Handsome, youthful leading man who came to prominence in his native Australia for his portrayal of "Malcolm" (1986), a slow-witted young man with a talent for handling mechanical devices which leads him into a life of crime. Friels is best known to US audiences for his role in the comic-bookish adventure, "Darkman" (1990). Most of his subsequent work has been back in his native land, though Friels ventured again into US production with a supporting role in Bruce Beresford's little-seen political comedy, "A Good Man in Africa" (1994). He is married to actress Judy Davis, with whom he co-starred in "Kangaroo" (1986) and "High Tide" (1987).
- Born:
September 25, 1952 in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
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Job Titles:
Actor, Construction laborer, Factory worker, Farm hand
Family
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Daughter: Charlotte Friels. born in 1997
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Son: Jack Friels. born in 1987
Education
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National Institute of Dramatic Art, Sydney, Australia, 1976
Milestones
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1963 Moved with family to Australia (date approximate)
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1977 While in drama school acted in stage productions like The Oresteia and The Caucasian Chalk Circle
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1980 Early TV credit, the Australian production Big Toys
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1981 Film acting debut, Hoodwink
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1981 First garnered attention in Australia with his TV role in For the Term of His Natural Life
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1982 First major film, Monkey Grip
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1986 Acted on screen opposite wife Judy Davis in Kangaroo
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1986 Won critical acclaim for plying title role of a dim-witted inventor in Malcolm
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1987 Reteamed on screen with Davis in High Tide
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1990 First American film, Darkman
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1991 Played supporting role in Class Action
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1993 Co-starred in A Good Man in Africa
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1993 Last stage appearance for some six years. The Temple
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1995 Appeared in Angel Baby
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1996 Had featured role as a psychiatric nurse in Cosi
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1998 Played supporting role in the eerie thriller Dark City
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1999 Returned to the stage after a six-year absence in Macbeth
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2000 Appeared in the TV miniseries Marriage Acts as a judge who recalls his life after surviving two near fatal bombings
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2001 Acted in the TV-movies The Farm , opposite Greta Scacchi, and My Husband, My Killer , based on a notorious 1986 Sydney murder involving a self-made millionaire
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2001 Had featured role as the father of moppet star Shirley Temple in the ABC movie Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story
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2001 In fall, starred as Don Juan in a Sydney Theatre Company production
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Portrayed a police detective in the popular Australian TV series Water Rats
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Raised in Scotland until his early teens