Dan Falzon
{{short description|Australian actor of Maltese descent|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Dan Falzon
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1972|11|24}}
| birth_place = Melbourne, Australia
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|musician|paramedic|businessman}}
| years_active = 1992–2019 (acting)
| known_for = Neighbours as Rick Alessi
| spouse =
| children = 1
}}
Dan Falzon (born 24 November 1972) is an Australian actor, known for his role as Rick Alessi on the television soap opera Neighbours from 1992 until 1995.
Early and personal life
Falzon was born in Melbourne,{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005481/19940416/215/0025|title=Soap rivals in tug-of-war to sign up Dan|date=16 April 1994|work=Weekly News|access-date=23 May 2025|via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription}} and he and his two brothers grew up on the Mornington Peninsula.{{cite web|url=https://peninsulaessence.com.au/the-falzon-boys-and-their-desert-change/|title=The Falzon Boys and their desert change|last=Walsh|first=Melissa|date=July 2017|work=Peninsula Essence|access-date=23 May 2025}} His parents were school teachers. He is of Maltese descent from his father.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/telegraph-and-argus-stage-set-for-dan-th/172942727/|title=Stage set for Dan the man|last=Hughes|first=Rachel|date=25 February 1994|work=Telegraph and Argus|access-date=23 May 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} After he was cast as the lead in a school production of Macbeth when he was ten years old, Falzon realised that he wanted to become an actor. He appeared in various television commercials and worked as a model. He was also a hockey player and came close to being selected for the national hockey team.
Falzon is married and has a daughter.{{cite web|url=https://www.ok.co.uk/tv/neighbours-rick-alessi-star-unrecognisable-34393644|title=Neighbours' Rick Alessi star unrecognisable in unbelievable new career – 29 years after exit|last=Jones|first=Amy|last2=Hart|first2=Peter|date=5 January 2025|work=OK!|access-date=22 May 2025}}
Career
After appearing in the children's television series Kelly II, Falzon was asked to audition for both Neighbours and Home and Away. He chose to accept the role of Rick Alessi in Neighbours, as it meant he got to stay with his family in Melbourne. Falzon released a book My Diary: Intimate Secrets of Neighbour Dan Falzon in 1995. The part-diary, part-scrap book follows Falzon's childhood and his time in Neighbours.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-mirror-gdiary/172941443/|title=G'diary|date=11 November 1995|work=Daily Mirror|access-date=23 May 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{free access}} After leaving Neighbours in 1995, Falzon moved to Darwin. He formed the short-lived pop group Milk with his brother, releasing the single "Seventeen" in 1997,{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neighbours/a785902/former-neighbours-heartthrob-rick-alessi-has-a-surprising-post-soap-career/|title=Former Neighbours heartthrob Rick Alessi has a surprising post-soap career|last=Warner|first=Sam|date=7 March 2016|publisher=Digital Spy|access-date=23 May 2025}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/jul/28/neighbours-stars-where-are-they-now|title=From paramedic to Ukrainian war reporter: Neighbours stars – where are they now?|last=Heritage|first=Stuart|date=28 July 2022|work=The Guardian|access-date=23 May 2025}} a cover of the 1979 hit "7 Teen" by The Regents, produced by Ray "Madman" Hedges.Milk Dan Falzon – "17" written by Damian Pew and Martin Sheller, produced by Ray "Madman" Hedges, © – Dog Eat Cat Ltd/The Total Record Company 1997 cat no: CD DECAT 1
He appeared in the 2004 Nine Network television film The Alice, as a park ranger.{{cite news|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/tv/where-classic-neighbours-90s-00s-10704551|title=The classic Neighbours stars of the 1980s and 1990s: Where are they now?|last=Rhys|first=Steffan|date=8 January 2016|publisher=Wales Online|access-date=23 May 2025}} He briefly became a YouTuber and uploaded a video featuring an alien welcoming viewers to the Galactic Federation of Light. In 2019, he played Shane the Copper in the SBS comedy television series Robbie Hood.{{cite web|url=https://concreteplayground.com/brisbane/arts-entertainment/robbie-hood-sbs|title='Robbie Hood' Brings a Classic Tale to the Red Centre for Your Next Hilarious and Heartfelt Mini-Binge|last=Ward|first=Sarah|date=30 July 2019|publisher=Concrete Playground|access-date=23 May 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2019/07/robbie-hood.html|title=Robbie Hood|last=Knox|first=David|date=7 July 2019|publisher=TV Tonight|access-date=23 May 2025}}
After leaving the acting industry, Falzon became a paramedic for St John Ambulance in Alice Springs. Along with his brothers Tom and Ben, he appeared in the Nine Network documentary Outback Paramedic. Along with their father, the brothers set up and manage Earth Sanctuary, an ecology, culture and astronomy tourism business.{{cite web|url=https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/inspiration/uncover-northern-territorys-unmissable-adventures-in-nature/|title=Uncover Northern Territory’s unmissable adventures in nature|last=Jarvis|first=Lauren|date=19 March 2025|work=Wanderlust Magazine|access-date=22 May 2025}} Outback Brothers, a documentary filmed over 10 years, follows their work at Earth Sanctuary. On 13 June 2025, Falzon and Earth Sanctuary appeared with Ronan Keating on the British ITV show Gary Barlow's Food and Wine Tour: Australia.Gary Barlow's Food and Wine Tour: Australia ITV1 at 2pm on 13 June 2025
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0266574|name=Dan Falzon}}
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Category:Australian people of Maltese descent
Category:Australian male television actors
Category:Male actors from Melbourne
Category:Australian male soap opera actors
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