
| 2009 | Bourke Boy | John | Short film | [39] |
| 2012 | Shadow Valley | Pastor Todd | Short film | |
| 2015 | Truth | Dick Hibey | Feature film | [27] |
| Library of Love | The Duke | Short film | [26] | |
| 2018 | Joy Boy | Pastor Ted | Short film | [40] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Homicide | Man | 1 episode | |
| 1974 | Matlock Police | Ben Reid | Episode: "Poppy & the Closet Junkie" | |
| Rush | Drake | Episode: "Lament the Days That Are Gone By" | ||
| 1974–1975 | Division 4 | Constable Roger Wilson | Recurring role | |
| 1975 | Certain Women | Leigh Sheldon | 1 episode | |
| Behind the Legend | 1 episode | |||
| 1976–1982 | The Sullivans | John Sullivan | Recurring role | [7] |
| 1977 | Born to Run (aka Harness Fever) | Doone Boyd | TV film | [11] |
| 1978 | Case for the Defence | Johnny | Episode: "Made for Each Other" | |
| 1979 | The John Sullivan Story | John Sullivan | TV film | [8] |
| 1979–1983 | Patrol Boat | Lieutenant David Keating | Main role, 26 episodes | [8] |
| 1981 | Cop Shop | Graham Carter / 'Fancy' Phil Burns | 4 episodes | |
| 1982 | 1915 | Robert Gillen | Miniseries, 5 episodes | [10][16] |
| 1985 | The Flying Doctors | Dr. Tom Callaghan | Miniseries, 3 episodes | |
| 1986–1991 | Main role, 71 episodes | |||
| 1988 | Barracuda (aka The Rocks) | Det Sgt Mark Castelli | TV film | |
| Rafferty's Rules | Gibson | 10 episodes | ||
| 1993 | Time Trax | George Whitman | Episode: "Fire & Ice" | |
| Paradise Beach | Gordon | |||
| G.P. | Malcolm Henderson | Episode: "Living with the Past" | ||
| 1994 | Halifax f.p. | Owen Toser | Episode: "Acts of Betrayal" | |
| 1995–1996 | Spellbinder | Dr Brian Reynolds | Main role, 26 episodes | [20] |
| 1996 | Shortland Street | Bobby Wrightman jr | 18 episodes | |
| Little White Lies | Mark Lynch | TV film | ||
| 1997 | Heartbreak High | Jeff Scheppers | Recurring role, 5 episodes | |
| 1998 | The Violent Earth | Tom Sutton | Miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| The Day of the Roses | Public Servant | Miniseries, 2 episodes | ||
| 1999 | All Saints | David Miller | Episodes: "Truth & Consequences: Part 1 & 2" | |
| Murder Call | Adrian MacKerras | Episode: "Dead Offerings" | ||
| Blue Heelers | Mark Powers | Episode: "The Price of Silence" | ||
| Airtight | Conrad | TV film | ||
| 2000 | Tales of the South Seas | Miniseries, 1 episode | ||
| 2000; 2001 | Water Rats | Patrick Kernaghan / Doug McLaren | 2 episodes | |
| 2000–2025 | Play School | Host | [21] | |
| 2002 | Heroes' Mountain | Mike Sodergren | TV film | |
| Crash Palace | Prosecutor | 1 episode | ||
| 2003 | Tempted | Mike | TV film | |
| 2004 | The Alice | Hugh Delaney | TV film | |
| Through My Eyes | John Phillips Q.C. | Miniseries, 2 episodes | ||
| Home and Away | Ian Osbourne | 2 episodes | ||
| 2005 | Neighbours | Bobby Hoyland | Recurring role, 20 episodes | |
| Blue Water High | Warren | Episode: "Timing is Everything" | ||
| 2005–2006 | The Alice | Hugh Delaney | Miniseries, main role, 22 episodes | |
| 2008 | Emerald Falls | Dr. Henry Forbes | TV film | |
| Dream Life | Daniel | TV film | ||
| 2009 | Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities | Donald Mackay | 1 episode | [21] |
| 2012 | Singapore 1942 End of Empire | Lt. Colonel Ian Stewart | Documentary | |
| Guess How Much I Love You | Big Nutbrown Hare / Otter (voice) | Animated series, episode: "Treasure Hunt" | ||
| 2014 | Rake | Marriage Priest | 1 episode | |
| Love Child | Jim Millar | Season 1, 3 episodes | ||
| Janet King | Keith Nelson | 3 episodes | ||
| A Place to Call Home | Dr. Milson | 4 episodes | [24] | |
| Devil's Playground | Father Marco Andrassi | Miniseries ASTRA Award for Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor |
[25] | |
| 2015–2017 | Glitch | Vic Eastley | 8 episodes | [28] |
| 2016 | Black Comedy | Guest | Episode 2.4 | |
| Cleverman | Geoff Matthews | Main role, 6 episodes | [29] | |
| The Code | Neil | Regular role, 6 episodes | ||
| Hyde & Seek | Stuart Flanagan | Minister, 3 episodes | [30] | |
| 2017 | Newton's Law | Eric Whitley Q.C. | Miniseries, main role, 8 episodes | [10] |
| Seven Types of Ambiguity | Donald Sheere | Miniseries, 3 episodes | ||
| Pulse | Mack | 2 episodes | ||
| 2018 | Riot | Neville Wran | TV film | |
| 2019 | Secret City: Under the Eagle | Air Chief Marshal Wes Lockwood | 6 episodes | [31] |
| 2020 | Between Two Worlds | Gareth König | 3 episodes | |
| 2022 | It's Fine I'm Fine | Henry | 1 episode | |
| 2023 | The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart | Dr. Harris | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| Mother and Son | Principal Worstin | 1 episode | ||
| 2025 | The Newsreader | Richard Bertrand | 5 episodes | [33][34] |
| My Life Is Murder | Graydon | 2 episodes | ||
| 2025–2026 | Spartacus: House of Ashur | Gabinius | 10 episodes | [41] |
Theatre
Radio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Amadeus | Antonio Salieri | 4MBSFM | [10] |
References
- ↑ Westin, Josefin (19 December 2022). "Så ser skådespelarna i Doktorn kan komma ut nu". Femina.
- 1 2 3 Playing it straight, 5 October 2006. Keksle75.de, Retrieved 21 June 2015
- 1 2 3 "What I Know About Women", Sunday Life magazine, The Age, 21 June 2015, p. 30
- 1 2 "Andrew McFarlane". timetoroam.com.au. 30 September 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "All Alumni". National Institute of Dramatic Art. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- ↑ "The Alice: characters". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "1977 – Andrew McFarlane". 1 September 2007. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Andrew takes off in new mini-series". TV Week. 4 February 1984. p. 27.
- 1 2 "Crawford Productions – Awards". Crawford Productions. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 "Andrew McFarlane" (PDF). productionshowcast.blob.core.windows.net. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Born to Run". ozmovies.com.au. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ "A treat for the kids in Disney's latest cartoon adventure", Aldershot News, 16 December 1977
- ↑ "Holidaytime magic at the box office", Greenford and Northolt Gazette, 28 July 1978
- ↑ Groves, Ron (1 April 1979), "It's the waiting game...", The Sydney Morning Herald
- ↑ "Colt's Victory is Vital", Hickory Daily Record, 23 March 1979
- 1 2 "ABC's 50th Anniversary – and 1915". televisionau.com. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ Zachariah, Amanda (6 September 1986). "Tears for Dr Tom". TV Week. pp. 4–5.
- ↑ Camp, Chrissie (5 August 1989). "'It's great to be back'". TV Week. p. 11.
- ↑ Devlyn, Darren (6 July 1991). "Look who's back in town!". TV Week. p. 4.
- 1 2 "Spellbinder I: cast". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Andrew McFarlane (Donald Mackay)". Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ↑ "News Local Newspapers North Shore Sydney". Mosman-daily.whereilive.com.au. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ↑ "Love Child: cast". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- 1 2 Devlyn, Darren (6 May 2014). "No more Mr Nice Guy: Andrew McFarlane in brutal electroshock scenes in A Place to Call Home". news.com.au. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- 1 2 Gunn, Nikole (5 October 2014). "The Devil in the Playground: Andrew McFarlane by @NikoleGunn @Foxtel @ShowcaseAus". Mosman-daily.whereilive.com.au. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 "Romantic comedy Library of Love launches crowdfunding campaign". cinemaaustralia.com.au. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Truth". sonyclassics.com. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Glitch breaks new ground for ABC TV". IF Magazine. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- 1 2 Hart, Nathan (17 July 2016). "Political Characters we Love to Hate". IF Magazine. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Hyde & Seek". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- 1 2 Knox, David (1 March 2019). "Andrew McFarlane in demand". TV Tonight. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- 1 2 Blake, Jason (29 January 2024). "The Winners: 2023 Sydney Theatre Awards announced". Limelight. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- 1 2 Knox, David (20 February 2025). "Who was the inspiration for The Newsreader's network boss?". TV Tonight. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- 1 2 "The Newsreader". tvguide.com. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ Betancourt, John Edward (23 September 2024). "STARZ Announces Additional Cast Members for 'Spartacus: House of Ashur'". nerdsthatgeek.com. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ Howie, Guy (6 December 2025). "Spartacus: House of Ashur Cast & Character Guide". screenrant.com. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ "On the Couch with Andrew McFarlane". artsreview.com.au. 29 January 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ "Break of Day (1976)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- ↑ "Bourke Boy (2009)". aso.gov.au. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- ↑ "Joy Boy (2018)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- ↑ Flook, Ray (14 July 2025). "STARZ's Spartacus: House of Ashur is Bringing The Arena to SDCC 2025". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 15 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 "Andrew McFarlane". AusStage. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ "Scarlett O'Hara at the Crimson Parrot". Melbourne Theatre Company. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ Car, Sean (16 May 2012). "Local News: The Arts". southbanklocalnews.com.au. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ Aouf, Rima Sabina (11 February 2013). "Dreams in White – Griffin Theatre Co". concreteplayground.com. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ Joske, Sophie (8 August 2014). "Andrew McFarlane Searches for the Inner Life". www.outinperth.com. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "Quartet". Queensland Theatre. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ Swain, Sarah (14 July 2016). "Bronwyn Bishop and Tony Abbot's downfalls highlights of new politics play". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "Griffin Theatre Company Season 2020". stagewhispers.com.au. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "Feature: Meet the Cast of Grand Horizons". sydneytheatre.com.au. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "Love Letters" (PDF). Ensemble Theatre. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "The Talented Mr. Ripley: Meet the Cast". sydneytheatre.com.au. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "The Social Ladder". Ensemble Theatre. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
External links
- 20th-century Australian male actors
- 21st-century Australian LGBTQ people
- 21st-century Australian male actors
- Australian children's television presenters
- Australian gay actors
- Australian male film actors
- Australian male stage actors
- Australian male television actors
- Australian male voice actors
- Living people
- People from Albany, Western Australia