Ian Rawlings | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 March 1959 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1982−2023 |
| Known for | Wayne Hamilton in Sons and Daughters Philip Martin in Neighbours |
| Spouse | Lee Dowling (1984−present) |
| Children | 2 |
Ian Rawlings (born 9 March 1959) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his long-running roles in soap operas Sons and Daughters and Neighbours . He also appeared in the short-lived serial The Power, The Passion .
Rawlings was born on 9 March 1959, [1] in Whyalla, South Australia.[ citation needed ] He developed a keen interest in betting on horse racing after his father and grandfather took him to the races in Adelaide. [2]
Rawlings worked as a storeman in Adelaide for a computer company, before becoming a model when he was 18. [3] He later worked loading trucks at a large freight company, [2] and as a tow-truck driver. [4]
Rawlings had little acting experience when he signed for the Grundy Organisation in 1981 to play Wayne Hamilton in Sons and Daughters . [5] He had spent two years trying to secure substantial acting work, and appeared in several amateur productions and as an extra in films produced by the South Australian Film Corporation. [4] He was initially contracted for 15 weeks. [5] In 1985, Rawlings also portrayed his character's look-alike Gary Evans. [5] That same year, he won the Logie Award for Best Supporting Actor in A Series. [5] Rawlings continued in the role of Wayne for the show's entire 1982–1987 run. [6] Ahead of production ending in March 1987, Rawlings formed his own production company, after completing a producers course at the Australian Film and Television School. [7]
In 1989, Rawlings appeared in the short-lived Seven Network soap opera The Power, The Passion as Ryan McAllister. [2] After The Power, The Passion was cancelled, Rawlings took on a job as a salesman at the freight company he previously worked for prior to his acting career taking off. [2] He said it was a "natural place to go back to" with no acting work forthcoming. He found that being well known to the public helped him with sales. [2]
In 1992, Rawlings had a guest role as Marcus Stone in the Network Ten soap opera Neighbours . [8] A few months later, he joined the main cast as Philip Martin, taking over the role from Christopher Milne. [2] Rawlings played Philip until 1999. [9] He briefly reprised this role in episodes commemorating the programme's 20th anniversary in 2005. [10] Rawlings reprised the role for the Neighbours vs Time Travel webseries in 2017. [11] Rawlings made a cameo appearance in the final episode of Neighbours in mid-2022, [12] and again in late 2023, when the series was picked up once again. [13]
Rawlings struggled to find work after leaving Neighbours, and launched his own entertainment business Trivial Fun and Games for clubs and hotels. [14] He made guest appearances in Stingers and MDA in 2003. [14] In 2019, Rawlings was working as a bingo caller at the Werribee Rotary Club. [15]
Rawlings met his wife, model Lee Dowling, while he was performing at an opening ceremony for a chicken takeaway shop. [2] He proposed after six weeks, [2] and they married four months later in September 1984 on the Isle of Capri. Several of his Sons and Daughters co-stars were in attendance, along with his brother and Dowling's daughter from her marriage to Garry Dowling. [16] Rawlings and Dowling also have one child together, a daughter. [14]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–1987 | Sons and Daughters | Wayne Hamilton / Gary Evans | Series regular |
| 1989 | The Power, The Passion | Ryan McAlistor | Series regular |
| 1990 | Mission: Impossible | Gibbs | Episode: "Cargo Cult" |
| 1992 | Neighbours | Marcus Stone | Guest |
| 1992–1999, 2005, 2022, 2023 | Neighbours | Philip Martin | Series regular |
| 1999 | Night Fever | Contestant | Episode: "Millennium Eve Special" |
| 2000 | It's Anybody's Guess | Contestant | |
| 2000 | Blue Heelers | Matthew Quinn | Episode: "Life Class" |
| 2003 | Stingers | Tyrone Pattison | Episode: "New Blood" |
| 2003 | Blue Heelers | Dennis Morgan | Episode: "Every Man and His Ute" |
| 2003 | MDA | Paul Rees | Episode: "Bigger Fish to Fry" |
| 2006 | Temptation | Contestant | Episode: "Superchallenge: Heat 3" |
| 2006 | Where Are They Now? | Guest | |
| 2017 | Neighbours vs Time Travel | Philip | Webseries |