Lindsay Farris is an Australian Māori actor, writer, producer, and musician.

Career

Stage work

Farris has worked for several Australian theatre companies, including the Sydney Theatre Company, La Boite Theatre Company, Ensemble Theatre, Belvoir, The Production Company, and Christine Dunstan Productions. Farris' theater credits include the critically acclaimed title role of Hamlet in the Sport For Jove Theatre Company production at the Seymour Centre, for which he received a 2012 Sydney Theatre Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role in an Independent Production. In 2011, he appeared in the Australian premiere of Anthony Neilson's play Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness, a co-production between the Sydney Theatre Company and La Boite Theatre Company. Farris appeared as Dakin in the Alan Bennett play The History Boys at the Sydney Opera House. In May 2013, Farris reprised his role of Hamlet in Sport For Jove Theatre Company's return season of the play. Farris appeared in Noises Off and Mojo, both for the Sydney Theatre Company. Farris was the founder and artistic director of the National Youth Theatre Company.

Film and television

Farris appeared in Peter Templeman's 2005 short film Splintered, which won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short at the Slamdance Film Festival in 2005. In 2009, Farris appeared in Reneé Hernandez’s short film The Ground Beneath, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Farris starred in the Joseph Sims feature film Bad Behaviour alongside John Jarratt. The film was selected as the closing night feature for the 2010 Melbourne Underground Film Festival and received five awards including Best Actor for Farris. In 2010, Farris worked alongside Sunny Abberton to develop a documentary on youth theatre in Australia. Farris is also executive director of the Australian Ministry of Theatre, a company that supports theatre actors. In 2015, Farris worked on Gods of Egypt for Lionsgate Entertainment. Prior to this, Farris appeared in the Australian component of Geography of the Heart. He also worked on Alan Ball's HBO show Virtuoso and appeared as Dom Loneragan on Home and Away for the Seven Network. Farris co-produced and starred in Observance, Joseph Sims-Dennett's second feature film. In 2017, Farris appeared in the PBS drama Mercy Street for Scott Free Productions and as Carl Logan in Sisters for Endemol Shine Australia. In 2018, he appears as Dalton in Ash vs Evil Dead. In 2019, he appeared in CJZ's My Life Is Murder for Acorn TV and Network 10.

Directing and writing

Farris has taught at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts and has worked with students in performing arts at primary, secondary and tertiary schools across Australia including the National Institute of Dramatic Art and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Farris is a regular lecturer at intensive education programs, including the New South Wales (NSW) State Drama Camp, NSW Riverina School's Drama Camp, Big Day Out, National Institute of Dramatic Art Young Actors Studio, NSW State Drama Company, and NSW State Drama Ensemble. Farris wrote the screenplay for Untitled Lindsay Farris Project, for which he was shortlisted for the 2018 Screencraft Pilot Launch Competition and was a finalist for the 2019 Inroads Screenwriting Fellowship and Table Read My Screenplay Competition. Farris wrote the stage plays Sugar Bowl and Touch. Farris is the author of the book A Young Actor's Guide to Becoming a Wanker.

Music

Farris is a pianist who has performed in the Sydney Opera House, Vanguard, Metro, and The Spanish Club.

Credits

Theatre

Filmography

Awards and nominations