Rhys Wakefield

Rhys Wakefield is a prolific Australian actor and director recognized for an array of roles spanning television and film. He has been in the industry since 2000 and has carved a space for himself notably in the Australian TV series Home and Away and the feature film The Black Balloon (2008). Wakefield also made waves in the international arena with his performance in season 3 of HBO's True Detective in 2019. Beyond acting, his directorial debut feature film, Berserk, was widely appreciated and released in American cinemas on 5 April 2019. Additionally, Wakefield co-created a sci-fi podcast series, From Now, which is currently under development into a TV Series by Amazon Studios.

Born in Cairns, Queensland, Wakefield had been acting for over six years before he portrayed Lucas in Home and Away. He studied at McDonald College of Performing Arts and won the acting scholarship in 2003. He has trodden the boards in numerous Shakespeare festivals and has collaborated with both Opera Australia and the Australian Ballet. As a filmmaker, he co-wrote and directed A Man Walks Into a Bar which was a finalist at the 2013 Tropfest International Short Film Festival in Sydney. Notably, his screenplay, Please Close the Gate was a feature finalist at the 2016 Cinequest Film Festival Screenwriting competition and was officially selected for the Beverly Hills Film festival that same year. His accolades include nominations by the Australian Film Institute and the Australian Film Critics Circle for Best Actor.