 |
David Alexander Webster Lawson [1] (born 25 September 1978) is an Australian actor and TV personality.
|
David Alexander Webster Lawson [1] (born 25 September 1978) is an Australian actor and TV personality.
Lawson grew up in the Bayside area of Melbourne, Victoria and completed his secondary education at Haileybury College. He studied advertising and marketing at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. [2]
Lawson's first job, as a ten year old, was selling The Herald newspaper in the late 80’s. Later, he delivered pamphlets, worked at a hippy incense store, and dressed-up as Willy the Wizard for children’s parties. He also ran a lawn mowing business that shut down after he "mowed off [his] father's sprinkler heads." [3] While his parents wanted him to pursue a more traditional career path, they were supportive of his interest in becoming an actor. His father encouraged him to "give [acting] a go for a bit" while granting himself "a cut off time." [2] [4] [5]
In college, Lawson's friend's mother, who was a casting agent, helped him secure several television commercials for Dr. Pepper and Kmart. He was later approached by Nickelodeon Australia about hosting Saturday Nick Television . He ended up working with the network for several years, hosting Nick Takes Over Your School (1998), Sarvo (2002) and Camp Orange (2005). He also co-hosted the 2006 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards with fellow Sarvo host James Kerley and Sophie Monk for. [6] [5]
Lawson had cameo appearances in Neighbours (1999–present) and Blue Heelers (1999–2006), John Safran’s Music Jamboree (2002) and Last Man Standing (2005). He also starred in Peter Grayson's film Lucky Day (2002), as well as in Nick Ball and Gus Johnston's comedy short How Much Do You Love Me? (2008). [4] In 2001, Jolyon Watkins, with whom Lawson had previously worked with, asked the actor to appear in a music video that he was directing for Gerling's "Dust Me Selecta". Lawson was paid $400 for his appearance. He is also featured in the music videos for Alex Lloyd's "Green" (2003) and Duncan James's "Speed of Life" (2003). [7] [3]
After leaving Nickelodeon Australia in 2007, Lawson began co-hosting The Dave & Kerley Show with James Kerley in April 2008; the Channel V show aired on Sunday mornings. He also hosted and participated in the Ten Network's Guerrilla Gardeners , in which, because of his experience, he was hired primarily "to spin lines to the councils [attempting to stop the show] when they turned up". [8]
Since 2003, Lawson has appeared in series of Toyota-Australian Football League (AFL) television commercials with fellow comedian Stephen Curry, recreating "legendary moments" from the AFL's history including Michael Long's "flying run" around the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the 1993 Grand Final between Essendon and Carlton. [9] [10] The commercials aired every AFL season, immortalizing retired football personalities such as Leo Barry, Peter Hudson, Alex Jesaulenko, Malcolm Bright and Dermott Brereton. [11]
Lawson appeared on ABC's It's a Date (2013) along with Poh Ling Yeow, and Utopia (2014–2023). [6]
He is the creator, writer, and host of his own digital talk show called Dave’s Shed Show for which he interviews celebrity guests in his backyard with musical director Mark Wilson and hand puppet Wormie (Stephen Curry). [6] [12]
In February 2021, Lawson married actor Sarah Snook in a private ceremony in Brooklyn, New York. The couple first met in 2014 and started dating in 2020 after being quarantined together during the COVID-19 pandemic. [6] They welcomed a daughter in May 2023. [13] [14] Lawson also has a son from a previous relationship. [5] [4]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Lucky Day | Reese | |
| 2010 | I Love You Too | Restaurant Waiter | |
| 2014 | The Mule | Cheeky Graeme | |
| 2014 | The Heckler | Andy | |
| 2015 | Oddball | Sergeant Gosch | |
| 2018 | Peter Rabbit | Chris | |
| 2021 | Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999, 2003 | Blue Heelers | Cory Fisher / Hamish Scott | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | John Safran's Music Jamboree | John | Episode #1.8 |
| 2005 | Last Man Standing | Dickwood | Episode #1.20 |
| 2010 | Sleuth 101 | Steve | Episode: "Family Assorted" |
| 2011 | The Match Committee | Skipper | Episode: "Come in Skipper" |
| 2012 | Howzat! Kerry Packer's War | Alan Shiell | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Lowdown | Dave (Fan) | Episode: "Ben Behaving Badly" |
| 2013 | It's a Date | Patrick | Episode: "When Should You Abandon a Date?" |
| 2014 | INXS: Never Tear Us Apart | Cary Grant | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | The Time of Our Lives | Julian | 3 episodes |
| 2014–2023 | Utopia | Scott | 32 episodes |
| 2016 | Luke Warm Sex | Herpes | Episode: "How Do I Prepare My Body for Sex?" |
| 2016 | The Caravan | Leroy | 7 episodes |
| 2016 | Bruce | Garry | |
| 2017 | Newton's Law | Adam Steadman | Episode: "Equal and Opposite Forces" |
| 2017 | St Francis | Leroy | 5 episodes |
| 2017, 2018 | True Story with Hamish & Andy | Alan / Stu | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries | Freddy Miles | Episode: "Dead Beat" |
| 2019 | Get Krack!n | Tommy | Episode #2.6 |
| 2019 | The Inbestigators | Cole | Episode: "The Case of the Freaky Frequency" |
| 2020 | Mustangs FC | Deano | 3 episodes |
| 2021 | Why Are You Like This | Gavin | Episode: "The Pressures of Late Capitalism" |
| Fraud Festival | Luke Kennedy | Television film | |
| Wentworth | Frazer | Episodes: "One Eye Open", "The Reckoning", "Legacy" | |
| 2022 | The Accidental Wolf | 1 episode | |
| 2023 | The Newsreader | Trevor Lehmann | 1 episode |