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Wayne Blair (director)

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Wayne Blair
Born
Taree, New South Wales, Australia
Alma materCQ University
Occupation(s)Television and film director, writer, actor
Websitewayneblair.com

Wayne Blair is an Australian writer, actor, and director. He was on both sides of the camera in Redfern Now, and directed the feature film The Sapphires. He played a prominent role in the 2021–2024 drama series Total Control.

Early life and education

Wayne Blair was born in Taree, New South Wales, to Julie and Bob Blair, and has two older sisters, Janet and Mandy. He is an Aboriginal Australian man and he describes himself as a Batjala, Mununjali, Wakka Wakka man.[1]

As Blair's father was a soldier, the family moved around. While Blair was still young, his father was posted to Woodside in South Australia. When he was a teenager, Blair's family were sent to Rockhampton, Queensland. In Rockhampton he excelled at cricket and rugby, then later became interested in acting and dancing at school.[2]

Blair had a job as a tour guide at Rockhampton's Dreamtime Cultural Centre, where he was also one of the dancers. He went on to do a marketing degree at Central Queensland University, though his elective subjects included comic drama and Australian drama. He briefly went to Sydney to play rugby league for the Canterbury Bulldogs under-21s.[2]

After a failed audition for NIDA in 1992, he eventually did a three-year course at the Queensland University of Technology in acting,[3] at their Academy of the Arts. While a student there in 1997, he said "I' ve played Chinese, Puerto Rican, English, and Russian people, but I haven't played an Aboriginal person yet and I'd love to".[4]

Career

Blair's first recorded on-screen appearance was in a 1997 Australian TV film called The Tower. The following year he appeared on All Saints and Wildside. He has also appeared in Water Rats and Fireflies. 1998 was also the year he was one of the first four film makers to be mentored under the Metro Screen Indigenous Mentor Scheme for which he made a short film called Fade 2 Black. Ten years later he was to become a mentor himself under the same scheme.[5]

Blair starred in the original stage production of Tony Briggs's play, The Sapphires in 2005.[6] This play was later turned into a filmscript to be directed by Blair.[citation needed]

In 2007 he starred as Othello for Bell Shakespeare, a show that toured Australia with stops at Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra as well as other cities. He also directed three episodes of Lockie Leonard with a further four in 2010.[citation needed]

In 2008 Blair directed all thirteen episodes of the Australian children's TV series Double Trouble, about twin Indigenous girls separated at birth. In 2009 he wrote an episode of the second season of The Circuit. 2010 saw Blair direct four episodes of the Australian-British children's supernatural comedy TV series, Dead Gorgeous. He directed British-Jamaican Debbie Tucker Green's play Dirty Butterfly and co-directed the biographical play, Namatjira, with Scott Rankin who also wrote the play, both plays at Sydney's Belvoir St Theatre.[7] He was also chosen in the same year as one of the stars of the Sydney Theatre Company's revival of Sam Shepard's True West, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.[8]

Blair was awarded the Bob Maza Fellowship for 2011 by Screen Australia to provide opportunities for career development.[9] 2012 was a big year which saw the making of his hit film, The Sapphires, which brought him recognition around the world with a very positive response at Cannes.[2] Later in the year he starred in three episodes of the ABC's TV drama series, Redfern Now and directed another of the episodes. To finish the year Blair was included in Variety Magazine's top ten directors to watch in 2013.[10]

He has occasionally worked on projects outside of Australia, including 2015's Septembers of Shiraz; a US production shot in Bulgaria, and a 2017 made for television remake of the American classic Dirty Dancing.[citation needed]

In 2020, Blair was named in the cast for ABC's Aftertaste.[11]

In 2021, he was announced for the second season of ABC political drama Total Control (TV series) in the role of Paul Murphy and in 2023 Blair would join the filming for the third and final season. Blair also served as a director in the series directing 9 episodes.[12][13][14] Blair also appeared in Netflix's Irreverent.[15]

In 2023, he was a director on ABC's Bay of Fires and directed four episodes.[16]

In 2024, Blair was announced as part of the directing team for the ABC drama Plum.[17]

Awards and recognition

Filmography

Short film

Year Title Director Writer
2016 3000 Yes No
2014 Lie No Yes
2009 Ralph No Yes
2005 The Djarn Djarns Yes Yes
2002 Black Talk[22] Yes Yes

Actor

Year Title Role
2021 Jarli Pop
2019 Martha the Monster The Director
Closed Doors Man
2016 Eaglehawk Frank
2015 Nulla Nulla Black Cop
2009 Brother Boys Father
2005 The Djarn Djarns Wayne the Compare

Feature film

Director

  • Firestarter (2020)
  • Top End Wedding (2019)
  • Septembers of Shiraz (2015)
  • The Elegant Gentleman's Guide to Knife Fighting (2013)
  • The Sapphires (2012)

Executive producer

  • Brando With The Glass Eye (2024)

Actor

Year Title Role
2023 The New Boy George
2022 Seriously Red Lionel
2020 June Again Dr Michael Lawton
Extraction KoeKoen
Rams Lionel
2019 Top End Wedding Tow Truck Passenger
2018 Emu Runner Jay Jay
2013 The Turning Max
2012 Wish You Were Here Willis
2011 X: Night of Vengeance Bob
The Last Time I Saw Michael Gregg Smash
2009 Blessed James Parker
2001 Mullet James

Television

Year Title Director Writer Notes
2024 Plum Yes No 3 episodes
2021-24 Total Control Yes No 9 episodes
2023 Bay of Fires Yes No 4 episodes
2021 Bangarra's World Yes No Miniseries
Dubbo-Life of a Strongman Yes No TV Movie
2000 Mystery Road Yes No 3 episodes
2019 SeaChange Yes No 2 episodes
2018 Bite Club Yes No 2 episodes
2016-17 Cleverman Yes No 7 directed;
Also executive producer
2017 Love Child Yes No 2 episodes
Dirty Dancing Yes No TV movie
2014 Offspring Yes No 2 episodes
The Gods of Wheat Street Yes No 2 episodes
2012-13 Redfern Now Yes Yes 3 episodes
2007-10 Lockie Leonard Yes Yes Directed 8 episodes, wrote 1 episode
2010 Dead Gorgeous Yes No 4 episodes
2009 The Circuit No Yes 1 episode
2008 Double Trouble Yes No 13 episodes

Actor

Year Title Role Notes
2021-24 Total Control Paul Murphy 12 episodes
2022 Irreverent Peter
2021-22 Aftertaste Brett
2021 Wakefield Vince
2019 SeaChange Riley Bolt
2018 Mystery Road Larry Dime Season 1
2018-19 Squinters Gary
2017 The Letdown Father Whyman
Dirty Dancing Director TV movie
2015 Redfern Now: Promise Me Aaron Davis
2014 Black Comedy Guest Cast
2013 The Broken Shore Bobby Walshe TV movie
2012–13 Redfern Now Aaron Davis 5 episodes
2007–10 Lockie Leonard Arnold 1 episode
2007 Jackie Jackie Koori Salesman TV movie
2006 Small Claims: The Reunion Det. Lacey
2004 Small Claims Det. Snr. Const. Lacey
Fireflies Wayne Patterson 1 episode
2000 Water Rats Ridley Winter 1 episode
1998 Wildside Wes 1 episode
All Saints Kenny Baxter 1 episode
1997 The Tower DJ Dan TV movie

References

  1. ^ "'In the Frame' Wayne Blair". ABC. 10 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Garry Maddox (3 August 2012). "Jewels in the festival crown". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  3. ^ For most of the information in this paragraph: "'In the Frame' Wayne Blair". ABC. 10 July 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  4. ^ Myler, Carmen (12 October 1997 – 16 February 1998). "It's 'showtime' for acting graduates". INSIDE QUT: Queensland University of Technology Newspaper (170). Queensland University of Technology: 1. Two of Mr Stewart's fellow acting students, Wayne Blair and Rebecca Clarke, said they were realistic about their futures after graduation and were willing to take acting work in whatever form it came...
  5. ^ Erin Free (1 June 2008). "Mentoring success". Film Ink. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  6. ^ "From stage to screen". Hopscotch. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Wayne Blair". The Yellow Agency. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  8. ^ Jason Blake (4 November 2010). "Casting adds bite to feuding brothers". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  9. ^ "Wayne Blair awarded the 2011 Bob Maza Fellowship". Screen Australia. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  10. ^ Peter Debruge (7 December 2012). "Variety announces 10 Directors to Watch". Variety Magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  11. ^ "Exciting cast on the menu of ABC comedy series Aftertaste". About the ABC. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  12. ^ Morse, Callan. "Cameras roll on final season of Total Control". National Indigenous Times.
  13. ^ Slatter, Sean (12 January 2024). "Letting go of 'Total Control': The creative team reflect on the ABC drama's final season". IF Magazine. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  14. ^ Knox, David (27 November 2020). "Wayne Blair to direct Total Control | TV Tonight". TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  15. ^ Knox, David (23 September 2021). "Cast announced for Irreverent drama | TV Tonight". TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  16. ^ Knox, David (14 June 2023). "Airdate: Bay of Fires | TV Tonight". TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  17. ^ Slatter, Sean (16 January 2024). "ABC to serve up 'Plum' with Brendan Cowell, Asher Keddie leading the cast". IF Magazine. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  18. ^ a b "The Djarn Djarns". Alexander Street, part of Clarivate. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Screen Australia's Indigenous Department celebrates 25 years". Screen Australia]. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Winners & Nominees". AACTA. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Wayne Blair, Rosemary Blight, Kylie du Fresne, Darren Dale among Aussies invited to join Academy". IF Magazine. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  22. ^ "Black Talk: Boodgie". National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
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