Richard Roxburgh

Early life

Roxburgh was born in Albury, New South Wales, to John (d. July 2011) and Mary Roxburgh; he is the youngest of six children. John Roxburgh was a successful accountant.

Roxburgh studied economics at the Australian National University in Canberra, graduating with a B.Ec. in 1984. After graduating from ANU, he decided to become an actor and was admitted to the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) on his second audition attempt.

Acting career

Roxburgh began working with the Sydney Theatre Company as soon as he graduated from NIDA. He came to public attention for his portrayal of New South Wales Police Force detective Roger Rogerson in the 1995 television miniseries Blue Murder. Through the 1990s, he appeared in several Australian film and stage productions including a critically acclaimed turn as Hamlet in the 1994 Company B production at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney. In December 2007 he played the lead character, Roland Henning, who suffered writer's block in Michael Gow's play, Toy Symphony, at the Belvoir St Theatre, winning the 2008 Helpmann Award for best male actor in a play.

In 2000, Roxburgh appeared in the first of several international blockbuster films when he appeared as henchman Hugh Stamp in the John Woo-directed Mission: Impossible II, which was filmed in Sydney. Also filmed in Sydney was Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! (2001), in which Roxburgh played the Duke of Monroth.

Roxburgh appeared as three iconic characters over the next three years: he played Sherlock Holmes in 2002's The Hound of the Baskervilles, Holmes's nemesis Professor Moriarty in 2003's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Count Dracula in 2004's Van Helsing. He is one of only two actors to have played all three of these characters, the other being Orson Welles, who played them in separate radio programs.

Roxburgh directed his first film, Romulus, My Father starring Eric Bana, released in 2007. This film won (and was nominated for several more) the AFI Award in December 2007. In 2008 and 2009, he played the lead role of Art Watkins in the ABC drama series East of Everything.

In July 2010, Roxburgh played former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke in a telemovie based on Hawke's life. Late in 2010, Roxburgh co-created and appeared in the lead role of the ABC1 television eight-episode drama series Rake. He stars in Matching Jack, which was released in August 2010, and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, released in September 2010.

Roxburgh played Vanya opposite Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving and John Bell in Sydney Theatre Company's 2010 production of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. In 2013 he again performed at the STC with Weaving as the protagonists in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot, Weaving as Vladimir and Roxburgh as Estragon. In 2014, Roxburgh played the title role in Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac at the STC. In 2015 Roxburgh appeared in Andrew Upton's adaptation of Chekhov's play Platonov, titled The Present, for the STC; it was directed by John Crowley and featured Cate Blanchett, Jacqueline McKenzie, Marshall Napier, Toby Schmitz.

Personal life

Roxburgh was in a relationship with fellow actor and NIDA graduate Miranda Otto whom he met on the set of the film Doing Time for Patsy Cline in 1997. Their relationship ended in 2000.

During production of the film Van Helsing, Roxburgh met Italian actress Silvia Colloca whom he married on 25 September 2004; they have two sons.

Awards

Australian Film Institute/AACTA

Film Crities Circle of Australia Awards

Logie Awards