Simon Burke
{{Short description|Australian actor (born 1961)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Simon Burke
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|AO}}
| image = Simon Burke in June 2013.jpg
| caption = Simon Burke, June 2013
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1961|10|8}}
| birth_place = Melbourne, Australia{{cite web|url=https://scoutmanagement.com.au/voice/simon-burke|title=Simon Burke|website=Scout. Management|access-date=25 April 2025}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| othername =
| occupation = Actor
| yearsactive = 1973–present
}}
Simon Gareth Burke {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO}}{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/queens-birthday-honours-519-recipients-with-scientists-the-big-winners-20150607-ghh2y9.html|title=Queen's Birthday honours: 519 recipients, with scientists the big winners|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=7 June 2015}} (born 8 October 1961) is an Australian actor, active in films, television and theatre.
Biography
Simon Burke began his career at the age of 12, starring in Michael Cove's Kookaburra (1974); a painful look at a dysfunctional working-class family, focusing particularly on an almost autistic young boy.{{Cite book|title=The floor of heaven : my life in theatre|last=Richard.|first=Wherrett|date=2000|publisher=Hodder Headline Australia|isbn=9780733610493|location=Sydney, NSW|oclc=48144620}} Soon after at the age of 13, Burke starred in Fred Schepisi's acclaimed feature film The Devil's Playground for which he won the AFI Award for Best Actor at the Australian Film Institute Awards. He remains the youngest person ever to be honoured with this award. Since then he has enjoyed great success both in Australia and internationally in film, television, stage, concert appearances and cabaret.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
In 2014, Burke starred in Matchbox Pictures/NBC-Universal's highly acclaimed miniseries Devil's Playground in which he reprised the role of Tom Allen that he created as a 13-year-old. He was the co-creator and executive producer of the project, and in the same year it won both the AACTA and Logie Award for Most Outstanding Telefeature or Miniseries.{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/the-devils-in-the-detail-for-simon-burke-20140906-10bx23|title=The devil's in the detail for Simon Burke|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=6 September 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/simon-burke-from-devils-playground-to-gilded-cage-20141114-11n2pg.html|title=Simon Burke: from Devil's Playground to gilded Cage|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=14 November 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/devils-playground-is-not-solely-about-abuse-simon-burke-20140901-10a5dn.html|title=Devil's Playground is not solely about abuse: Simon Burke|author=Giles Hardie|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=September 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/simon-burke-and-the-devils-playground-demand-attention-20140912-10dzz3|title=Simon Burke and The Devil's Playground demand attention|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=12 September 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/my-secret-sydney-simon-burke-actor-20140901-10b3db.html|title=My secret Sydney: Simon Burke, actor|author=Nicole Elphick|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=5 September 2014}}
He has since starred in numerous film, television and theatre productions in Australia and the UK. He starred as Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music at the London Palladium alongside Connie Fisher and then Summer Strallen. He also played the role of Mr Banks in Mary Poppins in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Auckland.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
Burke was Federal President of Actors Equity Australia (2004–14). He is currently a Vice President of the International Federation of Actors (FIA), a global federation of performers, trade unions, guilds and professional associations.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
On 10 September 2015, at the Queens Birthday Honours ceremony presided over by the Governor of New South Wales, General David Hurley, Burke was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) with the following citation: For distinguished service to the performing arts as an actor, singer and producer, and through senior advocacy roles for performers' rights and access to professional development and education programs.
Simon Burke is also well remembered for his long term stint as a presenter on the children's television series Play School from 1988 to 2007 then 2013 and again in 2020.
Personal life
In 2016 he publicly identified himself as being gay.[http://gaynewsnetwork.com.au/news/national/lgbti-community-members-call-for-parliament-to-vote-down-plebiscite-22002.html Gay News Network]. Retrieved 12 September 2016 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915023952/http://gaynewsnetwork.com.au/news/national/lgbti-community-members-call-for-parliament-to-vote-down-plebiscite-22002.html |date=15 September 2016 }}[https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stellar/simon-burke-i-didnt-hide-being-gay-so-much-as-i-didnt-talk-about-it/news-story/828ca849dc59637669db1e7b60f2f7c1 "Simon Burke: 'I didn't hide being gay so much as I didn't talk about it'"] by Nicholas Fonseca, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 9 July 2017
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1976
|{{sortname|The|Devil's Playground|The Devil's Playground (1976 film)}} |Tom Allen | |
| 1978
|{{sortname|The|Irishman|The Irishman (1978 film)}} |Michael Doolan | |
| 1982
|{{sortname|The|Clinic|The Clinic (1982 film)}} |Paul | |
| 1987
|Wyn Jackson | |
| 1999
|Herman Sandby | |
| 2000
|Greg Owens | |
| 2003
|Preservation |Mr. Crewe | |
| 2003
|Ray Sugars | |
| 2006
|Shuffle |Edgar |Short |
| 2015
|Super Awesome! |Jack Simpson | |
| 2017
|Dirt Tin |Burko |Short |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1973
|Davey Evans | Episode: "Sky High" |
| rowspan="2"|1977
|{{sortname|The|Sullivans}} |Peter Robinson | Episode:,"1.37" |
| {{sortname|The|Restless Years}}
|Stephen Moran | |
| 1979
| David McAllister | |
| 1980
|Steve |Television film |
| 1982
|{{sortname|A|Country Practice}} |Roger Morrison | Episode: "The Push: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1983
| Probationary Constable Leonard "Spider" Webber | Episode: "The Job" |
| 1987
|{{sortname|The|Flying Doctors}} |Daryl Stokes | Episode: "Keeping Up Appearances" |
| 1988–2007, 2013
| Presenter | TV series |
| rowspan="2"|1988
|"Melba" |
| Always Afternoon
|Tom | |
| rowspan="2"|1991
|Jack Delahunty | Episode: "Paul" |
| Heroes II: The Return
|Capt. Ellis |Television film |
| 1992
| | Miniseries |
| 1996
|{{sortname|The|One That Got Away|The One That Got Away (1996 film)}} |Stan |Television film |
| 1997
|Det. Sgt. 'Mac' Phillips | Episode:,"Blood Trail", "Dead or Alive" |
| 1998
|Guy Searle | Season 2, episode 14: "Menu for Murder" |
| rowspan="2"|2001
|Harbison |Television film |
| Blue Heelers
|Mick Boyce | Episode: "Blood" |
| rowspan="2"|2002
|Euan Diver |Television film |
| Young Lions
|Rob Watson | Episodes: "Boy School Bullies", "Asylum Seekers", "Nursing Home" |
| rowspan="3"|2003
|Tony Ludovic | Episode: "Egomania" |
| The Postcard Bandit
|Thomas |Television film |
| After the Deluge
|Michael |Television film |
| 2004
|{{sortname|The|Alice|The Alice (film)}} |Patrick |Television film |
| 2005–2006
|{{sortname|The|Alice|The Alice (film)}} |Patrick |Main role |
| 2006
|Jon |Television film |
| 2007
|Brad Douglas | Episode: "Balancing Act" |
| 2009
|Nick | Episode: "The Road Less Travelled" |
| 2010
|Warren Thompson | Episode: "Enemy Mine" |
| 2011
|Mike Dillon | Episode: "Left for Dead on Everest" |
| 2013
|Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries |Nicholas Mortimer | Episode: "Murder Under the Mistletoe" |
| 2014
|Tom Allen |Miniseries |
| rowspan="2"|2016
|Rake |Warwick Dormann | Episode "4.1" |
| Deep Water
|Simon Mawbrey |Miniseries |
| 2018
|Dead Lucky |Tom Hodge |3 episodes |
| 2023
|Crazy Fun Park |Mark |2 episodes |
Theatre
{{cite web | url=https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/magazine/2013/january/archive-simon-burke | title=Archive Simon Burke }}{{cite web | url=https://www.holdingtheman.co.uk/castcreative.html | title=Holding the Man - Cast & Creative }}
References
{{Reflist}}
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0121865/
Bibliography
- Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 338.
External links
{{Commons category|Simon Burke}}
- {{Official website|http://www.simonburke.com}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0121865|name=Simon Burke}}
{{Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role 1972-1979}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Simon}}
Category:Australian children's television presenters
Category:Australian gay actors
Category:Australian male child actors
Category:Australian male film actors
Category:Australian male stage actors
Category:Australian male television actors
Category:Best Actor AACTA Award winners
Category:Male actors from Melbourne