---
name: "Colin Friels"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/colin-friels"
fi1m_id: "colin-friels"
imdb_id: "nm0295506"
tmdb_id: 27753
wikidata_id: "Q1108476"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "25 September 1952"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-17T22:22:50.037095+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Colin Friels

## Identity

Colin Friels

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/colin-friels
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** colin-friels
- **IMDb ID:** nm0295506
- **TMDB ID:** 27753
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1108476
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Friels, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1108476, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0295506/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/27753

Actor. Born 25 September 1952 in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 25 September 1952, Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, UK
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Friels, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1108476, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0295506/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/27753

## Streaming the US now

- **The Roku Channel:** [*Dark City*](https://film.one/film/dark-city.md) (76)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Colin Friels is an Australian actor of stage, film and television. Born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, he moved to Australia as a child and trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, graduating in 1976.

He is known for his leading role in the 1986 comedy *Malcolm*, for which he won the AFI Award for Best Actor, and for appearances in films including *Darkman* (1990), *Dark City* (1998) as Detective Eddie Walenski, *The Man Who Sued God* (2001) and *Tomorrow, When the War Began* (2010). His television credits include the series *Water Rats* (1996–1999) and *Mystery Road* (2018).

Friels has frequently collaborated with his wife, actress Judy Davis, on stage and screen, and has received additional awards including AACTA/AFI and Logie honours as well as Helpmann Awards for theatre work.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Dark City* (1998), Fi1m 76, as Det. Eddie Walenski — [page](https://film.one/film/dark-city.md)

## Complete filmography (75)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Fences* (2022), as Father
- *Interceptor* (2022), as Frank Collins
- *Underbelly: Vanishing Act* (2022), series, as George K
- *Wakefield* (2021), series, as Baz
- *Total Control* (2019), series, as Jack Ramsey
- *Mystery Road* (2018), series, as Tony Ballantyne
- *The Secret Daughter* (2016), series, as Jack Norton
- *The Crossing* (2016), as The Captain
- *DNA Nation* (2016), series, as Narrator (voice)
- *Sydney Sailboat* (2015), series, as Terry (voice)
- *Schapelle* (2014), as Mick Corby
- *The Turning* (2013), as Narrator (voice)
- *Jack Irish: Bad Debts* (2012), as Garth Bruce
- *Mabo* (2012), as Justice Moynihan
- *Killing Time* (2011), series, as Lewis Moran
- *The Eye of the Storm* (2011), as Athol Shreve
- *A Heartbeat Away* (2011), as Mayor Riddick
- *Matching Jack* (2010), as Professor Nelson
- *Tomorrow, When the War Began* (2010), as Dr. Clements
- *Lest We Forget* (2010), as Sam
- *The Nothing Men* (2010), as Jack Simpson
- *Blind Company* (2009), as Geoff Brewster
- *Gangs of Oz* (2009), series, Actor
- *The Informant* (2008), as Doug Lamont (as Colin Friel)
- *Australia: Land of Parrots* (2008), as Narrator
- *BlackJack: Ghosts* (2007), as Jack Kempson
- *Bastard Boys* (2007), series, Actor
- *BlackJack: At the Gates* (2006), as Jack Kempson
- *BlackJack: Dead Memory* (2006), as Jack Kempson
- *BlackJack: Ace Point Game* (2006), as Jack Kempson
- *The Book of Revelation* (2006), as Olsen
- *Solo* (2006), as Jack Barrett
- *BlackJack: In the Money* (2005), as Jack Kempson
- *The Illustrated Family Doctor* (2005), as Ray Gill
- *BlackJack: Sweet Science* (2004), as Jack Kempson
- *Tom White* (2004), as Tom White
- *The Mystery of Natalie Wood* (2004), series, as Nick Gurdin
- *The Mystery of Natalie Wood* (2004), as Nick Gurdin
- *BlackJack* (2003), series, Actor
- *Max's Dreaming* (2003), as Mark Bryce
- *BlackJack* (2003), as Jack Kempson
- *Black and White* (2002), as Father Tom Dixon
- *Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story* (2001), as George Temple
- *My Husband, My Killer* (2001), as Bob Inkster
- *The Man Who Sued God* (2001), as David Myers
- *The Farm* (2001), series, as Tom Cooper
- *Dark City* (1998), as Det. Eddie Walenski — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/dark-city.md)
- *Mr. Reliable* (1996), as Wally Mellish
- *Cosi* (1996), as Errol
- *Water Rats* (1996), series, as Frank Holloway
- *Back of Beyond* (1995), as Connor
- *Angel Baby* (1995), as Morris Goodman
- *Space: Above and Beyond* (1995), series, as Lt. Col. Fouts
- *Halifax f.p.* (1994), series, as Kevin Tait
- *A Good Man in Africa* (1994), as Morgan Leafy, 1st Secretary of the High Commissioner
- *Stark* (1993), series, as Sly Morgan
- *The Nostradamus Kid* (1993), as American Preacher
- *Dingo* (1991), as John Anderson
- *Class Action* (1991), as Michael Grazier
- *Police Rescue* (1991), series, as Lew
- *Weekend with Kate* (1990), as Richard Muir
- *Darkman* (1990), as Louis Strack Jr.
- *Grievous Bodily Harm* (1988), as Tom Stewart
- *Ground Zero* (1987), as Harvey Denton
- *High Tide* (1987), as Mick
- *Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train* (1987), as Man
- *Kangaroo* (1986), as Richard Somers
- *Malcolm* (1986), as Malcolm Hughes
- *The Man in the Iron Mask* (1985), as Phillipe
- *The Coolangatta Gold* (1984), as Adam Lucas
- *Buddies* (1983), as Mike
- *For the Term of His Natural Life* (1983), series, as Richard Devine / Rufus Dawes
- *Monkey Grip* (1982), as Javo
- *Hoodwink* (1981), Actor
- *Underbelly: Vanishing Act*, as George K

## Gallery

- ![Colin Friels](https://film.one/media/person/88182/gallery-1cd206e1091d.jpg) Colin Friels — Titan View Pty Ltd, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Colin_Friels_-_Blind_Company.jpg/1280px-Colin_Friels_-_Blind_Company.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Colin Friels - Blind Company (2009)](https://film.one/media/person/88182/gallery-25de4a4de346.jpg) Colin Friels - Blind Company (2009) — Titan View Pty Ltd, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Colin_Friels_-_Blind_Company_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Other awards — 3 won, 10 nominated

- AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role 2004: AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (nominated), for *Tom White*
- Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor in a Series 2000: Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor in a Series (nominated), for *Water Rats*
- Logie Award for Most Popular Actor 2000: Logie Award for Most Popular Actor (nominated), for *Water Rats*
- Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor in a Series 1999: Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor in a Series (nominated), for *Water Rats*
- Logie Award for Most Popular Actor 1999: Logie Award for Most Popular Actor (nominated), for *Water Rats*
- Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor in a Series 1998: Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor in a Series (nominated), for *Water Rats*
- Logie Award for Most Popular Actor 1998: Logie Award for Most Popular Actor (nominated), for *Water Rats*
- Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor in a Series 1997: Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor in a Series (won), for *Water Rats*
- Logie Award for Most Popular Actor 1997: Logie Award for Most Popular Actor (nominated), for *Water Rats*
- AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama 1995: AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama (won), for *Halifax f.p.*
- AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role 1991: AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (nominated), for *Dingo*
- AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role 1987: AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (nominated), for *Ground Zero*
- AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role 1986: AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (won), for *Malcolm*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/colin-friels