
Acting
Oct 7, 1961
Simon Burke
Acting
Biography
Simon Burke (born 8 October 1961) is an Australian actor. Burke began his acting career as a 13 year-old in the Australian film, The Devil's Playground for which he was awarded Best Actor at the 1976 Australian Film Institute Awards. He has since starred in numerous film, television and theatre productions in Australia and the UK. He starred as Captain Georg von Trapp in Rogers and Hammerstein's production of The Sound of Music at the London Palladium alongside Connie Fisher. Burke was Federal President of Actors Equity Australia (2004–2014) and currently a Vice President of the International Federation of Actors (FIA). Simon Burke is also well remembered for his long term stint as a presenter on the childrens television series Play School from 1988-2007 then 2013 and again in 2020.
Feature Films (14)

When their ship crash-lands on a remote planet, the marooned passengers soon learn that escaped convict Riddick isn't the only thing they have to fear. Deadly creatures lurk in the shadows, waiting to attack in the dark, and the planet is rapidly plunging into the utter blackness of a total eclipse. With the body count rising, the doomed survivors are forced to turn to Riddick with his eerie eyes to guide them through the darkness to safety. With time running out, there's only one rule: Stay in the light.
Pitch Black

The existence of the anti-Iraq coalition was threatened when Saddam targetted Israel. In order to keep Israel out of the war, and the coalition together the Scuds had to be stopped. SAS patrol Bravo Two Zero, under the command of Sgt. Andy McNab was tasked to destroy these weapons. Three of the SAS troopers were killed and four captured: Only one escaped - Cpl. Chris Ryan.
The One That Got Away

Australia, 1953. Thirteen-year-old Tom Allen attends a strict Catholic seminary for boys administered by De La Salle Brothers. The adolescent students and their adult instructors struggle deeply with sexual repression and religious doubt.
The Devil's Playground

The story of notorious Australian bank robber Brendan Abbott, who according to the myth, sent postcards to authorities hot on his trail while on the run across the country.
The Postcard Bandit

During World War II in the South Pacific love is found between a young nurse, Nellie Forbush and an older French plantation owner, Emile de Becque. The war is tearing them apart.
South Pacific

The story of Stuart Diver, the only person to survive the 1997 Thredbo tragedy that came about when a landslide engulfed a ski lodge situated in Australia's Snowy Mountains.
Heroes' Mountain

A comedic, dramatic day in the lives of employees and patients at a venereal disease clinic.
The Clinic

Paddy Doolan refuses to accept change. In a new century where the motor car is changing the way things are done, the stubborn Irishman, the last of the draught-horse teamsters, continues to haul timber the old way.
The Irishman

Meandering drama of Brothers Burke and Sacks, who rob a bank, kill a cop and kidnap Thornton, a witness to their crime.
Slate, Wyn & Me

Passion concentrates on Grainger's unusual relationship with his mother and his sexual peculiarities (especially his obsessive self-flagellation, though homosexuality is also hinted at) which affect his relationship with a woman who comes to love him. It is set mainly in London in 1914, when Grainger's mother Rose was ill (she would later jump to her death in New York, upset by ill-founded rumours of incest with her son).
Passion

Gothic horror and erotic farce face a shotgun wedding in "Preservation," an oddball Aussie pic which is part of a spurt of government funded hour-long features. Starring local thesp Jacqueline McKenzie as Daphne, a 19th century taxidermist.
Preservation
Television & Series (18)

The Alice was an Australian drama television series created by Justin Monjo and Robyn Sinclair. It was set in the central outback city of Alice Springs. The program began as a successful TV movie, that later spun off a regular series. The series proved less popular and was cancelled by the Nine Network on 28 September 2005 after a sharp decline in its ratings. The entire series and original TV movie have since been released on DVD.
The Alice

Follows the stories of the four men of the Kirby family. As Alex's marriage breaks apart, Toby tries desperately to start a family, and Marty tries to kick-start his faded music career as well as find a meaningful relationship with someone his own age, all three must come to terms with their father's mental state. Cliff, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, is reliving his disturbing memories of the war and his first love, as a part of his experiences of the present . Through all four stories, we uncover a families troubled past, and their struggle towards a reconciled future.
After the Deluge

Always Afternoon is a 1988 Australian mini series about German internees in Australia. It was a co production between Germany and Australia. It inspired a series of paintings by Ross Watson.
Always Afternoon

Diane, a young woman growing up in Australia in the mid 1960s, walks away from her fiancé to join a convent after being sure she has a calling to the faith. The Catholic Church and its followers are struggling with huge changes. The Pope has died, there is war in Vietnam and mandatory conscription, there is the Vatican controversy on abortion and contraception, and the changing face of the Church as a whole. Told in six parts, Diane faces her own demons and has to finally decide if she can teach what the Church preaches, or if it's simply impossible for her to reconcile all the contradictions of the faith and uphold her vow of obedience.









