David Joseph Campbell OAM (born 6 August 1973) is an Australian singer, actor, and TV personality. He is best known as the host of Nine Network's breakfast TV program Today Extra with Sylvia Jeffreys, and as a multi-platinum-selling recording artist.[1] He is the son of singer Jimmy Barnes.[2]
Campbell began working professionally in Australia in 1993, after extensive training in youth theatre, during which he won an Australia Day award for his contribution to youth stars.[3] Campbell attracted attention in Sydney with his role in the hit Australian play Relative Merits.[3]
In 1995, Campbell starred in the revival of Alex Harding's musical, Only Heaven Knows, for which he was nominated for a MO Award for Best Musical Theatre Performer of the Year.[3]
In 1997, Campbell travelled to New York and performed in the Tony Award-winning Love! Valor! Compassion!.[3][4][5]
Campbell appeared in Les Misérables in the role of Marius.[6] Campbell won the MO Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and New York Backstage Bistro Award as Outstanding Vocalist of the Year.[3]
Campbell also performed in South Pacific, Guys and Dolls – and in Hey, Mr. Producer!. In 2000, he provided the singing voice for the character Joseph in DreamWorks Animation's direct-to-video film Joseph: King of Dreams. He appeared as Jimmy opposite Kristin Chenoweth in a demo workshop of Thoroughly Modern Millie.
In 2001, Campbell appeared in the Australian musical Shout! The Legend of The Wild One, the story of rocker Johnny O'Keefe.[6][7] Since 2001 he has made occasional stage appearances in Australia, in musicals such as Carousel,[8] Sunset Boulevard,[9] and Company.[10] His performance in Sunset Boulevard earned Campbell the award for Best Male Actor in a Musical at the 6th Helpmann Awards.[11]
In 2016, Campbell played the title role in Dream Lover – The Bobby Darin Musical. [12][13][14] For Dream Lover, Campbell received his second Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Musical.[15] The musical became the highest selling show of all time at Arts Centre Melbourne. [1]
In 1997, Campbell released his debut album, Yesterday is Now. This was followed with his second album in the same year, Taking the Wheel.
In 2006, Campbell released The Swing Sessions.[6][17]
In 2008, David released Good Lovin',[17] an album of songs from the 1960s.[6] A live DVD of the accompanying Good Lovin' Live tour hit number one on the Australian DVD chart.[18]
Campbell's album, On Broadway was released in January 2010. On Broadway was released in Australia on 2 April 2010, with a tie-in television documentary David Campbell on Broadway airing on arts channel STVDIO the following day.[19]
On 18 November 2011, an album of early 1980s music called Let's Go was released in Australia.[20]
In June 2014, David released David Campbell Sings John Bucchino, recorded in Australia in May 2014 featuring John Bucchino playing piano.[21]
In the Australian and New Zealand version of Disney's 2016 animated film Zootopia, Campbell voices a Koala news anchor.
In September 2016, played the title role in Dream Lover: The Bobby Darin Musical in Sydney.[22] A cast recording was released in September 2016 by Sony Music Australia, featuring Campbell. It debuted at number 9 on the ARIA Charts.
In 2018, Campbell released his first Christmas album, Baby It's Christmas.
In April 2019, Campbell released Back in the Swing.
In September 2021, Campbell released his eleventh studio album, The Saturday Sessions, featuring his take on songs that have shaped his life and career regardless of genre or era.
Campbell was a contestant on the third season of Dancing with the Stars. He has also featured on two series of the celebrity singing competition It Takes Two. He won the second series in 2007, with celebrity partner Jolene Anderson.
Campbell appeared on Hey Hey It's Saturday, and co-hosted The Morning Show with Kylie Gillies occasionally when Larry Emdur was away.[citation needed]
Since 2011, Campbell has co-hosted Today Extra (formerly Mornings on the Nine Network.[23] He currently hosts the show alongside Sylvia Jeffreys.[24]
Since 2013, Campbell has co-hosted Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight, broadcast live on Channel Nine on Christmas Eve each year.[25][26]
In January 2019, Campbell was appointed co-host of Weekend Today replacing Peter Stefanovic. He remained in the position until December 2019. It was announced that in 2020, Campbell would host Today Extra full time with Richard Wilkins replacing him on Weekend Today.
In April 2020, Campbell hosted Music from the Home Front, a music concert recorded from musicians homes and broadcast on network 9 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[27] Campbell started on smoothfm in May 2012.[28] He is currently the host of weekend Afternoons (1pm – 4pm) on smoothfm 91.5 in Melbourne and smoothfm 95.3 in Sydney.[29]
Campbell was appointed artistic director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2008,[6] and his programming began with the June 2009 festival.[30][31] The 2011 Cabaret Festival was his last as artistic director.[32]
In 2020, he received the Adelaide Cabaret Festival Icon Award, which acknowledges pioneering and leading figures who have had a significant impact on the Australian Cabaret industry.[1]
Campbell is the son of Cold Chisel frontman and singer Jimmy Barnes. He was raised by his maternal grandmother and believed, until he was about ten years old, that his grandmother was his mother and his actual mother was his sister.[13][14]
Since achieving his own success, he has performed with his father Jimmy Barnes on numerous occasions, including on an episode of Dancing with the Stars[6] and at Carols by Candlelight.[33] Both father and son have recorded duets for each other's studio albums.[34][35]
He married Lisa Hewitt in 2008 and they have three children.[36][37]
Campbell was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2019, for services to entertainment and the arts. [1]
He was appointed to the board of the Sydney Opera House in 2022. [1]
Notes
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001.[60]