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By Chelsea Ravizza
The nationally and internationally recognised and celebrated professional actor, Anthony Phelan, has returned home to the Burdekin region to live after travelling to purse an outstanding 42 year acting career.
Anthony has led an impressive and highly commended career garnering him numerous prestigious awards and infamous roles in the entertainment industry. Although the Burdekin in the 1970s did not provide a large concentration of acting and theatre opportunities, Anthony discovered his passion through alternative routes and had his first taste of the stage in end of year productions, and later within his role as a school teacher.
Anthony began his working life as a teacher and made his debut at Home Hill State School in 1977 before he was transferred to Charters Towers Central State School in 1978. He then relocated to Brisbane where he began delving into theatre in education programs, and by working on the curriculum, he found his passion for acting. In 1981, Anthony officially left teaching behind, and began his journey as a professional actor, working with theatre companies like the La Boite Theatre, TN Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre Company in Brisbane, Sydney Theatre Company, Griffin Theatre Company and Belvoir Street Theatre.
“I moved to Sydney to see if I could survive as an actor, and thought if I could survive in Sydney, then I am meant to be in this profession,” explained Anthony.
“Brisbane and Sydney were very important to me and were a very important step of my growth and my exposure as an actor, particularly for learning, but amid all that, there was always this grounding in the Burdekin.
“It has always been home, I was born here and there’s still people here I grew up with.
“I always knew I wanted to come back here to live one day, I just wasn’t sure when that would be,” expressed Anthony.
Anthony’s time spent in Sydney not only garnered him a national standing, but also international recognition as a professional actor.
“Nationally, I have played for every State Theatre company, and internationally I have performed in New York, Washington DC, Vienna, and Amsterdam," expressed Anthony.
“I have also played the Ibsen Festival in Oslo, Norway, in Belvoir Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of 'The Wild Duck’, for which I was awarded a Sydney Theatre Award and Helpmann Award in 2011, for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
“Apart from this the other great career high for me was walking out on the stage in NYC and I thought to myself, here is the boy from Ayr.”
Anthony has also had many roles in both film and television, and most recently his talents featured in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic, Elvis. He’s played roles in Home & Away, The Kettering Incident, Wellmania, Wanted, to name a few, and for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, he voiced Lama Su, one of the animated characters.
As well as creating many stage and screen roles, Anthony also works as a voice over actor and has had his voice featured in many productions, advertisements, and films.
“You have to be resilient in this profession to survive, and you must be ready, and able to work in many different ways,” explained Anthony.
In recognition of his extraordinary career, Anthony has been presented and nominated for many other prestigious awards including the Brisbane Theatre Critics Matilda Award, and nominations for numerous AACTA Awards. However, Anthony feels his career highlights lie in the art of learning.
“My greatest moments have been learning through the different stages of my growth as an actor, like any apprentice as there is a great celebration in learning something new,” he said.
“The greatest lesson being a professional actor is, you don’t stop working until you drop.
“That’s where the classic saying comes in, if you love what you do, you’re never really working.
“Often people disregard acting as an Art, an art form which will take all of your life to endeavour to get right.
“You can never perfect it.
“I don’t believe you can say an actor is perfection.
“I don’t believe that there is such a thing as the perfect actor.
“Someone might be exactly right for a role, the timbre of their voice, the right look, the right age, but no one is perfect, nothing is perfect, as we know, and the same applies to acting.”
Residing in the region, Anthony has had the opportunity to indulge in the talents of the Burdekin, where he has been blown away by fantastic local productions and performances.
“I am really impressed with local talent, and it’s quite extraordinary the differences between now compared to when I was growing up, because really, the talent has always been here, there just hasn’t been as many opportunities, and guidance, as there is now,” explained Anthony.
Anthony will continue working professionally whilst living back in the Burdekin. He will travel to Sydney in the coming weeks to perform in a production of 'Death Of A Salesman' by Arthur Miller at the Theatre Royal alongside Anthony LaPaglia, and directed by Neil Armfield.
Anthony knew he would always return to the region and is content to be surrounded by his very loving and supportive family, and of course the special friends he has known for most of his life.
“It’s just a draw that has always been there, and this is now home.”
Professional actor is happy to back in his hometown. Photo credit: Sam Gillespie
