Guy Pearce
Guy Pearce (born 5 October 1967) [1] played David Croft in 1991. He had previously appeared in Neighbours for 3 years[1], playing Mike Young. He is now a successful actor who has appeared in countless Australian and international film and TV productions.[2] The most successful of his Australian projects is probably the Jack Irish series.[3] To the delight of Neighbours fans, Guy reprised his role as Mike in the final episodes of the show's run in 2022, and in the early part of its 2023 revival.
Biography[]
Guy was born on 5 October 1967 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. When he was 3, his family moved to Geelong in Australia. His father, who had been in the RAF, became a chief test pilot for the Australian government. Unfortunately he died in an aviation accident when Guy was 8. As a teenager, he started acting with the Geelong Society of Dramatic Arts (GSODA) Junior Players.
Neighbours[]
Guy as Mike Young
In late 1985 Guy successfully auditioned for a role in Neighbours and was one of a number of teenagers added to the cast at the time. Two days after finishing his HSC, he relocated to Melbourne. His character first appeared on Australian TV screens in early 1986. He became known for his friendship with Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan), Charlene Mitchell (Kylie Minogue) and for his romance with Jane Harris (Annie Jones). Guy left Neighbours in 1989 and appeared in a couple of Australian feature films. In 2022 Guy returned to Neighbours to reprise his role as Mike Young in what was then believed to be the three final episodes of the show. Fans were delighted that he not just played a prominent part in the final episodes, but that his character had finally got together with Jane. He reappeared in some of the early episodes of the 2023 Neighbours revival.
Home and Away 1991[]
Guy as David Croft (1991)
In 1991 Guy landed a guest role in Home and Away. He played David Croft who was a nephew of Donald Fisher's nephew and Lucinda Croft's older brother. Although David was 26, he fell for 16 year old schoolgirl Sophie Simpson. Needless to say, people who approved of their relationship were thin on the ground. Shortly after he got together with Sophie, David was killed in a car crash caused by Karen Dean. Afterwards Sophie discovered that she was pregnant with his child and later gave birth to a baby girl called Tamara.
After H&A[]
After Home and Away, Guy's career began to move into the ascendancy. In 1994, he played a drag artist in the successful Australian film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Within a couple of years, he was being cast in Hollywood films such as Curtis Hanson's critically acclaimed L.A. Confidential, William Friedkin's Rules of Engagement and Christopher Nolan's Memento. He has worked constantly ever since, both in Australia and in the USA. Even a cursory glance at his IMDB page will show how busy he has been. In 2011, he won an Emmy Award (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie) for his role in Mildred Pearce.
In more recent times he has appeared in Lee Tamahori's The Convert, the mini-series The Clearing and A Spy Amongst Friends.
Trivia[]
Guy is also a keen musician who has recorded music (including the soundtrack to A Slipping-Down Life ) and has appeared in videos by Silverchair and Razorlight.
In 2022 Guy won a Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor for Jack Irish.
Guy is a big fan of the Geelong Cats Australian Rules football team.[4]