Dustin Clare (born 2 January 1982) is an Australian actor. He is known for his starring role as Gannicus in the Starz series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned, and as Riley Ward on the series McLeod's Daughters.
Personal life Clare is from Australia. Born in Grafton, he grew up in both Ballina, NSW and Maclean, NSW. Clare studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth, he graduated in 2004.
He served as a 2012 ambassador for the Warrambeen Film Festival. He is also an ambassador for the White Ribbon Foundation.
Career From 2006 to 2007, Clare starred as Riley Ward in 48 episodes of the series McLeod's Daughters. In 2009, he played Sydney hit-man and gangland figure Christopher Dale Flannery in Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities and also as Sean in the Showtime Network (Australia) series Satisfaction.
His global fame occurred when he starred as Gannicus, the champion gladiator of the House of Batiatus, in Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. This is the prequel to the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand and the second season chronologically of release. He returned to his role as Gannicus in the two sequel seasons to Spartacus: Blood and Sand entitled Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned.
He received a 2007 Logie Award for McLeod's Daughters, and a 2015 Equity Ensemble Award for ANZAC Girls.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2003 Brothers Ethan Short film 2006 Iron Bird Jonathan Paul Harmer JP 2008 Cane Cutter Roo Short film; also writer and producer 2009 Early Checkout Dan 2010 Happenstance Ex Boyfriend Short film Kanowna Trooper Brown Short film; also associate producer 2011 The Eye of the Storm Col 2013 Goddess Rory The Fragments Jason Short film; also executive producer 2014 Love is Now James Sunday Charlie Also writer and producer 2018 Pacific Rim Uprising Joseph Burke 2022 Seriously Red George Michael 2024 With or Without You Cowboy
Television Year Title Role Notes 2005 All Saints Rick Fallon Episode: "New Beginnings" HeadLand Gareth Williams Recurring role; 6 episodes 2006–2007 McLeod's Daughters Riley Ward Main role; 48 episodes (seasons 6–7) 2007 Air Australia Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Miniseries; 2 episodes 2008–2010 Satisfaction Sean Main role; 18 episodes (seasons 2–3) 2009 Underbelly Christopher Dale Flannery Recurring role; 8 episodes (season 2) 2011 Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Gannicus Miniseries; 6 episodes 2012 Spartacus: Vengeance Main role; 7 episodes 2013 Spartacus: War of the Damned Main role; 10 episodes 2014 ANZAC Girls Lieutenant Harry Moffitt Main role; 6 episodes 2015 Strike Back: Legacy Faber Recurring role; 4 episodes (season 5) 2016 Wolf Creek Sullivan Hill Main role; 6 episodes (season 1) 2018 Tidelands Pat McTeer Recurring role; 6 episodes 2019 Rosehaven Farmer Dan Recurring role; 3 episodes (season 3) Reef Break Richard Stuyler Recurring role; 5 episodes Doctor Doctor Jarrod Main role; 10 episodes (season 4) Glitch Mark Clayton-Stone Main role; 6 episodes (season 3) 2021 Eden Huckleberry Main role; 7 episodes 2022–2023 Surviving Summer Thommo Gibson Recurring role; 14 episodes 2023 Almost Paradise Erik Episode: "Uncoupled" NCIS: Sydney Porter / Kane Episode: "Extraction" 2025 Good Cop, Bad Cop Silvio Oliveria Episode: "Buckle Up"
Awards Year Work Award Category Result 2007 McLeod's Daughters Logie Awards Silver Logie Award for Most Popular New Male Talent 2008–2010 Satisfaction Logie Awards Silver Logie Award for Best Actor 2015 ANZAC Girls Equity Ensemble Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Miniseries / Telemovie
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