Nick Simpson-Deeks is a NIDA-trained Australian actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his portrayal of Archie McMahon in the SBS drama series The Circuit, Rhys Mitchell in Seven Network's Winners & Losers, and James King in the Amazon Original crime series Deadloch.
Early life Simpson-Deeks was born and raised in Werris Creek, New South Wales, and attended Oxley High School in Tamworth. He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2001. In 2006 he was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship which he used to further his actor training at the School at Steppenwolf in Chicago.
Career Film and television Simpson-Deeks was a series regular in both seasons of the award-winning legal drama The Circuit, the second season of Winners & Losers (after guest starring in the show's first season), and the sci-fi series Stormworld. Additionally, he has guest-starred in Utopia, The Newsreader, Five Bedrooms, Underbelly: Fat Tony & Co., Wentworth, Mr & Mrs Murder, Play School, City Homicide, The Strange Calls, Temptation, and The Postcard Bandit. He plays forensic pathologist James King in the Amazon Original series, Deadloch.
His film credits include roles in the short films After the Credits, Dropbear, A Simple Song, Shades of Grey and Home. He portrayed Irish rider Pat Smullen in the 2011 feature film The Cup, and filmmaker Billy Name in Jim Sharman's Andy X – a musical film based on the death of Andy Warhol.
Theatre Simpson-Deeks made his professional theatre debut in Falling on My Left Ear: A Show about George Wallace for the now defunct Railway Street Theatre Company in Parramatta in 2002. The following year, he returned to Railway Street to play the role of Tom in Michael Gow's iconic Australian play, Away. Both productions toured regionally and were directed by Mary-Anne Gifford.
In 2005 he received critical acclaim for his performance in Mark Ravenhill's Handbag at the Seymour Centre. Later that year, he starred in Somewhere – an original musical by Tim Minchin and Kate Mulvany – for Q Theatre.
In 2009, Simpson-Deeks was cast in the ensemble of Jerry Springer: the Opera at the Sydney Opera House as part of Sydney Festival. He joined the original Australian cast of Jersey Boys, in the role of Franki Valli (Alternate), that same year, but left the production prematurely due to health complications. In 2010, he sang the role of Skeets Miller in a one-off concert performance of Adam Guettel's Floyd Collins at City Recital Hall in Sydney.
Simpson-Deeks played the role of Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick in Ned: A New Australian Musical at Bendigo's Ulumbarra Theatre in 2015, and is featured on the show's Official Cast Recording. He reprised the role in concert at The National Theatre, Melbourne in 2017.
He played Chris Bean in the Australian production of The Play That Goes Wrong, and briefly reprised the role during the Australian tour of Peter Pan Goes Wrong in 2019. In between, he toured nationally as Cassius in Bell Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
Simpson-Deeks has worked extensively with Watch This – a Melbourne-based theatre company dedicated exclusively to the work of Stephen Sondheim – starring in seven of their nine productions to date.
In 2019 he received a Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actor in Musical Theatre for his performance in Falsettos at Melbourne's Chapel Off Chapel. He has been nominated for six Green Room Awards in total.
In 2023, he played the role of Mike Priddle in the Australian premiere of Ghost Stories, at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne.
Other work Simpson-Deeks created the character of Daniel 'Danno' Bookham for the popular educational video game Murder Under the Microscope, and played the role from 2007 to 2012.
In 2018, Simpson-Deeks was featured in the six-part web series Freudian Slip, alongside writer and commentator Benjamin Law.
Filmography
Film YearTitleRolesNotes2015HomeTheoShort film2014DropbearDadShort film2012Andy XBilly NameShort film2011The Cup Pat Smullen Feature film2011The Strange CallsJuddShort film2010After the CreditsPassengerShort film2003TemptationAgentTV movie2003The Postcard BanditPrison Guard GregTV movie
Television +YearTitleRolesNotesRef2023-25The NewsreaderPaulTV series: 6 episodes2023Utopia BryceTV series 1 episode2023DeadlochJames King TV series, 6 episodes2021Five BedroomsRoger TV series, 1 episode2018Freudian SlipJacob's Super Ego TV series, 7 episodes2011-14Winners & LosersRhys Mitchell TV series, 18 episodes2014Fat Tony & Co.Bruno Rich TV miniseries, 3 episodes2013Mr & Mrs MurderTyler Betts TV series, 1 episode2012The Strange CallsNick TV series, 1 episode2010City HomicideLleyton Brenner TV series, 1 episode2007-10The Circuit Archie McMahon TV series, 11 episodes2009StormworldApssed TV series, 13 episodes
Video game YearTitleRolesNotes 2007–2012 Murder Under the Microscope Daniel 'Danno' Bookham Educational video game
Theatre YearTitleRolesNotes2000 Road Brink / Mr Iger / Tom Stanley / Blowpipe NIDA Parade Theatre Masurca Fogo Dancer Sydney Olympic Arts Festival A Midsummer Night’s Dream Egeus / Puck NIDA Parade Theatre with Night Sky Productions 2001 Kiss Me, Kate NIDA Parade Theatre 2002 Falling on My Left Ear: A Show about George Wallace Young George Wallace Railway Street Theatre Company 2003 Away Tom / Rick Railway Street Theatre Company2004 Dot by Dot with Sondheim Lover Cabaret @ Bar Me Into the Woods Rapunzel's Prince Embalmer! The Musical Craig Naked Theatre Company2005 In the Raw: The Windows Project Nick Darlinghurst Theatre Handbag Phil Seymour Centre with Focus Theatre Company Somewhere: The Magical Musical of Penrith Sam Q Theatre Much Ado About Nothing Claudio / Dogberry Night Sky Productions Rosie Willy / Louie / Rita etc Independent Theatre, Sydney2006 The Paper Wall Troy Little Black Book Mick A Midsummer Night’s Dream Lysander 2007 Floyd Collins Skeets Miller Angel Place City Recital Hall, Sydney Theatre with Kookaburra Musical Theatre Twelfth Night Feste 2008 The Turning Vic Lang Playhouse, Perth with Perth Theatre Company for Perth International Arts Festival Risky Lunar Love Rabbit CarriageWorks, Sydney with 504 Producers2009 Jerry Springer the Opera Ensemble Sydney Opera House for Sydney Festival Jersey Boys Frankie Valli (alternative) Princess Theatre, Melbourne with New Theatricals 2010 The Shakespeare Revue Various 2013–2014 Assassins The Balladeer / Lee Harvey Oswald Fortyfivedownstairs, West Gippsland Arts Centre with Watch This2014 The Parricide Kolya / Mitya La Mama Pacific Overtures Manjirō Theatre Works, Melbourne with Watch This 2015 Sweet Phoebe Fraser Basement Theatre, Auckland with Both Sides Now Theatre Company 2015; 2017 Ned: A New Australian Musical Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo with Groaning Dam Productions, National Theatre, Melbourne 2015–2016 Company Robert Fortyfivedownstairs, Geelong Arts Centre, Her Majesty's Theatre, Ballarat, West Gippsland Arts Centre with Watch This 2016; 2018 Elegy Iraqi refugee (solo performer) Gasworks Melbourne, Stratford Courthouse Theatre Melbourne, West Gippsland Arts Centre, Ararat Performing Arts Centre, Her Majesty's Theatre Ballarat, Geelong Arts Centre with Lab Kelpie 2017 The Play That Goes Wrong Chris Bean Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Roslyn Packer Theatre, Canberra Theatre, Concert Hall QPAC, His Majesty's Theatre Perth with Mischief Theatre2018 Falsettos Mendel Chapel Off Chapel with StageArt Julius Caesar Cassius Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare A Little Night Music Director / Assistant National Theatre, Melbourne with Watch This2019 Sunday in the Park with George George Southbank Theatre with Watch This Peter Pan Goes Wrong Chris Bean Australian tour 2021 The Art of Making Art Online2022 Into the Woods Wolf / Cinderella's Prince Arts House Meat Market, Melbourne with Watch This Ghost Stories Mike Priddle Melbourne Athenaeum with Realscape Productions Source:
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryWorkResult 2006 Mike Walsh Fellowship Award Award for Acting 2007 Macquarie Bank Youth Award Award for Screenwriting 2009 West Australian Screen Awards Best Actor (Short Film) Shades of Grey 2013 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre) Assassins 2014 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre) Pacific Overtures 2015 Green Room Awards Leading Actor (Musical Theatre) Company 2019 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre) Falsettos 2021 Green Room Awards Celebration of Online Performance* The Art of Making Art 2022 Green Room Awards Supporting Actor (Musical Theatre) Into the Woods *Nominated with Sonya Suares, Nick McInerney, Dean Drieberg and Mel Hillman
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