Jeremy Sims

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Jeremy Sims
Sims at The Sapphires Hometown Gala Premiere at State Theatre, Sydney in August 2012
Born
Jeremy Hartley Sims

(1966-01-10) 10 January 1966 (age 59)
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
EducationWesley College (1977–1983)
National Institute of Dramatic Art (1990)[1]
Occupation(s)Actor, director
Years active1980–present
Known forChances (1991–1992)
Idiot box (1996)
Fireflies (2004)
Spouse(s)Tania Leimbach (m.2015)[2]
Samantha Lang (m.2004–div.2011)[3][4]
PartnerKym Wilson (1990s)
Children4[3]

Jeremy Hartley Sims (born 10 January 1966) is an Australian actor and director.[5]

Early life

[edit]

Jeremy Sims was born in Perth, Western Australia on 10 January 1966,[6] and was educated at Wesley College[7] from 1977 to 1983.[citation needed]

In 1987, Sims was studying at University of Western Australia (UWA).[8] He graduated in 1990 from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, with a degree in Performing Arts (Acting).[1]

Career

[edit]

Sims' first appearance on the big screen was a minor part in the 1980 movie Harlequin.[9] He is however, remembered by many for his role as Alex Taylor in the risqué television soap opera Chances from 1991 to 1992, in which he was cast the year after graduating from NIDA.[10] He was nominated for a Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent for the role in 1992.[11]

Sims has starred in several films, including playing Mick, opposite Ben Mendelsohn's Kev in 1996 crime film Idiot Box.[12][13] It was his first lead role in a feature film,[10] and saw him nominated for Best Actor at both the Australian Film Institute Awards[14] and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards.[15] Other film credits include 2003 film Liquid Bridge with Ryan Kwanten,[16] 2003 Ned Kelly satire Ned,[17] 2009 drama The Waiting City with Radha Mitchell, 2015 romantic drama Ruben Guthrie with Patrick Brammall,[18] 2017 adventure comedy A Few Less Men[19] and 2018 quirky comedy drama Swinging Safari, opposite Guy Pearce and Kylie Minogue.[20]

Sims' television appearances include the 1997 made-for-television film Kangaroo Palace, which earned him an Australian Film Institute Award nomination for AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama.[21][14] In 1999, he appeared in Aftershocks, a mockumentary TV movie about the 1989 Newcastle earthquake. He won an Australian Film Institute Award and was nominated for a Logie Award for his portrayal of John Constable.[22][23] That same year he featured in the miniseries Day of the Roses,[9] based on the Granville rail disaster and the TV movie Secret Men's Business alongside Ben Mendelsohn, Simon Baker and Marcus Graham. In 2001, he played Tony Dunne MP in the satirical miniseries Corridors of Power.[17] In 2004, he starred in Fireflies as Tim 'Backa' Burke.[17] He had recurring roles in Home and Away in 2009 as David ‘Gardy’ Gardiner[17] and Wild Boys in 2011 as Francis Fuller.[17] He starred in the 2009 TV film In Her Skin with Guy Pearce.[9] He has also had numerous guest roles in series including Police Rescue[9] Wildside,[17] Medivac,[24] Farscape,[17] Young Lions, Stingers,[17] The Secret Life of Us,[17] McLeod's Daughters.[25] and the Underbelly franchise.[26]

Sims is also a director, with no less than five feature films credits to his name. He directed and produced 2006 thriller Last Train to Freo, which received three Australian Film Institute Award nominations.[27] In 2010, his second feature, the war drama Beneath Hill 60 was nominated for 12 AFI Awards, five Inside Film Awards, and eight Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, including for Best Director and Best Film. He won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival.[27]

In 2014, Sims directed, produced and co-wrote the film adaptation of Last Cab to Darwin, based on the 2003 play of the same name. Starring Michael Caton and Jacki Weaver, it received numerous AACTA Awards nominations.[27] including Best Director and won the AACTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and was selected for Toronto International Film Festival in 2015.[28] In 2018, he wrote and directed the feature documentary Wayne (about motorsport champion Wayne Gardner) which was selected for Melbourne International Film Festival that year.[28][8] He also directed 2020 film Rams, starring Sam Neill, Michael Caton, and Miranda Richardson, which was met with international acclaim.[27]

His director credits for television include 2021 six-part Amazon Prime miniseries Back to the Rafters (spin-off and sequel to long-running drama series Packed to the Rafters) and eight-part medical rescue series RFDS from 2021 to 2023,[27] in which he also appeared. He has also directed episodes of Doctor Doctor, A Place to Call Home, Rescue: Special Ops[28] and Home and Away'.'[29]

Sims is also developing several projects, including six part series Bluebird (produced by his company Pork Chop Productions) and the drama series Fight or Flight – The Woman who Cracked the Anxiety Code, a drama series, based on a best selling biography by Judith Hoare.[28]

Sims has also acted in and directed stage productions at Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir and Melbourne Theatre Company, as well as overseas at Trafalgar Studios in London and Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.[28] In 1995, together with then girlfriend Kym Wilson, Sims formed the theatrical production company 'Pork Chop Productions'.[5][30][10] Pork Chop has toured many shows nationally since that time and won a Drover's Award in 2005 for their production of the play, Last Cab to Darwin.[31] His stage acting credits include Philip Seymour Hoffman's production of Riflemind, and the Edinburgh Festival / Royal National Theatre Company production of The Secret River.[28]

Sims continues to act in selected projects, including the final season of comedy crime drama series Mr Inbetween in 2021.[28] In February 2025, he was announced as part of the cast for the second season of historical heist drama series The Artful Dodger.[32]

Acting credits

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
1980 Harlequin Young boy Feature film [9]
1991 Placenta Boy Short film [33]
1996 Idiot Box Mick Feature film [17]
2000 City of Dreams Walter Burley Griffin Feature film [9]
2001 Tick Jack Short film [15]
2003 Liquid Bridge Tony Feature film [16]
Ned Mr Kelly Feature film [17]
2009 The Waiting City Carlisle Feature film
2015 Ruben Guthrie Ray Feature film [18]
2017 A Few Less Men Pilot Ridgeon Feature film [19]
2018 Swinging Safari Bob Marsh Feature film [20]
2019 Bilched Matt's Dad [34]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
1991–1992 Chances Alex Taylor 126 episodes [35][17]
1994 Police Rescue Terry TV movie
Heartland Garth Maddern 2 episodes [17]
1995 Police Rescue Jeff Bertram 1 episode [17]
1996 Natural Justice: Heat Gavin Larsen TV movie
1997 Kangaroo Palace Jack Gill TV movie [21]
Frontline Steve Barrett 1 episode
1998 Wildside Greg Zelka 1 episode [17]
Medivac Mark Best 4 episodes [24]
The Day of the Roses Gerry Buchtmann Miniseries [17]
The Chosen Peter McAlister TV movie [15]
1999 Aftershocks John Constable TV movie [17]
Secret Men's Business Warwick Jones TV movie [17]
1999–2000 Farscape Rorf 3 episodes [17]
1999–2003 Stingers Troy Thorpe / Aaron Fielder 4 episodes [17]
2000 The Lost World Vorded 1 episode
2001 The Bill Ken McEvoy 1 episode [17]
Corridors of Power Tony Dunne MP 6 episodes [17]
2002 Young Lions Rob Carne 3 episodes
2003 Balmain Boys Andy TV movie [36]
The Secret Life of Us Neil 3 episodes [17]
2004 Fireflies Tim Burke 22 episodes [37][17]
2005 McLeod's Daughters Will Hamiltion 1 episode [25]
2008 Blue Water High Loren's Dad 1 episode
In Her Skin McLean TV movie
2009 Home and Away David Gardiner 15 episodes [17]
2010 City Homicide Pete Copland 1 episode [17]
2011 Wild Boys Francis Fuller 10 episodes [17]
Underbelly Files: The Man Who Got Away Tony Moynihan TV movie [26]
2012 Dangerous Remedy Bertram Wainer TV movie [38]
2016 Doctor Doctor Mike 1 episode
2020 Black Comedy 1 episode
2021 Mr Inbetween Rafael 5 episodes [39]
2025 The Artful Dodger Uncle Dickie Season 2 [40]
Sunny Nights Lachlan Jennings TBA [citation needed]

Theatre

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
1986 Chicago Chicago New Dolphin Theatre, Perth with UWA
1992 Love Letters Andrew Makepeace III Sydney Opera House with Les Currie Presentations / STC
1993 Aftershocks John Belvoir Theatre Company [17]
1994 The Grapes of Wrath Tom Joad Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC [17]
All Souls Frank Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company [17]
Picasso at the Lapin Agile Pablo Picasso Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne Playhouse, Adelaide, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney with Company B / Playbox Theatre Company [17]
1995 Twelfth Night Sebastian University of Sydney, Monash University, Melbourne, Melbourne Athenaeum, Canberra Theatre, Playhouse, Adelaide with Bell Shakespeare [17]
Pericles Pericles University of Sydney, Monash University, Melbourne, Melbourne Athenaeum, Canberra Theatre, Playhouse, Adelaide with Bell Shakespeare [17]
1995; 1997 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Guildenstern Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney with Pork Chop Productions [15]
1997 The Herbal Bed Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC [15]
1998 Macbeth Space Theatre, Adelaide with STCSA
1999 Cyrano de Bergerac Cyrano Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC [17]
2000–2001 The White Devil Flamineo Theatre Royal Sydney, Brooklyn Academy of Music with STC [17]
2001 Hamlet Hamlet Belvoir Theatre Company with Pork Chop Productions [17]
2002 The Virgin Mim Mr McDermott, Mim's father Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC [41][42]
2003 The Club Sydney Opera House with STC [43]
2005 Festen Michael Sydney Opera House with STC [17]
2006 Under Ice Wharf Theatre, Sydney with Wharf 2 Loud
2007–2009 Riflemind Sam Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC / Trafalgar Studios, London [44][45]
2009 God of Carnage Michael (replaced by Russell Dykstra) STC [46][47]
2011 Celebrity Autobiography Comedian Sydney Opera House with Ross Mollison Productions [17]
2013; 2019 The Secret River Smasher Sullivan Sydney Theatre, Playhouse, Canberra, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Edinburgh Festival, National Theatre London, NT tour with STC [17]

[48]

Directing / writing credits

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
2006 Last Train to Freo Director / executive producer Feature film [27]
2010 Beneath Hill 60 Director Feature film [27]
2015 Last Cab to Darwin Director / producer / co-writer Feature film [27]
2018 Wayne Director / writer Documentary film [28]
2020 Rams Director Feature film [27]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
2011 Rescue: Special Ops Director 2 episodes [28]
2016 Doctor Doctor Director 4 episodes [28]
2017–2018 A Place to Call Home Director 6 episodes [28]
2021 Back to the Rafters Director 2 episodes [27]
2021; 2023 RFDS Director 2 episodes [49][27]
2022 Home and Away Director 10 episodes [29]
TBA Bluebird [28]
TBA Fight or Flight – The Woman who Cracked the Anxiety Code [28]
TBA The Star of the Sea In development [50]
TBA Everything I Never Did Director In development [51]

Theatre

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
1995 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Director / producer Belvoir Theatre Company with Pork Chop Productions [15]
1996; 2000 Stow and the Dragon Director Stables Theatre, Sydney, Seymour Centre, Sydney with Pork Chop Productions [52]
1998 Wank Producer Old Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney with Pork Chop Productions / Theatre Hydra [53]
1999 The Wild Duck Director Playhouse, Adelaide, Glen St Theatre, Sydney with STCSA / Pork Chop Productions
Night of the Sea Monkey Producer Old Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney with Pork Chop Productions / Theatre Hydra [54]
2001 Borderlines Director Stables Theatre, Sydney, Riverina Playhouse with Griffin Theatre Company
Hamlet Director / producer Belvoir Theatre Company with Pork Chop Productions [17]
2002 The Return Director Rechabite Hall, Perth with Perth Theatre Company
2003 The Shape of Things Director Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC [55]
2003–2004 Last Cab to Darwin Director Australian tour with Black Swan Theatre Company / HotHouse Theatre
2004 The Unlikely Prospect of Happiness Director Sydney Theatre with STC
2005 Ruby's Last Dollar Director Sydney Opera House, Octagon Theatre, Perth with Pork Chop Productions / Black Swan Theatre Company
2007 Little Britain Live Director Vodafone Arena, Melbourne
2007; 2008–2009 Brilliant Monkey Director Darlinghurst Theatre, Sydney, Old Fitzroy Hotel Theatre, Sydney, Riverside Theatres Parramatta with Tamarama Rock Surfers / Pork Chop Productions [56]

[48]

Awards

[edit]
Year Work Award Category Result Ref
1992 Chances Logie Award Most Popular New Talent Nominated [11]
1997 Idiot Box Australian Film Institute Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Nominated [57][14]
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award Best Actor Nominated [15]
Kangaroo Palace Australian Film Institute Award Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama Nominated [14]
1999 Aftershocks Australian Film Institute Award Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama Won [22]
Logie Award Silver Logie Award for Best Actor Nominated [23]
2005 Last Cab to Darwin Drover's Award (with Pork Chop Productions) Best Theatre Production Won [58]
2010 Beneath Hill 60 Australian Film Institute Award Best Director Nominated [27]
Australian Film Institute Award Best Film Nominated [27]
Inside Film Award Best Director Nominated [27]
Inside Film Award Best Film Nominated [27]
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award Best Director Nominated [27]
Australian Directors' Guild Award Best Direction in a Feature Film Nominated [28]
Hamptons International Film Festival Alfred P. Sloan Prize for Best Feature Film Won [27]
2015 Last Cab to Darwin AACTA Award Best Director Nominated [28][27]
AACTA Award Best Adapted Screenplay Won [28]
AACTA Award Best Film Nominated [59]
AWGIE Award Best Feature Film Adaptation Nominated [60]
Sydney Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Nominated (First runner-up)
Toronto International Film Festival Selected [28]
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award Best Film Nominated
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award Best Director Nominated
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award Best Script / Screenplay Nominated
2016 Australian Directors' Guild Award Best Direction in a Feature Film Nominated [61]
Australian Film Critics Association Award Best Director Nominated
Australian Film Critics Association Award Best Screenplay Nominated
Rencontres Internationales du Cinema see Antipodes Audience Award for Best Feature Film Won [62]
2018 Wayne Melbourne International Film Festival Selected [28]

Personal life

[edit]

Sims was engaged to fellow Australian actor and director Kym Wilson in the early 1990s. They were set to be married in 1994, but the wedding was postponed when Wilson accepted a recurring guest role in television series The Man from Snowy River.[63]

Sims' first daughter, China was born in 2000.[3] He married film director Samantha Lang in 2004, with whom he had two daughters, Frederique[3] and Evelyn. They were divorced in 2011.[4]

Sims married academic, Dr. Tania Leimbach in Kangaroo Valley in 2015[2] and together they have a son, Leroy.[citation needed]

In June 2005, Sims was found unconscious in a Kings Cross alley in Sydney, and blamed it on exhaustion.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "All Alumni". National Institute of Dramatic Art. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Taxi! Jeremy Sims living the good life with success in career and second marriage bliss". The Daily Telegraph. 29 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Back from the brink". The Age. 16 July 2006.
  4. ^ a b "Stars on Sunday: Lang farewells Coogee apartment". www.domain.com.au. 16 October 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Company History Archived 25 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine", Porkchop Productions, 2008, Retrieved 20 April 2010
  6. ^ "In Like Sims". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 August 2003.
  7. ^ "Last Cab to Darwin". 30th Busan International Film Festival. 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Jeremy Sims: On the Cycle of Life With Wayne". FilmInk. 23 August 2003.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Jeremy Sims – Movies and TV Shows". SBS.
  10. ^ a b c "2. The young and the bloody useless". Australian Screen.
  11. ^ a b "What an awesome foursome!". TV Week. 8–14 March 1992.
  12. ^ "Jeremy Sims". EM Voices.
  13. ^ "Idiot Box (1996)". Australian Screen.
  14. ^ a b c d "Australian Film Institute Awards 1997". Australian Television Information Archive.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g "Tick Press Kit" (PDF). www.nzfilm.co.nz.
  16. ^ a b "Liquid Bridge". Screen Australia.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an "Jeremy Sims". Showcast.
  18. ^ a b "Ruben Guthrie: Nuances lacking in tale of when the party's over". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 July 2015.
  19. ^ a b "A Few Less Men". Screenwest. 2016.
  20. ^ a b "Swinging Safari". FilmInk. 2017.
  21. ^ a b "Kangaroo Palace: episode guide". Australian Television Information Archive.
  22. ^ a b "Australian Film Institute Awards 1999". Australian Television Information Archive.
  23. ^ a b "Logie Awards 1999". Australian Television Information Archive.
  24. ^ a b "Medivac aka Adrenalin Junkies". Australian Television Information Archive.
  25. ^ a b "McLeod's Daughters: episode guide". Australian Television Information Archive.
  26. ^ a b "Underbelly Files: cast". Australian Television Information Archive.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Speaker Bios – Jeremy Sims". Screen Territory.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Jeremy Sims". Yellow Creative Management.
  29. ^ a b "Home and Away series 35". Screen Australia.
  30. ^ "Pork Chop Productions | theatre australia". Archived from the original on 13 May 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  31. ^ "PAA". Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  32. ^ Knox, David (3 February 2025). "New cast join The Artful Dodger | TV Tonight". TV Tonight. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  33. ^ "Placenta". Screen Australia.
  34. ^ "Stars back new film made by Australian teenager". www.indailyqld.com.au. 31 October 2019.
  35. ^ "Australian Television: Chances". Australian Television Information Archive.
  36. ^ "Balmain Boys". Screen Australia.
  37. ^ "Australian Television: Fireflies: cast". Australian Television Information Archive.
  38. ^ Knox, David (20 March 2012). "Jeremy Sims leads Dangerous Remedy | TV Tonight". TV Tonight.
  39. ^ "Australian Television: Mr Inbetween: cast: series 3". Australian Television Information Archive.
  40. ^ "Luke Bracey, Jeremy Sims, Zac Burgess take the old town road to The Artful Dodger S2". www.if.com.au. 1 February 2025.
  41. ^ "Why More Australian Actors are Calling the Shots". Australian Financial Review. 26 October 2002.
  42. ^ "The Virgin Mim". Variety. 2 September 2002.
  43. ^ "Photographs of The Club". Arts Centre Melbourne. 25 October 2008.
  44. ^ "Riflemind" (PDF). Sydney Theatre Company. 2007.
  45. ^ "West End's Riflemind Shutters Oct. 25". Playbill. 25 October 2008.
  46. ^ "Sydney Theatre Company announce 2009 Main Stage Season" (PDF). www.australianstage.com.au. 2 September 2008.
  47. ^ "Graham, Horler Cast In Sydney Theater Company's God of Carnage". www.broadwayworld.com. 15 May 2009.
  48. ^ a b "Jeremy Sims theatre credits". AusStage.
  49. ^ Knox, David (11 May 2023). "Production underway on RFDS season two | TV Tonight". TV Tonight.
  50. ^ "Screen Australia Announces $700,000 of Story Development Funding for 20 Projects". Screen Australia. 21 March 2023.
  51. ^ "Jeremy Sims to direct Everything I Never Did". Yellow Creative Management. 21 March 2023.
  52. ^ "Stow and the Dragon". Pork Chop Productions.
  53. ^ "Wank". Pork Chop Productions.
  54. ^ "Night of the Sea Monkey". Pork Chop Productions.
  55. ^ "Not a Shock in Sight". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 December 2003.
  56. ^ "Brilliant Monkey - Pork Chop Productions". Australian Stage. 26 March 2008.
  57. ^ "Jury 2013". Flickerfest. 2014.
  58. ^ "PAA". Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  59. ^ "Last Cab to Darwin nominated for eight AACTAs". Yellow Creative Management. 2015.
  60. ^ "2015 AWGIE Awards Nominations". Yellow Creative Management. 2015.
  61. ^ "The 2016 Australian Directors Guild Awards Reveals Nominees; Winners Announced May 6". www.campaignbrief.com. 12 April 2016.
  62. ^ "Rencontres Internationales du Cinema see Antipodes". www.festivaldesantipodes.com. 2016.
  63. ^ "The new 'man' in Kym's life". TV Week. 19–25 February 1994.
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