Michael Balk

Last updated

Michael Balk
NationalityAustralian
Alma materQueensland University of Technology
Occupation(s)Actor, Producer, Television Presenter
Years active2000-present

Michael Balk is an Australian actor, television presenter, radio announcer [1] and producer. [2]

Contents

Personal life

Michael grew up in the Clarence Valley in Northern Rivers New South Wales. [3] He attended primary and secondary school in Grafton [4] before moving to Brisbane to study Arts/Law at Queensland University of Technology. [5]

Balk is the nephew of acclaimed filmmaker Philip Hearnshaw, [6] and grandson of Australian Liberal Politician Eric Hearnshaw. [7]

Career

Balk is best known for his original television roles, notably scrapboy in dirtgirlworld [8] [9] & Get Grubby TV, [10] Glen Goosebump in SMASHHDOWN!, [11] and various characters on BrainBuzz. [12]

Michael appears in musicals, [13] theatre productions [14] and television commercials. [15] [16]

Between 2006 and 2010 Michael was lead presenter and producer at Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. [17]

Michael is the president [18] of the Australian charity the Actors & Entertainers Benevolent Fund of Queensland. [19] He served as president of Actors Equity Queensland for many years and is a board director for the MEAA. [20]

Awards and nominations

Michael was nominated for Best Emerging Artist at the Matilda Awards in 2005 and 2006. [21]

In 2010 dirtgirlworld was nominated for a Logie Award in the Outstanding Children's Program category. [22] The creators of the show dedicated the nomination to key creatives on the team citing Michael Balk among them. [23]

The stars of dirtgirlworld were recognized with an AFI Award in Melbourne, Australia in 2010. [24]

dirtgirlworld also received nominations for a BAFTA [25] and Prix Jeunesse Award [26] in 2010, and for Outstanding Preschool Programme at the 2011 JAPAN prize [27] in Tokyo.

In 2013, Balk and the team from the ABC went on to win the International Digital Emmy Award in Cannes for their work on dirtgirlworld. [28]

Balk was voted in the Clarence Valley's Most Influential People of 2019. [29]

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References

  1. ↑ "Announcers". 4MBS Classic FM 103.7. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  2. ↑ "Michael Balk". IMDb. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  3. ↑ "Dirtgirlworld creators win AFI". Northern Star. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  4. ↑ Apps, Lesley. "Australia going bananas for Dave". Daily Examiner. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "Michael Balk: Education". LinkedIn.
  6. ↑ "Australian film's right-hand man". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "Eric Hearnshaw", Wikipedia, 8 April 2020, retrieved 12 April 2020
  8. ↑ "Logie nomination for dirtgirlworld". Coffs Coast Advocate. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  9. ↑ "Valley's dirtgirlworld success". Coffs Coast Advocate. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  10. ↑ LukeMortimer. "Local kids will Get Grubby in Dirtgirlworld spin-off". Northern Star. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  11. ↑ "Airdate: Smashhdown!". TV Tonight. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Apps, Lesley. "Grafton actor's newest roles of a lifetime". Daily Examiner. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  13. ↑ Kellar, Jim (9 January 2016). "MAKING HER OWN BREAKS". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  14. ↑ Blake, Elissa (11 January 2016). "Costa Georgiadis gets grubby on stage". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "Second fiddle to a whopper". Daily Examiner. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  16. ↑ "Balk hops into mockumentary". Queensland Times. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "TV: Mouse a must for preschoolers". www.couriermail.com.au. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "Tough fight for actors and entertainers before the curtain rises again". InQueensland. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  19. ↑ "Our Committee | Actors' & Entertainers' Benevolent Fund of QLD Inc" . Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  20. ↑ "Equity Foundation".
  21. ↑ "Matilda Awards", Wikipedia, 9 April 2020, retrieved 12 April 2020
  22. ↑ "Logie nomination for dirtgirlworld". Daily Examiner. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  23. ↑ "Logie nomination for dirtgirlworld". Tweed Daily News. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  24. ↑ "Dirtgirlworld creators win AFI". Daily Mercury. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  25. ↑ "dirtgirlworld nominated for BAFTA". TV Tonight. 11 November 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  26. ↑ "Dirtgirlworld a celebration of outdoors fun for children". The West Australian. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  27. ↑ "Cate McQuillen". Screenworks. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  28. ↑ "ABC TV's dirtgirlworld cleans up at Digital Emmys". About the ABC. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  29. ↑ Howard, Lesley Apps, Tim. "Clarence Valley's most influential people #18-15". Daily Examiner. Retrieved 7 April 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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