Gary Sweet
Gary Sweet | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sweet in 2012 | |
| Born | 22 May 1957 |
| Education | Brighton High School, Adelaide Sturt Teachers' College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1980-present |
| Spouse(s) | Lenore Smith (m. 1981–83, divorced) Jill Miller (m. 1987–??, divorced, 2 children) Johanna Griggs (m. 1995–99, divorced, 2 children) Nadia Dyall (m. ??–present; 2 children) |
| Children | 6, including Frank Sweet |
| Awards | Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama: (1991, 1992 – Police Rescue) Logie Award for Most Popular Actor: (1993 – Police Rescue) Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor in a Series: (1993 – Police Rescue) Inductee into the Australian Film Walk of Fame: (2011) |
Gary Sweet (born 22 May 1957)[1] is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in Alexandra's Project (as Steve), Police Rescue (as Sergeant 'Mickey' McClintock), Cody (as Cody), Big Sky (as Chris Manning), Bodyline (as Donald Bradman), Stingers (as DI Luke Harris) and House Husbands (as Lewis Crabb). He finished in the top 3 of Network 10’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here 2026, losing out to Concetta Caristo.
Early life
[edit]Sweet attended Brighton High School in Adelaide. He later obtained a teaching degree and took up drama while at Sturt Teachers' College.[2]
Career
[edit]Film and television
[edit]Sweet's first role was in 1980 low-budget horror film Nightmares (also known as Stage Fright).[3] In the early 1980s, he became recognisable through the ongoing role of Leslie 'Magpie' Maddern in the TV series The Sullivans, for which he won a Logie Award.[4]
In 1984, Sweet had his first starring role as Donald Bradman in the miniseries Bodyline, the story of the 1932–33 Test cricket series between England and Australia, alongside Hugo Weaving.[4]
Early films included a lead role in the 1985 film An Indecent Obsession, based on the novel of the same name by Colleen McCullough, as well as a role in 1987 war film The Lighthorsemen. He also starred in award-winning 1987 miniseries The Great Bookie Robbery, playing the role of Chico White.[4]
From 1990 to 1996, Sweet starred in a leading role in the TV drama series Police Rescue as Sgt. Steve 'Mickey' McClintock. This role led him to win several major television awards, including an AFI Award for Best Lead Actor in a TV Drama[5] (in 1991 and 1992), the Variety Club Heart Award for TV Actor of the Year (1993), and a TV Week Silver Logie Award for Most Popular Actor and Most Outstanding Actor (1994).[6][7] During this period, Sweet also appeared in 1994 miniseries The Battlers, opposite Jaqueline McKenzie.[4]
Sweet starred in Big Sky, and Dog's Head Bay. He took a continuing role in the police drama series Stingers until the show's conclusion in 2004. Other prominent television roles have included The Circuit, Rain Shadow (both 2007)[4] and police drama Cops L.A.C.. In 2008, he narrated the documentary series Sudden Impact.
From 2012 until 2017, Sweet had a leading role in the drama/comedy House Husbands as Lewis Crabb.[8] Nine Network had considered a potential spin-off centred around Sweet's character, but decided not to go ahead with it.[8]
Sweet's notable film roles have included The Tracker (2002), Alexandra's Project (2003) and Gettin' Square (2003. He also appeared in the acclaimed independent drama film 2:37 (2006), with his son, as well as in a modern-day imagining of Macbeth (2006), alongside Sam Worthington.
Internationally, Sweet appeared in 2010 American studio film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as Lord Drinian. He also featured in 2010 war miniseries The Pacific.
Sweet was a contestant on Season 5 of competition series Dancing with the Stars and made it to the final seven. His partner was dancer Eliza Campagna.
On 29 October 2024, Sweet was named as part of the cast in the feature film Scoby.[9] In June 2025, Sweet wrapped a six-week guest stint in Neighbours, which will go to air later in the year, before the serial ends. He branded it "a bucket list moment".[10]
In January 2026, Sweet participated as a contestant on the twelfth season of reality competition series I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, hosted by Robert Irwin and Julia Morris.[11]
Theatre
[edit]Sweet has also appeared in several stage productions, including The Club, and Tony McNamara's play The Recruit. He has appeared in the Frankie Valli-tribute musical Oh, What a Night,[7] and in Trevor Ashley's musical comedy Little Orphan trAshley with Rhonda Burchmore.[12]
Music
[edit]Sweet dabbled in the Australian music scene with limited success in the early 1990s. Sweet released a cover of Billy Thorpe's "Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy)" in 1994 through Polygram Records Australia. The single peaked at number 52 on the ARIA Charts, and spent seven weeks in the top 100.[13]
Personal life
[edit]Sweet is divorced from his third wife, television presenter and former Commonwealth Games swimmer, Johanna Griggs. They have two sons. Sweet has two children from his second marriage, to Jill Miller.[2] Following in his father's footsteps, Frank Sweet is also an actor. Sweet's first marriage was to actress Lenore Smith.
Gary Sweet is an ambassador and ex player for the Glenelg Tigers, an Australian rules football club who play in the South Australian National Football League.[14] He is also a supporter of the Manly Sea Eagles rugby league club who play in the National Rugby League.
In 2004, Sweet become the public face of "The Performance Pack Initiative", an information campaign for men with impotence problems from Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline and Impotence Australia.[15] Bans against direct advertising prescription medicines meant that Sweet was unable to directly mention the drug, Levitra, but this code was broken when Sweet mentioned Levitra on an Adelaide radio programme. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Media Watch reported that Sweet was being investigated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for possible breach of advertising codes.[16][17]
On a 1 February 2026 episode of I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Sweet revealed that from birth, he was raised by his uncle and aunt, saying: "Phil and his wife were unable to have children. So when the baby was born, they (Bill and his wife) gave the baby to his younger brother, Phil. The baby was me… so my biological parents became my uncle and aunty, my sisters became my cousins… I've never, ever, ever told this story."[18]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Nightmares | Terry Besanko | Film |
| 1985 | An Indecent Obsession | Michael Wilson | Film |
| 1986 | Body Business | Brian Doyle | TV movie |
| 1987 | The Lighthorsemen | Frank | Film |
| 1988 | The Dreaming | Geoff | Film |
| Fever | Jeff Maslim | Film | |
| Becca | Matt Bourke | TV movie | |
| 1990 | What the Moon Saw | Alan Wilson | Film |
| More Winners: Boy Soldiers | Sergeant | TV movie | |
| 1992 | Children of the Dragon | Larry | TV series |
| 1993 | Crimebroker | Luke Blair | TV movie |
| 1994 | Police Rescue: The Movie | Sgt. Steve 'Mickey' McClintock | TV movie |
| 1996 | Two Bob Mermaid | White father | Short film |
| 1997 | Love in Ambush | Eddie Norton | TV movie |
| 2001 | Hard Knox | Monorail Ron | TV movie |
| The Big House | Jacko | Short film | |
| Bodyjackers | O'Grady | Film | |
| 2002 | The Tracker | The Fanatic | Film |
| Tempe Tip | Nico | Film | |
| 2003 | Alexandra's Project | Steve | Film |
| Gettin' Square | Chicka Martin | Film | |
| 2005 | Dust Storm | Tom | Short film |
| 2006 | 2:37 | Mr Darcy | Film |
| Operating Instructions | Paul | Short film | |
| Macbeth | Duncan | Film | |
| 2008 | Bitter & Twisted | Greg Praline | Film |
| The Tumbler | Hurtle Hamilton | Film | |
| 2009 | Subdivision | Digger Kelly | Film |
| 2010 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | Lord Drinian | Film |
| Lucidya | The Game Presenter | Short film | |
| 2011 | The Telegram Man | John Lewis | Short film |
| Bush Basher | Short film | ||
| 2012 | Fatal Honeymoon | Detective Gary Campbell | TV movie |
| Dangerous Remedy | Superintendent John Matthews | TV movie | |
| 2013 | Adoration | Saul | Film |
| Nerve | Ben Livingstone | Film | |
| Charlie's Country | Publican | Film | |
| Trouble Down Under | Big Red the Kangaroo (voice) | Animated film | |
| 2015 | A Month of Sundays (aka A Sunday Too Far) | Self | Film |
| House of Bulger: The AFL Footy Show | TV movie | ||
| 2017 | Making Muriel | Self | Docufilm |
| 2018 | It’s Christmas | Mick Kingston | Short film |
| 2019 | Ritual | Ray Devlin | Short film |
| Two Heads Creek | Hans | Film | |
| Tour De Legacy – The Western Front | Narrator | Docufilm | |
| 2020 | Ayaan | Sergeant Simmons | Short film |
| Paper Champions | Terry | Film | |
| 2023 | A Savage Christmas | Peter Hall | Film |
| TBA | Scoby | TBA | Film |
| TBA | Patched | Shark | In post-production |
Television
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–1983 | The Sullivans | Leslie 'Magpie' Maddern | 377 episodes |
| 1983 | Starting Out | Rod Turner | |
| 1984 | Carson's Law | Paul Tabener | 1 episode |
| Bodyline | Donald Bradman | Miniseries, 7 episodes | |
| 1986 | Prime Time | Craig Lawrence | |
| 1987 | The Great Bookie Robbery | Chico White | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1988 | A Country Practice | Bernie Allen | 2 episodes |
| 1988–1990 | The Flying Doctors | Nick Sanderson / Vince Maguire | 3 episodes |
| 1989–1992 | Tanamera - Lion of Singapore | Tony | Miniseries, 7 episodes |
| 1990 | Come In Spinner | Jack | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| Skirts | Tom Waters | 4 episodes | |
| 1990–1996 | Police Rescue | Sergeant Steve 'Mickey' McClintock | 62 episodes |
| 1991 | All Together Now | Roger Dixon Barrow | 1 episode |
| 1992 | Children of the Dragon | Larry | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1994 | The Battlers | Snow Grimshaw | Miniseries |
| 1994–1995 | Cody | Cody | 6 TV movies |
| 1997–1999 | Big Sky | Chris Manning | 53 episodes |
| 1999 | Wildside | Cleary | 1 episode |
| Chuck Finn | Captain Candlelight | 1 episode | |
| Dog's Head Bay | Alex Santorini | 13 episodes | |
| 2000 | Pizza | Army Commander | 1 episode |
| 2000–2004 | Stingers | Inspector Luke Harris / Bobby Tait | 85 episodes |
| 2001 | Cold Feet | Rod Ellison | Season 4, episode 8: "Cold Feet" |
| 2001–2005 | Blue Heelers | Danny OKeefe / Sergeant Bob Wilkie | 5 episodes |
| 2007 | Rain Shadow | Larry Riley | 6 episodes |
| 2007–2010 | The Circuit | Magistrate Peter Lockhart | Season 2, 12 episodes |
| 2009 | Rescue: Special Ops | Shane Gallagher | Season 1, 5 episodes |
| 2010 | The Pacific | Gunnery Sgt. Elmo "Gunny" Haney | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| Cops L.A.C. | Superintendent Jack Finchin | 13 episodes | |
| 2011 | Small Time Gangster | Barry Donald | 8 episodes |
| 2012 | Problems | Mr Moth | 4 episodes |
| 2015; 2017 | The Doctor Blake Mysteries | Norman Baker | Season 3, episode 7: "Room Without a View",[19] Season 5 episode 7: "A Good Drop" & Season 5 episode 8: "Hark the Angels Sing"[20] |
| 2012–2017 | House Husbands | Lewis Crabbe | 58 episodes |
| 2016 | Wolf Creek | Jason | 1 episode |
| Janet King | Roger Embry | 3 episodes | |
| 2017 | Wake in Fright | Tim Hynes | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Harrow | Bruce Reimers | 1 episode |
| Orange Is the New Brown | Art Gallery Owner / Spoiler Cop | 3 episodes | |
| 2020 | Hungry Ghosts | Hugh | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| Bloom | Old Donnie | 4 episodes | |
| Mint Condition | Conway | Web miniseries | |
| Mystery Road: Origins | Alkemi | 6 episodes | |
| 2121 | Geoff Maxwell | Web miniseries, 1 episode | |
| 2021 | Jack Irish | Det Phil Maitland | 4 episodes |
| Wentworth | Dale Langdon | 3 episodes | |
| 2023 | No Escape | Peter Winbourne | 4 episodes |
| The Clearing | Wilkes | Miniseries, 4 episodes | |
| 2024 | Darby and Joan | Ellory Malcolm | Episode 1 |
| 2025 | Neighbours | Greg Murphy | Recurring role |
Podcast
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Orchard | DJ Simes | Miniseries (Audible) |
Other appearances
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Dancing with the Stars | Contestant | Season 5, 6 episodes. Placed 7th |
| 2007 | Things To Try Before You Die | Co-host | 1 episode |
| 2008 | Sudden Impact | Narrator | Documentary series |
| 2010 | Australian Druglords | Presenter | 10 episodes |
| 2013 | Commando | Voice | Documentary miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 2022 | Access All Areas: Erebus Motorsport | Narrator | Documentary miniseries, 8 episodes |
| 2026 | I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! | Contestant | Season 12[11] |
Theatre
[edit]| Year | Production | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the Butler Saw | Sturt College of Advanced Education | ||
| The Wild Duck | Sturt College of Advanced Education | ||
| 1991 | The Removalists | Kenny Carter | STCSA |
| 1998 | The Club | Laurie | MTC |
| 2001 | Tony McNamara's The Recruit | Josh | MTC |
| 2002 | Frankie Valli’s Oh, What a Night | Paul Burns | Majestic Theatre Company |
| 2013 | Trevor Ashley's Little Orphan trAshley | Daddy Warlow | Showqueen Productions |
| 2014 | Our Don | Narrator | Adelaide Symphony Orchestra |
| La Cage aux Folles | Edouard Dindon | The Production Company | |
| 2017 | Muriel's Wedding | Bill Heslop | STC |
Music
[edit]Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [21] | ||
| "Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy)" | 1994 | 52 |
Awards
[edit]
Sweet has won several awards in his acting career, including two Logie Awards – one in 1982 for The Sullivans (Most Popular New Talent) and one in 1994 for Police Rescue (Most Popular Actor).
In 2011, Sweet was initiated into the Australian Film Walk of Fame on 13 March, as part of the closing night celebrations of the Australian Film Festival.[22]
Awards
[edit]| Year | Award | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | TV Week Logie Award | Most Popular New Talent (The Sullivans) | Won |
| 1991 | AFI Award | Best Actor in a Lead Role in a TV Drama (Police Rescue) | Won |
| 1992 | AFI Award | Best Actor in a Lead Role in a TV Drama (Police Rescue) | Won |
| 1992 | TV Week Logie Award | Most Popular Actor (Police Rescue) | Nominated |
| 1993 | Variety Club Heart Award | TV Actor of the Year | Won |
| 1994 | TV Week Logie Award | Most Outstanding Actor (Police Rescue) | Won |
| 1996 | TV Week Logie Award | Most Outstanding Actor (Police Rescue) | Nominated |
| 2003 | TV Week Logie Award | Most Outstanding Actor (Stingers) | Nominated |
| 2004 | TV Week Logie Award | Most Outstanding Actor (Stingers) | Nominated |
| 2011 | Australian Film Festival | Australian Film Walk of Fame Inductee | Inducted |
| 2021 | MEAA Ensemble Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Miniseries / TV movie (Hungry Ghosts) | Won |
| 2021 | MEAA Ensemble Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (Mystery Road: Origins) | Won |
References
[edit]- ^ "Born today...", Brisbane Times, 20 May 2008; "Gary Sweet, Australian actor (born 1957), Fairfax Photos; Albert Moran; Chris Keating (2009). The A to Z of Australian Radio and Television. Scarecrow Press. p. 357. ISBN 9780810870222.
- ^ a b watch/transcripts/s1071337.htm The Larrikin Grows Up[dead link], The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 June 2002]
- ^ "Nightmares (Stage Fright)". www.roardigital.com.au. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e "Gary Sweet's Adelaide drama grounding sets him as mainstay actor in a string of Australian television series". www.adelaideaz.com. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ^ Australian Film Institute, Past Winners, Television 1986–2006 Archived 28 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ TV Week Logies official site Archived 9 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 15 March 2008
- ^ a b "Gary Sweet".
- ^ a b Knox, David (4 February 2018). "Axed: House Husbands". TV Tonight. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
- ^ Slatter, Sean (28 October 2024). "Claudia Dzienny's 'Scoby' commences production in Sydney with writer and star Emma Leonard". IF Magazine. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ Bryne, Fiona (15 June 2025). "Gary Sweet on Street". Herald Sun. p. 14.
- ^ a b "I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!". www.10.com.au. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ^ "Adults-only panto too funny for Sweet to miss out" by Natalie Bochenski, Brisbane Times, 11 July 2013
- ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 24 Apr 1994". ARIA. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
- ^ Glenelg Football Club Ambassadors Archived 2 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Press Release, GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer Pharmaceuticals, 28 July 2004
- ^ Sweet's Potent Drug, Media Watch, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, March 2004
- ^ Choice Consumer Advocates
- ^ Byrne, Fiona (1 February 2026). "'Would you like to hear something weird?': Gary Sweet reveals wild family secret". Herald Sun.
- ^ "The Doctor Blake Mysteries: episode guide series 3, Australian Television Information Archive
- ^ The Doctor Blake Mysteries – BBC broadcast series 5: "A Good Drop", episode 7; "Hark the Angels Sing", episode 8
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 273.
- ^ "Australian Film Festival Kicks Off". FilmInk. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
External links
[edit]
- Gary Sweet at IMDb
- The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia – Theatre . Film . Radio . Television – Volume 1 – Ann Atkinson, Linsay Knight, Margaret McPhee – Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd., 1996
- The Australian Film and Television Companion – compiled by Tony Harrison – Simon & Schuster Australia, 1994
