Biography
Russell Dykstra is an Australian actor of screen, stage and television. He was born on 31 December 1966 in Brisbane, Queensland, and grew up in the suburb of Calamvale. He studied at the University of Southern Queensland, graduating with a Diploma of Creative Arts in 1987, and trained at the school of Jacques Lecoq in Paris and with Philippe Gaulier in London. In his early career he worked with Geoffrey Rush in the Grin and Tonic theatre troupe.
Dykstra made his feature film debut in Soft Fruit (1999), for which he received an AFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. His other film roles include Michael in Lantana (2001), Bruno in Garage Days (2002), Wild Wright in Ned Kelly (2003), Mitru in Romulus, My Father (2007) and Dan in Oranges and Sunshine (2010). On television he is known for playing Barney Meagher in the series Rake (2010–2016). He has also appeared in numerous stage productions and received several theatre awards.
In 2024 Dykstra was honoured as a Fellow of the University of Southern Queensland.
