Matthew Walker (Australian actor)

New Zealand-Australian actor

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Matthew Walker

Born| 11 May 1979

Hamilton, New Zealand

Nationality| New Zealand
Occupation| Actor
Years active| 2004–present
Known for| Straight Forward
Filthy Rich
Home and Away
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
headLand
The Children of Huang Shi
Shortland Street

Matthew Walker is a New Zealand–born Australian-trained actor and performer.

## Early life[edit]

Walker was born on 11 May 1982 in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Walker trained at the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Australia's leading drama school, boasting graduates such as Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette and Sam Worthington. He was accepted into NIDA in 2002, after auditioning alongside over 4,000 other people for the 20 places in the school's acting course. He graduated in 2004.

Walker also completed a business and arts degree at Victoria University of Wellington, majoring in marketing, and theatre and film.

## Career[edit]

### Television[edit]

Walker played the leading role of Adam Martini in Danish / New Zealand co-production Straight Forward. Described as an 'international crime caper', the big budget 8-part series was filmed in Auckland, Queenstown and Copenhagen.

He appeared in the TVNZ drama Dirty Laundry as bad guy Nikki Rossini, and played a recurring character, Ford Hathaway, in the second season of TVNZ's Filthy Rich. He also played Vince Cully, a recurring character in the final season of Australian Channel 7 series 800 Words.

Walker is well known for his role as Justin Jefferies, the elder brother of Aden Jefferies in the popular Channel 7 soap Home and Away.[1][2][3]

Other television credits include Rake, The Cut (for the ABC), and Legend of the Seeker (for Disney). Walker currently plays Dr. Karl Vanderbeck in New Zealand's popular prime time drama series Shortland Street.

### Film[edit]

Walker appeared in Chinese war epic The Children of Huang Shi alongside Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.

### Stage[edit]

Walker has appeared on-stage in Much Ado About Nothing at the Sydney Opera House[4] with the Bell Shakespeare Company, in the world premiere of Colder with Griffin Theatre Company and in the Australasian premiere of Tracey Letts' Bug. He also played Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream by Mendelssohn with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy.

## Filmography[edit]

### Film[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2008  | The Children of Huang Shi[5] | Andy Fischer  | Feature film
2009  | Vinyl | DJ  | Short film
2021  | Love Knots[6] | William 'Will' Calvin  | TV film

### Television[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1998  | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Tiresius  | TV series, 1 episode
2002  | Dark Knight | Outlaw son  | TV series, 1 episode
2005-06  | headLand | Heath Forbes (main)  | TV series
2009  | Legend of the Seeker | Kieran  | TV series, 1 episode
2009  | The Cut | Nathan Bailey / Kerry Bailey (Identical twins)  | TV series, 2 episodes
2010  | Rake | Bill Hampton (Advisor)  | TV series, 2 episodes
2010  | Home and Away | Justin Jefferies (main)  | TV series
2016  | Dirty Laundry | Nikki Rossini  | TV series, 4 episodes
2017  | Filthy Rich | Ford Hathaway  | TV series, season 2, 4 episodes
2017-18  | 800 Words | Vince Cully (recurring)  | TV series, final season
2019  | Straight Forward[7] | Adam Martini  | TV series, 7 episodes
2020-21  | Shortland Street | Dr. Karl Vanderbeck (main)  | TV series

### Directing[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2022  | Small Waves | Director  | Short film

## Stage[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2006  | The Mediator |  | East Village Hotel with The Judas Tree
2006  | Romeo and Juliet | Abraham / Benvolio  | Bell Shakespeare Company
2008  | Colder | David Norman  | World premiere at Stables Theatre with Griffin Theatre Company
2009  | Sydney Ghosts Story | Various characters  | Old Fitzroy Theatre
2009  | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Lysander & Francis Flute / Thisbe  | Sydney Theatre Company & Sydney Symphony Orchestra[8]
2010  | Bug | Peter Evens  | Australasian premiere at SBW Stables Theatre with Griffin Theatre Company / Picture This Productions
2011  | Othello | Cassio  | Peach Theatre Company
2011  | Much Ado About Nothing | Don Pedro  | Sydney Opera House, The Playhouse Canberra, Playhouse, Melbourne with Bell Shakespeare Company

[9][10]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Matthew Walker". Retrieved 30 July 2016.
2. ^ "From Home and Away to Hamilton - Kiwi TV star comes home to direct play". TVNZ. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
3. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (24 March 2010). "New 'H&A' star praises "legend" Symons". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
4. ^ "Our Summerr Bay Hunk Comes Home". Women's Day (New Zealand). 13 July 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
5. ^ Info on the movie
6. ^ Info on the movie Love Knots
7. ^ Info on the television series
8. ^ http://www.kjtheatrediary.com/2009/02/sydney-symphony-midsummer-nights-dream.html?m=1
9. ^ https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/413157
10. ^ https://johnsonlaird.com/our-actors/Matthew-Walker

## External links[edit]

* Matthew Walker at IMDb