Australian actor
Nick Simpson-Deeks is a NIDA -trained Australian actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his portrayal of Archie McMahon in the SBS drama series The Circuit , Rhys Mitchell in Seven Network 's Winners & Losers , and James King in the Amazon Original crime series Deadloch .
Early life
Simpson-Deeks was born and raised in Werris Creek , New South Wales, and attended Oxley High School in Tamworth.[ 1] He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2001.[ 2] In 2006 he was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship which he used to further his actor training at the School at Steppenwolf in Chicago.[ 3]
Career
Film and television
Simpson-Deeks was a series regular in both seasons of the award-winning[ 4] legal drama The Circuit , the second season of Winners & Losers (after guest starring in the show's first season), and the sci-fi series Stormworld . Additionally, he has guest-starred in Utopia , The Newsreader , Five Bedrooms , Underbelly: Fat Tony & Co. , Wentworth , Mr & Mrs Murder , Play School , City Homicide , The Strange Calls , Temptation , and The Postcard Bandit .[ 5] He plays forensic pathologist James King in the Amazon Original series, Deadloch .[ 6]
His film credits include roles in the short films After the Credits , Dropbear , A Simple Song , Shades of Grey and Home. He portrayed Irish rider Pat Smullen in the 2011 feature film The Cup , and filmmaker Billy Name in Jim Sharman 's Andy X – a musical film based on the death of Andy Warhol .
Theatre
Simpson-Deeks made his professional theatre debut in Falling on My Left Ear: A Show about George Wallace for the now defunct Railway Street Theatre Company in Parramatta in 2002.[ 7] The following year, he returned to Railway Street to play the role of Tom in Michael Gow 's iconic Australian play, Away .[ 8] Both productions toured regionally and were directed by Mary-Anne Gifford.[ 9]
In 2005 he received critical acclaim for his performance in Mark Ravenhill 's Handbag at the Seymour Centre .[ 10] Later that year, he starred in Somewhere – an original musical by Tim Minchin and Kate Mulvany – for Q Theatre.[ 11]
In 2009, Simpson-Deeks was cast in the ensemble of Jerry Springer: the Opera at the Sydney Opera House as part of Sydney Festival . He joined the original Australian cast of Jersey Boys , in the role of Franki Valli (Alternate), that same year, but left the production prematurely due to health complications.[ 12] In 2010, he sang the role of Skeets Miller in a one-off concert performance of Adam Guettel 's Floyd Collins at City Recital Hall in Sydney.[ 13]
Simpson-Deeks played the role of Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick in Ned: A New Australian Musical at Bendigo's Ulumbarra Theatre in 2015, and is featured on the show's Official Cast Recording.[ 14] He reprised the role in concert at The National Theatre, Melbourne in 2017.[ 15]
He played Chris Bean in the Australian production of The Play That Goes Wrong , and briefly reprised the role during the Australian tour of Peter Pan Goes Wrong in 2019.[ 16] In between, he toured nationally as Cassius in Bell Shakespeare 's Julius Caesar .[ 17]
Simpson-Deeks has worked extensively with Watch This – a Melbourne-based theatre company dedicated exclusively to the work of Stephen Sondheim – starring in seven of their nine productions to date.[ 18]
In 2019 he received a Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actor in Musical Theatre for his performance in Falsettos at Melbourne's Chapel Off Chapel . He has been nominated for six Green Room Awards in total.[ 19]
In 2023, he played the role of Mike Priddle in the Australian premiere of Ghost Stories , at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne.
Other work
Simpson-Deeks created the character of Daniel "Danno" Bookham for the popular educational video game Murder Under the Microscope , and played the role from 2007 to 2012.
In 2018, Simpson-Deeks was featured in the six-part web series Freudian Slip , alongside writer and commentator Benjamin Law .
Filmography
Film
Year
Title
Roles
Notes
2015
Home
Theo
Short film
2014
Dropbear
Dad
Short film
2012
Andy X
Billy Name
Short film
2011
The Cup
Pat Smullen
Feature film
2011
The Strange Calls
Judd
Short film
2010
After the Credits
Passenger
Short film
2003
Temptation
Agent
TV movie
2003
The Postcard Bandit
Prison Guard Greg
TV movie
Television
Year
Title
Roles
Notes
Ref
2023
The Newsreader
Paul
TV series: 4 episodes
2023
Utopia (Australian TV series)
Bryce
TV series 1 episode
2023
Deadloch
James King
TV series, 6 episodes
[ 20]
2021
Five Bedrooms
Roger
TV series, 1 episode
2018
Freudian Slip
Jacob's Super Ego
TV series, 7 episodes
2011-14
Winners & Losers
Rhys Mitchell
TV series, 18 episodes
2014
Fat Tony & Co.
Bruno Rich
TV miniseries, 3 episodes
2013
Mr & Mrs Murder
Tyler Betts
TV series, 1 episode
2012
The Strange Calls
Nick
TV series, 1 episode
2010
City Homicide
Lleyton Brenner
TV series, 1 episode
2007-10
The Circuit
Archie McMahon
TV series, 11 episodes
[ 21]
2009
Stormworld
Apssed
TV series, 13 episodes
Video game
Year
Title
Roles
Notes
2007–12
Murder Under the Microscope
Daniel 'Danno' Bookham
Educational video game
Theatre
Year
Title
Roles
Notes
2000
Road
Brink / Mr Iger / Tom Stanley / Blowpipe
NIDA Parade Theatre
2000
Masurca Fogo
Dancer
Sydney Olympic Arts Festival
2000
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Egeus / Puck
NIDA Parade Theatre with Night Sky Productions
2001
Kiss Me, Kate
NIDA Parade Theatre
2002
Falling on My Left Ear: A Show about George Wallace
Young George Wallace
Railway Street Theatre Company
2003
Away
Tom / Rick
Railway Street Theatre Company
2004
Dot by Dot with Sondheim
Lover
Cabaret @ Bar Me
2004
Into the Woods
Rapunzel's Prince
2004
Embalmer! The Musical
Craig
Naked Theatre Company
2005
In the Raw : The Windows Project
Nick
Darlinghurst Theatre
2005
Handbag
Phil
Seymour Centre with Focus Theatre Company
2005
Somewhere: The Magical Musical of Penrith
Sam
Q Theatre
2005
Much Ado About Nothing
Claudio / Dogberry
Night Sky Productions
2005
Rosie
Willy / Louie / Rita etc
Independent Theatre, Sydney [ 22]
2006
The Paper Wall
Troy
2006
Little Black Book
Mick
2006
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Lysander
2007
Floyd Collins
Skeets Miller
Angel Place City Recital Hall , Sydney Theatre with Kookaburra Musical Theatre
2007
Twelfth Night
Feste
2008
The Turning
Vic Lang
Playhouse, Perth with Perth Theatre Company for Perth International Arts Festival
2008
Risky Lunar Love
Rabbit
CarriageWorks, Sydney with 504 Producers
2009
Jerry Springer the Opera
Ensemble
Sydney Opera House for Sydney Festival
2009
Jersey Boys
Frankie Valli (alternative)
Princess Theatre, Melbourne with New Theatricals
2010
The Shakespeare Revue
Various
2013–14
Assassins
The Balladeer / Lee Harvey Oswald
Fortyfivedownstairs , West Gippsland Arts Centre with Watch This
2014
The Parricide
Kolya / Mitya
La Mama
2014
Pacific Overtures
Manjirō
Theatre Works, Melbourne with Watch This
2015
Sweet Phoebe
Fraser
Basement Theatre, Auckland with Both Sides Now Theatre Company
2015/17
Ned: A New Australian Musical
Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick
Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo with Groaning Dam Productions, National Theatre, Melbourne
2015–16
Company
Robert
Fortyfivedownstairs , Geelong Arts Centre , Her Majesty's Theatre, Ballarat, West Gippsland Arts Centre with Watch This
2016/18
Elegy
Iraqi refugee (solo performer)
Gasworks Melbourne , Stratford Courthouse Theatre Melbourne, West Gippsland Arts Centre, Ararat Performing Arts Centre, Her Majesty's Theatre Ballarat, Geelong Arts Centre with Lab Kelpie
2017
The Play That Goes Wrong
Chris Bean
Comedy Theatre, Melbourne , Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide , Roslyn Packer Theatre , Canberra Theatre , Concert Hall QPAC , His Majesty's Theatre Perth with Mischief Theatre[ 23]
2018
Falsettos
Mendel
Chapel Off Chapel with StageArt
2018
Julius Caesar
Cassius
Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare [ 24]
2018
A Little Night Music
Director / Assistant
National Theatre, Melbourne with Watch This
2019
Sunday in the Park with George
George
Southbank Theatre with Watch This[ 25]
2019
Peter Pan Goes Wrong
Chris Bean
Australian tour
2021
The Art of Making Art
Online
2022
Into the Woods
Wolf / Cinderella's Prince
Arts House Meat Market, Melbourne with Watch This[ 26]
2022
Ghost Stories
Mike Priddle
Melbourne Athenaeum with Realscape Productions[ 27]
[ 28]
Awards and nominations
*Nominated with Sonya Suares, Nick McInerney, Dean Drieberg and Mel Hillman
References
^ "A Very (S)Pacific Role | Stage Whispers" . www.stagewhispers.com.au . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "All alumni" . NIDA . 23 September 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "Mike Walsh O.B.E. - Official Website" . www.mikewalsh.com.au . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "2010 Award Winners" . Cinema Chicago . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "Nick Simpson-Deeks" . IMDb . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ Frater, Patrick (20 February 2022). "Amazon Starts Production of 'Deadloch' Comedy Series in Australia (EXCLUSIVE)" . Variety . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "Falling On My Left Ear, Railway St Theatre" . The Sydney Morning Herald . 17 September 2002. Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "Away, Railway Street Theatre" . The Sydney Morning Herald . 7 May 2003. Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ Gifford, Mary-Anne. "Mary-Anne Gifford" .
^ "Handbag, Focus Theatre" . The Sydney Morning Herald . 30 May 2005. Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "Q Theatre | The Dictionary of Sydney" . dictionaryofsydney.org . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "A Very (S)Pacific Role | Stage Whispers" . www.stagewhispers.com.au . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ Morgan, Clare (26 February 2010). "Floyd Collins comes back from the grave" . The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ PEDLER, CHRIS (22 May 2015). "Strong cast drives Kelly Gang story: PHOTOS" . Bendigo Advertiser . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "Ned cast reunites for a one night only concert | News" . AussieTheatre.com . 12 July 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ BWW News Desk. "Cast Announced for THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG" . BroadwayWorld.com . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "Bell Shakespeare to take on Julius Caesar in 2018" . Limelight . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "Watch This" . watchthis.net.au . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "Awards – The Green Room Awards" . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ Knox, David (21 February 2022). "Cast announced for Deadloch | TV Tonight" . tvtonight.com.au . Retrieved 23 July 2024 .
^ Knox, David (27 October 2009). "Returning: The Circuit | TV Tonight" . tvtonight.com.au . Retrieved 23 July 2024 .
^ https://theatregold1.mybigcommerce.com/rosie/
^ BWW News Desk. "Cast Announced for THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG" . BroadwayWorld.com . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ Wilkins, Peter (15 October 2018). "Modernised political thriller exposes truths about human nature" . The Canberra Times . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "Watch This to present Sunday in the Park with George in 2019" . Australian Arts Review . 5 December 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ "Watch This presents INTO THE WOODS | News" . AussieTheatre.com . 29 October 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^ O'Neill, Bianca (3 August 2022). "The cast for the Aussie premiere of 'Ghost Stories' has been unveiled" . Time Out Melbourne . Retrieved 5 June 2023 .
^ https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/411321
^ "2013 Green Room Awards Nominations" . www.australianstage.com.au . Retrieved 13 April 2022 .
^ "Victorian Green Room 2014 Nominations announced | News" . AussieTheatre.com . 17 February 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2022 .
^ "Green Room Award nominations revealed" . Daily Review: Film, stage and music reviews, interviews and more . 16 February 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2022 .
^ "2019 Nominations and Recipients – The Green Room Awards" . Retrieved 13 April 2022 .
^ https://www.greenroom.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/WINNERS-Nominations-Acknowledgments-for-Website-V2.pdf [bare URL PDF ]
^ "39th Annual Green Room Awards Nominations" (PDF) .
External links