Nick Simpson-Deeks
Nick Simpson-Deeks is a NIDA-trained Australian actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his portrayal of Archie McMahon in the SBS drama series The Circuit, Rhys Mitchell in Seven Network's Winners & Losers, and James King in the Amazon Original crime series Deadloch.
Nick Simpson-Deeks | |
---|---|
Born | Nicholas Deeks Werris Creek, New South Wales, Australia |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2001–present |
Notable work | The Circuit, Winners & Losers, Deadloch |
Early life
Simpson-Deeks was born and raised in Werris Creek, New South Wales, and attended Oxley High School in Tamworth.[1] He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2001.[2] In 2006 he was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship which he used to further his actor training at the School at Steppenwolf in Chicago.[3]
Career
Film and television
Simpson-Deeks was a series regular in both seasons of the award-winning[4] legal drama The Circuit, the second season of Winners & Losers (after guest starring in the show's first season), and the sci-fi series Stormworld. Additionally, he has guest-starred in Utopia, The Newsreader, Five Bedrooms, Underbelly: Fat Tony & Co., Wentworth, Mr & Mrs Murder, Play School, City Homicide, The Strange Calls, Temptation, and The Postcard Bandit.[5] He plays forensic pathologist James King in the Amazon Original series, Deadloch.[6]
His film credits include roles in the short films After the Credits, Dropbear, A Simple Song, Shades of Grey and Home. He portrayed Irish rider Pat Smullen in the 2011 feature film The Cup, and filmmaker Billy Name in Jim Sharman's Andy X – a musical film based on the death of Andy Warhol.
Theatre
Simpson-Deeks made his professional theatre debut in Falling on My Left Ear: A Show about George Wallace for the now defunct Railway Street Theatre Company in Parramatta in 2002.[7] The following year, he returned to Railway Street to play the role of Tom in Michael Gow's iconic Australian play, Away.[8] Both productions toured regionally and were directed by Mary-Anne Gifford.[9]
In 2005 he received critical acclaim for his performance in Mark Ravenhill's Handbag at the Seymour Centre.[10] Later that year, he starred in Somewhere – an original musical by Tim Minchin and Kate Mulvany – for Q Theatre.[11]
In 2009, Simpson-Deeks was cast in the ensemble of Jerry Springer: the Opera at the Sydney Opera House as part of Sydney Festival. He joined the original Australian cast of Jersey Boys, in the role of Franki Valli (Alternate), that same year, but left the production prematurely due to health complications.[12] In 2010, he sang the role of Skeets Miller in a one-off concert performance of Adam Guettel's Floyd Collins at City Recital Hall in Sydney.[13]
Simpson-Deeks played the role of Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick in Ned: A New Australian Musical at Bendigo's Ulumbarra Theatre in 2015, and is featured on the show's Official Cast Recording.[14] He reprised the role in concert at The National Theatre, Melbourne in 2017.[15]
He played Chris Bean in the Australian production of The Play That Goes Wrong, and briefly reprised the role during the Australian tour of Peter Pan Goes Wrong in 2019.[16] In between, he toured nationally as Cassius in Bell Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.[17]
Simpson-Deeks has worked extensively with Watch This – a Melbourne-based theatre company dedicated exclusively to the work of Stephen Sondheim – starring in seven of their nine productions to date.[18]
In 2019 he received a Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actor in Musical Theatre for his performance in Falsettos at Melbourne's Chapel Off Chapel. He has been nominated for six Green Room Awards in total.[19]
In 2023, he played the role of Mike Priddle in the Australian premiere of Ghost Stories, at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne.
Other work
Simpson-Deeks created the character of Daniel "Danno" Bookham for the popular educational video game Murder Under the Microscope, and played the role from 2007 to 2012.
In 2018, Simpson-Deeks was featured in the six-part web series Freudian Slip, alongside writer and commentator Benjamin Law.
Filmography
Year | Title | Roles | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Deadloch[20] | James King | 6 episodes |
2021 | Five Bedrooms | Roger | 1 episode |
2018 | Freudian Slip | Jacob's Super Ego | 7 episodes |
2015 | Home | Theo | Short |
2014 | Dropbear | Dad | Short |
2011-14 | Winners & Losers | Rhys Mitchell | 18 episodes |
2014 | Fat Tony & Co. | Bruno Rich | 3 episodes |
2013 | Mr & Mrs Murder | Tyler Betts | 1 episode |
2012 | The Strange Calls | Nick | 1 episode |
2012 | Andy X | Billy Name | Short |
2011 | The Cup | Pat Smullen | |
2011 | The Strange Calls | Judd | Short |
2010 | After the Credits | Passenger | Short |
2010 | City Homicide | Lleyton Brenner | 1 episode |
2007-10 | The Circuit[21] | Archie McMahon | 11 episodes |
2009 | Stormworld | Apssed | 13 episodes |
2003 | Temptation | Agent | TV Movie |
2003 | The Postcard Bandit | Prison Guard Greg | TV Movie |
Theatrical credits
- Ghost Stories for Realscape[22]
- Into the Woods for Watch This[23]
- Sunday in the Park with George for Watch This[24]
- Peter Pan Goes Wrong Australian Tour
- Julius Caesar for Bell Shakespeare[25]
- The Play That Goes Wrong Australian Tour[26]
- Sweet Phoebe for Both Sides Now
- Company for Watch This and Fortyfivedownstairs
- Ned: A New Australian Musical for Groaning Dam
- Pacific Overtures for Watch This and Theatre Works
- The Parricide for La Mama
- Assassins (musical) for Watch This and Fortyfivedownstairs
- Floyd Collins for Angel Place City Recital Hall
- Jersey Boys for New Theatricals
- Jerry Springer the Opera for Sydney Festival and Sydney Opera House
- The Turning for Perth Theatre Company
- A Midsummer Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing for Night Sky Productions
- Handbag for Focus Theatre
- The Windows Project for Darlinghurst Theatre
- Somewhere for Q Theatre
- Away and Falling on My Left Ear: A Show about George Wallace for Railway Street
Awards and nominations
Year | Format | Award | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Film | West Australian Screen Awards | Best Actor (Short Film) | Shades of Grey | Nominated |
2013 | Theatre | Green Room Awards | Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre)[27] | Assassins | Nominated |
2014 | Theatre | Green Room Awards | Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre)[28] | Pacific Overtures | Nominated |
2015 | Theatre | Green Room Awards | Leading Actor (Musical Theatre)[29] | Company | Nominated |
2019 | Theatre | Green Room Awards | Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre)[30] | Falsettos | Won |
2021 | Online Performance | Green Room Awards | Celebration of Online Performance*[31] | The Art of Making Art | Nominated |
2022 | Theatre | Green Room Awards | Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre)[32] | Into the Woods | Nominated |
*Nominated with Sonya Suares, Nick McInerney, Dean Drieberg and Mel Hillman
References
- "A Very (S)Pacific Role | Stage Whispers". www.stagewhispers.com.au. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "All alumni". NIDA. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "Mike Walsh O.B.E. - Official Website". www.mikewalsh.com.au. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "2010 Award Winners". Cinema Chicago. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "Nick Simpson-Deeks". IMDb. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- Frater, Patrick (20 February 2022). "Amazon Starts Production of 'Deadloch' Comedy Series in Australia (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "Falling On My Left Ear, Railway St Theatre". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 September 2002. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "Away, Railway Street Theatre". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 May 2003. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- Gifford, Mary-Anne. "Mary-Anne Gifford".
- "Handbag, Focus Theatre". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 May 2005. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "Q Theatre | The Dictionary of Sydney". dictionaryofsydney.org. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "A Very (S)Pacific Role | Stage Whispers". www.stagewhispers.com.au. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- Morgan, Clare (26 February 2010). "Floyd Collins comes back from the grave". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- PEDLER, CHRIS (22 May 2015). "Strong cast drives Kelly Gang story: PHOTOS". Bendigo Advertiser. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "Ned cast reunites for a one night only concert | News". AussieTheatre.com. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- BWW News Desk. "Cast Announced for THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "Bell Shakespeare to take on Julius Caesar in 2018". Limelight. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "Watch This". watchthis.net.au. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "Awards – The Green Room Awards". Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/02/cast-announced-for-deadloch.html
- https://tvtonight.com.au/2009/10/returning-the-circuit.html
- O'Neill, Bianca (3 August 2022). "The cast for the Aussie premiere of 'Ghost Stories' has been unveiled". Time Out Melbourne. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- "Watch This presents INTO THE WOODS | News". AussieTheatre.com. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "Watch This to present Sunday in the Park with George in 2019". Australian Arts Review. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- Wilkins, Peter (15 October 2018). "Modernised political thriller exposes truths about human nature". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- BWW News Desk. "Cast Announced for THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- "2013 Green Room Awards Nominations". www.australianstage.com.au. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- "Victorian Green Room 2014 Nominations announced | News". AussieTheatre.com. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- "Green Room Award nominations revealed". Daily Review: Film, stage and music reviews, interviews and more. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- "2019 Nominations and Recipients – The Green Room Awards". Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- https://www.greenroom.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/WINNERS-Nominations-Acknowledgments-for-Website-V2.pdf
- "39th Annual Green Room Awards Nominations" (PDF).