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Geoff Morrell (actor)

Geoff Morrell
Born (1958-02-19) 19 February 1958 (age 66)
OccupationActor
Years active1985–present
Children2

Geoff Morrell (born 19 February 1958) is an Australian actor.

Early life

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Morrell was born in Fairfield in Western Sydney, where his father was a schoolteacher. The family moved to Wollongong when Morrell was nine. He finished high school without doing well, academically. He subsequently worked at the Port Kembla Steelworks, but decided to repeat year 12, and after applying himself second time around, topped the HSC.

Morrell received a NSW Teacher's Scholarship and studied a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Wollongong. While studying, he made his stage debut as Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest. He was also President of the Student Representative Council. He graduated in 1979.[1][2]

Career

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Morrell began his career in theatre acting, becoming a founding member of the Theatre South organisation. In 1983, he briefly moved to England, featuring in a number of productions there.

In 1985, he branched into film acting, with a minor role in a telemovie version of Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan. Over the next few years, he moved between film and theatre, starring in productions such as Macbeth and King Lear, as well as several supporting roles in films, telemovies, miniseries and regular series. These included notable Australian films Blackrock and Oscar and Lucinda. He has had guest roles in the series The Secret Life of Us, Stingers and Farscape.

Morrell starred as Harry in Australia's first production of Michael Gow's play Away, which was performed by the Griffin Theatre Company and premiered at the Stables Theatre in Sydney on 7 January 1986.[3]

After filming Oscar and Lucinda, Morrell won the role of forensic scientist Lance Fisk in the series Murder Call, which screened from 1997 to 1999. In 2000, he won one of his most significant roles to date, as the protagonist of the ABC series Grass Roots. The series was not renewed after the 2001 season, and Morrell followed this with a major role in the ABC telemovie Marking Time, as the father of a boy in love with an asylum seeker.

Morrell won the 2000 AFI Award for Best Actor for Grass Roots, and has been nominated four times, for Fallen Angels (1997), Grass Roots second series, Changi (2001) and Marking Time. He has been nominated for three silver Logies for Grass Roots (first and second series) and Changi.

In 2004, Morrell made a move into the mainstream when he became one of four new actors to join the long-running police series Blue Heelers, on which he played Sergeant Mark Jacobs. In September 2004, there was speculation that the ABC would commission a third series of Grass Roots. However, Morrell stated that the ABC "may have missed its chance", and as he remained contracted to Blue Heelers, would likely not have been able to participate if the series did return. Due to family commitments, Morrell chose to leave Blue Heelers.

He has also been involved in the film Right Here Right Now. In 2010, Morrell made a return to ABC to star alongside Richard Roxburgh in the first series of Rake. Morrell played the role of Joe Sandilands, a fictional NSW Attorney-General involved in the inside wheeling and dealing of the NSW Labor. In 2015, he appeared as Inspector Clive Small, in the two-part miniseries Catching Milat.[4][5]

He appeared in the feature film Rogue, and Anthony Hayes' feature film debut Ten Empty. In 2010, he began work on the set of Cloudstreet, a television miniseries version of Tim Winton's novel. He plays the role of Lester Lamb.

Morrell has since appeared in numerous other productions including The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.[6] In 2023 Morrell was named as part of the cast in Foxtel drama High Country, and Stan series Thou Shalt Not Steal.[7]

In 2024, Morrell was named as part of the cast for the Liam Neeson led The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky.[8]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1991 Strangers Frank
1992 The Girl Who Came Late (aka Daydream Believer) Brad Hislop
1994 No Worries Ben Bell
1996 Mr. Reliable (aka My Entire Life) Sergeant Campbell
1997 Blackrock Stewart Ackland
Oscar and Lucinda Charley Fig
1998 Never Tell Me Never Rehab Specialist
2000 Looking for Alibrandi Mr. Barton
2003 Ned Kelly Robert Scott
2004 Right Here Right Now Paul
2007 Lucky Miles Peter Coode
Rogue Allen Smith
2008 Ten Empty Ross
The View from Greenhaven Theodore
2009 Coffin Rock George
2010 Oranges and Sunshine Walter
2014 The Mule John
2017 Red Christmas Joe
TBA The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky TBA

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1985 Lady Windemere's Fan Mr. Hopper Television film
1986 The Bill Rod TV series
The Monocled Mutineer Aussie Gas Mask TV series, 2 episodes
1988 Rafferty's Rules Alan Tillaman TV series
Captain James Cook Perry TV miniseries
1989 Round the Twist Porter TV series
1991 The Flying Doctors Rex Waddington TV series
1993 G.P. Neil Gordon TV series
1994 Heartbreak High Allan Masters TV series
1995 Bordertown Bates TV series
Blue Murder Les Knox TV series
1996 Fallen Angels Jack Landers TV series
1997–1999 Murder Call Lance Fisk TV series
1998 Good Guys, Bad Guys Beckett TV series
2001 BackBerner 1 episode
Changi Major Dr. Rowdy Lawson TV miniseries
The Secret Life of Us TV series
My Husband, My Killer Television film
2000–2003 Grass Roots Col Dunkley TV series
2003 Farscape TK Holt TV series
Stingers Ron Moore TV series
Marking Time Geoff Fleming TV miniseries
2004 Go Big Ian Patterson Television film
2004–2005 Blue Heelers Sergeant Mark Jacobs TV series
2005 Second Chance Television film
2006 All Saints Chris Harrison TV series
2007 Bastard Boys Chris Corrigan TV miniseries
Curtin Ben Chifley Television film
2008 Sea Patrol Lieutenant Commander Jack Freeman TV series, season 2
Bed of Roses Tibor Havel TV series
Emerald Falls Jack Donnelly Television film
2009 Rogue Nation John McArthur 2 episodes
Packed to the Rafters Tim Connelly TV series
2010 Rake Joe Sandilands TV series, season 1
2011 Small Time Gangster Les TV series
Cloudstreet Lester Lamb TV miniseries[9]
Winners & Losers Paul Armstrong TV series
2011–2012 Home and Away Geoffrey King TV series
2012 Dripping in Chocolate Stuart Verger Television film
2013 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Bob Ryan TV series
Serangoon Road Philip Tuckworth TV series
2015 Open Slather Special Guest 3 episodes
8MMM Aboriginal Radio Dave Cross TV series
Catching Milat Inspector Clive Small TV miniseries
2016 The Code David Banks TV series
Deep Water Don Lustigman TV series
2015–2016 Please Like Me Bruce TV series
2017 Top of the Lake: China Girl Ray TV series
Fucking Adelaide Geoff TV miniseries, 2 episodes
2018 Nippers of Dead Bird Bay Judge 1 episode
2019 Blue Water Empire Government Official
Harrow Dr. Laurie Badcoe TV series, season 2
2022–2024 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Waldreg 7 episodes
2023 Wolf Like Me Peter Stenning 2 episodes
2024 High Country Brian Harris TV series

Theatre

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Year Title Role Type
Macbeth Classical Theatre Co
The Importance of Being Earnest Algernon University of Wollongong
1979 The Common Room Teachers Federation Auditorium with Southern Cross Theatre Company for Sydney Festival
1980 The Con Man David Wollongong with Theatre South
1980 Man of La Mancha Dr. Carrasco Wollongong Conservatorium Theatre Company
1981 First People NSW
1981 Norse Saga Thorhall Hunter / Kol NSW with Seagull Theatre-in-Education
1981 Travelling North Freddy Wollongong Technical College with Theatre South
1981; 1983 Might as Well Talk to Yourself (or Confusions) Waiter / Others Wollongong Technical College with Theatre South
1981 The Playboy of the Western World Shawn Keogh Wollongong Technical College with Theatre South
1982 Can't Pay? Won't Pay! Wollongong Technical College with Theatre South
1982 Diggers' Darling Wollongong Technical College, Clubbe Hall, Mittagong with Theatre South
1983 The Glass Menagerie Wollongong Technical College with Theatre South
1983 What the Butler Saw Wollongong Technical College with Theatre South
1983 On Our Selection Wollongong Town Hall with Theatre South
1986 Away Harry Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company
1986 The Madras House Sydney Opera House with STC
1986 The Seagull Sydney Opera House with STC
1986 Don't Pay! Don't Pay! Playhouse, Newcastle with Hunter Valley Theatre Company
1987 Trumpets and Raspberries Wharf Theatre, Sydney with Theatre South for Sydney Festival
1987 Tom and Viv Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC
1987 Blood Relations Das Sydney Opera House, Playhouse Adelaide with STCSA & STC
1987 The Department John Seymour Centre, Sydney with Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust
1988 King Lear Edgar Playhouse Adelaide
1988 Big and Little Guitar Player / A Young Man / Man Sydney Opera House with STC
1989 Top Silk Trevor Fredericks Seymour Centre, Sydney, Melbourne Athenaeum, Canberra Theatre, Playhouse Adelaide with MTC
1989 Hedda Gabler Jörgen Tesman Playhouse Adelaide with STCSA
1990 Other Times Roo Playhouse, Newcastle with Hunter Valley Theatre Company
1990 The Tempest Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney
1990 Hot Fudge and Icecream Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC
1991 Racing Demon Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC
1992 The Boy Who Climbed Windmills Riverside Theatres Parramatta, Wharf Theatre, Sydney, Zenith Theatre, Sydney for Sydney Festival
1992 Time and the Room Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC
1993 Scenes from an Execution Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney
1994 Short Circuit Seymour Centre, Sydney for Sydney Festival
1994 A Cheery Soul Mr Wakeman / Furniture Removal Man 2 Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide with Queensland Theatre for Adelaide Festival of Arts
1994 Away Riverside Theatres Parramatta with STC
1994 Oleanna John Wharf Theatre, Sydney, Geelong Arts Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with STC & MTC
1995 The Malevolence Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney
1996 Pentecost Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC
1996-99 Speaking in Tongues Pete / Neil / John Stables Theatre, Sydney, Marian Street Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company
1999 Things We Do For Love Marian Street Theatre, Sydney
1999 Art Serge Theatre Royal, Sydney with Gordon Frost Organisation
2000 A Month in the Country Sydney Opera House with STC
2000 Life After George George Wharf Theatre with STC
2000 A Cheery Soul Mr Wakeman Sydney Opera House with STC & Company B Belvoir for Sydney Festival
2002 Man of La Mancha Dr Sanson Carrasco / Duke Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Capitol Theatre, Sydney
2004 Blithe Spirit Charles Sydney Opera House with MTC & STC
2005 Love Letters Andrew Makepeace Ladd III NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney
2008 Rabbit Father Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
2009 Ruben Guthrie Peter Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney
2009 God of Carnage Michel Vallon Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC
2012 Australia Day Brian Playhouse Melbourne, Riverside Theatres Parramatta, Canberra Theatre Centre, Sydney Opera House with MTC & STC
2013 Vere (Faith) Ralph / Roger Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide, Sydney Opera House with STCSA & STC
2016 The Blind Giant is Dancing Michael Wells Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney
2016 The Great Fire Patrick Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney
2017–19 Black is the New White Dennison Smith Wharf Theatre, Sydney, Playhouse Brisbane, IMB Theatre Wollongong, Roslyn Packer Theatre Sydney, Riverside Theatres Parramatta, Southbank Theatre, Melbourne, Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA & STC

[10][11]

References

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  1. ^ "Geoff Morrell - University of Wollongong – UOW".
  2. ^ "2024: The importance of the arts - University of Wollongong – UOW".
  3. ^ Gow, Michael (1986). Away. Sydney: Currency Press. ISBN 978-0-86819-211-6.
  4. ^ Knox, David (6 February 2015). "Catching Milat: trailer | TV Tonight". TV Tonight. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  5. ^ Knox, David (10 May 2015). "Airdate: Catching Milat | TV Tonight". TV Tonight. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  6. ^ Knox, David (4 December 2020). "More cast join Lord of the Rings | TV Tonight". TV Tonight. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  7. ^ Knox, David (14 September 2023). "Cameras roll on Stan drama Thou Shalt Not Steal | TV Tonight". TV Tonight. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  8. ^ Slatter, Sean (16 January 2024). "Jonathan Hensleigh's 'Ice Road' sequel to film in Victoria with Liam Neeson, Bernard Curry, Grace O'Sullivan, Geoff Morrell". IF Magazine. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Cast announced for Cloudstreet | TV Tonight". 2 February 2010.
  10. ^ "AusStage".
  11. ^ "Liberty Artist Management".
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