Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including several AFI and AACTA Awards, Logie Awards, and Helpmann Awards.
He began his career working with the Sydney Theatre Company. He went on to appear in Australian and international productions such as Baz Luhrmann's films Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Elvis (2022), the ABC series Rake (2010–2018), and the action films Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), and Van Helsing (2004).
Early life and education Richard Roxburgh was born on 23 January 1962. His parents were John, an accountant, and Mary Roxburgh. He grew up in Albury, New South Wales.
Roxburgh studied economics at the Australian National University in Canberra, where he resided at Garran Hall and graduated with a B.Ec. in 1984.
After graduating from ANU, he decided to become an actor and was admitted to the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) on his second audition attempt, graduating in 1986. Career
Roxburgh began working with the Sydney Theatre Company as soon as he graduated from NIDA, and also worked with Belvoir St Theatre.
He came to public attention for his portrayal of New South Wales Police Force detective Roger Rogerson in the 1995 television miniseries Blue Murder. Through the 1990s, he appeared in several Australian film and stage productions including a critically acclaimed turn as Hamlet alongside Geoffrey Rush, Jacqueline McKenzie and David Wenham in the 1994 Company B production at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney. In December 2007, he played the lead character, Roland Henning, who suffered writer's block in Michael Gow's play, Toy Symphony, at the Belvoir St Theatre, winning the 2008 Helpmann Award for best male actor in a play.
In 2000, Roxburgh appeared in the first of several international blockbuster films as the main villain's henchman Hugh Stamp in the John Woo-directed Mission: Impossible 2, which was filmed in Sydney. Also filmed in Sydney was Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! (2001), in which Roxburgh played the Duke of Monroth.
Roxburgh appeared as three iconic characters over the next three years: he played Sherlock Holmes in 2002's The Hound of the Baskervilles, Holmes's nemesis Professor Moriarty in 2003's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Count Dracula in 2004's Van Helsing. He is one of only two actors to have played all three of these characters, the other being Orson Welles, who played them in separate radio programs.
Roxburgh directed his first film, Romulus, My Father starring Eric Bana, released in 2007. This film won the AFI Award in December 2007 and was nominated for several more. In 2008 and 2009, he played the lead role of Art Watkins in the ABC drama series East of Everything.
In July 2010, Roxburgh played former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke in a telemovie based on Hawke's life. He reprised the role in the 2020 episode "Terra Nullius" of the Netflix series The Crown.
In November 2010, Roxburgh co-created and began starring in the critically acclaimed ABC1 television comedy-drama series Rake as the brilliant but self-destructive Sydney criminal barrister Cleaver Greene, a role for which he won the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama in 2012. He stars in Matching Jack, which was released in August 2010, and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, released in September 2010.
Returning to the stage, Roxburgh played Vanya opposite Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving and John Bell in Sydney Theatre Company's 2010 production of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.Uncle Vanya at the Sydney Theatre Company In 2013, he again performed at the STC with Weaving as the protagonists in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot, Weaving as Vladimir and Roxburgh as Estragon. In 2014, Roxburgh played the title role in Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac at the STC.Cyrano de Bergerac, performance details, Sydney Theatre Company In 2015, Roxburgh appeared in Andrew Upton's adaptation of Chekhov's play Platonov, titled The Present, for the STC. It was directed by John Crowley and featured Cate Blanchett, Jacqueline McKenzie, Marshall Napier, and Toby Schmitz.The Present, production details, Sydney Theatre Company That production moved in 2016/17 to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York City for the Broadway debut of Roxburgh and the rest of the cast."Broadway season gives Cate Blanchett her shot at a Tony" by Michaela Boland, The Australian, 10 December 2016
In 2023, he appeared in Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe as a parody of his previous role in Rake.
In 2024 Roxburgh appeared in the Stan series Prosper, a thriller set in the megachurch community.
Roxburgh played the lead role in the feature film The Correspondent, as journalist Peter Greste. The Correspondent, directed by Kriv Stenders, was screened as the opening film of the Adelaide Film Festival in October 2024, along with the animated feature Lesbian Space Princess, in which he was one of the cast of voice actors.
In June 2025, Roxburgh was announced by Stan Australia that he was playing former Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen in the TV documentary Joh: The Last King of Queensland.
On 29 January 2026, Roxburgh was named in the Stan co-commissioned series Careless. Roxburgh toured Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide between February and May 2026 with Yasmina Reza's 1994 award-winning play Art as Marc opposite Damon Herriman as Serge and Toby Schmitz as Yvan.
Children's literature Roxburgh wrote and illustrated the well-received, 240-page children's adventure fiction title, Artie and the Grime Wave, published by Allen & Unwin in October 2016 ().
Personal life Roxburgh met Miranda Otto after meeting on the set of Doing Time for Patsy Cline in 1997; they were in a relationship until 2000.
He married Italian-born opera singer, actress, blogger, cookbook author, and television cookery show personality Silvia Colloca in 2004. They met on the set of Van Helsing, playing Count Dracula and one of his brides, respectively. They have three children.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1991 Dead to the World Johnny 1994 Talk Jack / Harry 1995 Lessons in the Language of Love Harry Short film Billy's Holiday Rob McSpedden Hayride to Hell George Weygate Short film 1996 Children of the Revolution Joe 1997 Doing Time for Patsy Cline Boyd Thank God He Met Lizzie Guy Jamieson 1998 Oscar and Lucinda Mr. Jeffries A Little Bit of Soul Sir Samuel Michael Voice In the Winter Dark Murray Jacob 1999 Captain Daventry Passion Percy Grainger 2000 Mission: Impossible 2 Hugh Stamp 2001 Moulin Rouge! 2002 Karl Neil 2003 2004 Van Helsing Count Dracula 2005 Stealth Dr. Keith Orbit Fragile Robert Kerry 2006 Like Minds Martin McKenzie 2007 Romulus, My Father Director and producer 2010 Matching Jack David Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole Boron Voice; Animated Film 2011 Sanctum Frank McGuire 2013 The Turning Vic Lang 2014 Maya the Bee Flip Voice; Animated Film 2015 Blinky Bill the Movie Blinky's dad Looking for Grace Dan 2016 Hacksaw Ridge Colonel Stelzer 2017 Breath Mr. Pike 2018 Swinging Safari Adult Jeff Marsh Narrator only Maya the Bee: The Honey Games Flip Voice; Animated Film 2019 Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan Brigadier David Jackson H Is for Happiness Jim Phee Angel of Mine Bernard 2020 Go Karts Patrick 2022 Elvis Vernon Presley 2023 Force of Nature: The Dry 2 Daniel Bailey 2024 Eden Allan Hancock The Correspondent Peter Greste 2025 Forgive Us All OttoAlso served as executive producer Lesbian Space Princess Problematic Ship Voice; Animated Film 2026 Fing! Mr. Dour
Television Year Title Role Notes 1987 The Riddle of the Stinson Proud Television film 1989 The Saint: Fear in Fun Park Justin 1990 The Paper Man 'Gracie' Fields Miniseries 1992 Tracks of Glory Hugh Mcintosh 1993 Seven Deadly Sins Gluttony / Mark Crimebroker Harrison Television film Police Rescue Tim Warne 1 episode 1995 Halifax f.p. Sergeant Paul Santos Blue Murder Roger Rogerson Miniseries 1996 Twisted Tales Ben 1 episode 1997 The Last of the Ryans Ronald Ryan Television film Frontier Superintendent William Hobbs 2001 Blonde Mr. R Television film 2002 The Road from Coorain Bill Sherlock Holmes 2006 The Silence Richard Treloar 2008–2009 East of Everything Art Watkins 2009 False Witness Charles Van Koors Miniseries 2010 Hawke Bob Hawke Television film 2010–2018 Rake Cleaver Greene Also co-creator and producer 2011 Ice Thom Archer 2015 Australia: The Story of Us Narrator Voice; television docudrama 2017 Blue Murder: Killer Cop Roger Rogerson Miniseries 2019 The Hunting Nick The Pool Narrator 1 episode Catherine the Great Grigory Orlov Miniseries Lovestruck Nigel Valentine Television film 2020 The Crown Bob Hawke Episodes: "Terra Nullius" & "48:1" 2021 Fires Duncan Simpson 2 episodes 2022 Bali 2002 Graham Ashton Miniseries 2023 Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe Rake The PM's Daughter H.A.N.C. 3 episodes 2024 Prosper Cal Quinn 8 episodes2025Joh: Last King of QueenslandJoh Bjelke-PetersenTV documentaryTBACarelessMikeTV series
Theatre Year Title Role Notes 1977 Death of a Salesman Willy Loman Albury High School 1992 The Homecoming 1994 That Eye, the Sky Henry Warburton Burning House Theatre Company, Sydney, and Playhouse, Melbourne Hamlet Hamlet Company B at Belvoir St Theatre 2007–2008 Toy Symphony Roland Henning Belvoir St Theatre 2010 Uncle Vanya Vanya Sydney Theatre Company for Bell Shakespeare 2013 Waiting for Godot Estragon Sydney Theatre Company 2014 Cyrano de Bergerac Cyrano de Bergerac 2015 The Present Mikhail 2016–2017 Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway 2026 Art Marc Sydney Theatre Company, Roslyn Packer Theatre"Art review – Richard Roxburgh comedy delivers on laughs but not much more" by Cassie Tongue, 20 February 2026, The Guardian
Awards and nominations