Nick Simpson-Deeks

Last updated

Nick Simpson-Deeks
Born
Nicholas Deeks

OccupationActor
Years active2001–present
Notable work The Circuit , Winners & Losers , Deadloch

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.

Contents

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

Film

YearTitleRolesNotes
2015HomeTheoShort film
2014DropbearDadShort film
2012Andy XBilly NameShort film
2011 The Cup Pat Smullen Feature film
2011The Strange CallsJuddShort film
2010After the CreditsPassengerShort film
2003TemptationAgentTV movie
2003 The Postcard Bandit Prison Guard GregTV movie

Television

YearTitleRolesNotesRef
2023 The Newsreader PaulTV series: 4 episodes
2023 Utopia (Australian TV series) BryceTV series 1 episode
2023 Deadloch James KingTV series, 6 episodes [20]
2021 Five Bedrooms RogerTV series, 1 episode
2018Freudian SlipJacob's Super EgoTV series, 7 episodes
2011-14 Winners & Losers Rhys MitchellTV series, 18 episodes
2014 Fat Tony & Co. Bruno RichTV miniseries, 3 episodes
2013 Mr & Mrs Murder Tyler BettsTV series, 1 episode
2012 The Strange Calls NickTV series, 1 episode
2010 City Homicide Lleyton BrennerTV series, 1 episode
2007-10The CircuitArchie McMahonTV series, 11 episodes [21]
2009StormworldApssedTV series, 13 episodes

Video game

YearTitleRolesNotes
2007–12Murder Under the MicroscopeDaniel 'Danno' BookhamEducational video game

Theatre

YearTitleRolesNotes
2000 Road Brink / Mr Iger / Tom Stanley / Blowpipe NIDA Parade Theatre
2000Masurca FogoDancer Sydney Olympic Arts Festival
2000 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Egeus / Puck NIDA Parade Theatre with Night Sky Productions
2001 Kiss Me, Kate NIDA Parade Theatre
2002Falling on My Left Ear: A Show about George Wallace Young George Wallace Railway Street Theatre Company
2003 Away Tom / RickRailway Street Theatre Company
2004Dot by Dot with SondheimLoverCabaret @ Bar Me
2004 Into the Woods Rapunzel's Prince
2004Embalmer! The MusicalCraigNaked Theatre Company
2005In the Raw: The Windows ProjectNick Darlinghurst Theatre
2005HandbagPhil Seymour Centre with Focus Theatre Company
2005Somewhere: The Magical Musical of PenrithSamQ Theatre
2005 Much Ado About Nothing Claudio / DogberryNight Sky Productions
2005RosieWilly / Louie / Rita etc Independent Theatre, Sydney [22]
2006The Paper WallTroy
2006Little Black BookMick
2006 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Lysander
2007 Floyd Collins Skeets Miller Angel Place City Recital Hall, Sydney Theatre with Kookaburra Musical Theatre
2007 Twelfth Night Feste
2008 The Turning Vic Lang Playhouse, Perth with Perth Theatre Company for Perth International Arts Festival
2008Risky Lunar LoveRabbit CarriageWorks, Sydney with 504 Producers
2009 Jerry Springer the Opera Ensemble Sydney Opera House for Sydney Festival
2009 Jersey Boys Frankie Valli (alternative) Princess Theatre, Melbourne with New Theatricals
2010The Shakespeare RevueVarious
2013–14 Assassins The Balladeer / Lee Harvey Oswald Fortyfivedownstairs, West Gippsland Arts Centre with Watch This
2014 The Parricide Kolya / Mitya La Mama
2014 Pacific Overtures Manjirō Theatre Works, Melbourne with Watch This
2015 Sweet Phoebe Fraser Basement Theatre, Auckland with Both Sides Now Theatre Company
2015/17 Ned: A New Australian Musical Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo with Groaning Dam Productions, National Theatre, Melbourne
2015–16 Company Robert Fortyfivedownstairs, Geelong Arts Centre, Her Majesty's Theatre, Ballarat, West Gippsland Arts Centre with Watch This
2016/18 Elegy Iraqi refugee (solo performer) Gasworks Melbourne, Stratford Courthouse Theatre Melbourne, West Gippsland Arts Centre, Ararat Performing Arts Centre, Her Majesty's Theatre Ballarat, Geelong Arts Centre with Lab Kelpie
2017 The Play That Goes Wrong Chris Bean Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide, Roslyn Packer Theatre, Canberra Theatre, Concert Hall QPAC, His Majesty’s Theatre Perth with Mischief Theatre [23]
2018 Falsettos Mendel Chapel Off Chapel with StageArt
2018 Julius Caesar CassiusAustralian tour with Bell Shakespeare [24]
2018 A Little Night Music Director / Assistant National Theatre, Melbourne with Watch This
2019 Sunday in the Park with George George Southbank Theatre with Watch This [25]
2019 Peter Pan Goes Wrong Chris BeanAustralian tour
2021The Art of Making ArtOnline
2022 Into the Woods Wolf / Cinderella's PrinceArts House Meat Market, Melbourne with Watch This [26]
2022 Ghost Stories Mike Priddle Melbourne Athenaeum with Realscape Productions [27]

[28]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2006 Mike Walsh Fellowship Award Award for ActingWon
2007Macquarie Bank Youth AwardAward for ScreenwritingWon
2009 West Australian Screen Awards Best Actor (Short Film)Shades of GreyNominated
2013 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre) [29] Assassins Nominated
2014 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre) [30] Pacific Overtures Nominated
2015 Green Room Awards Leading Actor (Musical Theatre) [31] Company Nominated
2019 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre) [32] Falsettos Won
2021 Green Room Awards Celebration of Online Performance* [33] The Art of Making ArtNominated
2022 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre) [34] Into the Woods Nominated

*Nominated with Sonya Suares, Nick McInerney, Dean Drieberg and Mel Hillman

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