Mark Coles Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mark Coles Smith
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Coles Smith in 2020
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| Born | 1987 (age 37–38) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Known for | First Indigenous Australian actor nominated for a Gold Logie |
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Notable work
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| Television |
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| Awards | FCCA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (2015) Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play (2017) AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Series (2022) AACTA International Award for Best Actor in a Series (2022) |
Mark Coles Smith (born 1987), also known as Kalaji, is a talented Aboriginal Australian actor, sound designer, writer, and musician. He is from the Nyikina people. His family background is quite diverse, including German, Polish, English, Scottish, and Indonesian heritage.
Mark Coles Smith is well-known for his roles in movies like Last Cab to Darwin (2015) and Occupation: Rainfall (2020). He has also starred in popular TV shows such as Mystery Road: Origin (2022) and the Canadian series Hard Rock Medical (2013–18).
In 2023, Mark made history by becoming the first Indigenous Australian actor to be nominated for a Gold Logie award. He also won Best Actor in a Series at both the AACTA International Awards and the 12th AACTA Awards for his amazing work in Mystery Road: Origin.
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Early Life and Learning
Mark Coles Smith was born in 1987 in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. He grew up on a cattle station near the Fitzroy River, which is about two hours east of Broome. This area is in the Kimberley region and is the traditional land of his mother's family, the Nyikina people. His grandfather was a pearl diver, and Mark often talks about how hardworking his family has always been.
When he was young, his parents separated. Mark traveled a lot with his mother, who was a university lecturer focusing on Indigenous mental health. He reconnected with his father, who worked on art projects in remote communities, when he was around 10 or 11 years old. He felt an immediate connection with his father, describing him as having a unique "German eccentricity."
Mark started acting at 14 years old. His aunt took him to an audition for the children's TV show Ocean Star on Network Ten, and he got the part!
In 2007, Mark received the Yvonne Cohen Award from the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development. He also studied Aboriginal Theatre at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Broome. He often says that most of his acting skills came from working with experienced actors like Lisa Flanagan.
Mark Coles Smith's Career
Mark Coles Smith has a wide range of talents. He works as an actor, a sound designer, a field recordist, a writer, and a music composer.
Acting in Film and Television
After filming The Gods of Wheat Street in 2014, Mark appeared in an episode of the famous American sitcom Modern Family. He played a tour guide named Koora in an episode filmed in the beautiful Blue Mountains in New South Wales.
Mark received great praise for his role as Tilly in the movie Last Cab to Darwin. For this performance, he won the FCCA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2015.
In 2021, Mark was cast in Mystery Road: Origin. This show is a prequel, meaning it tells the story of what happened before the original Mystery Road series. Mark played a younger version of the detective Jay Swan, a character first played by Aaron Pedersen.
In 2023, Mark took over as the narrator for The Dog House Australia, a popular show about rescue dogs.
Mark also narrated and was an interviewer in the documentary Keeping Hope. This film looks at ways to support well-being in Indigenous communities in the Kimberley. The film was shown at the Sydney Film Festival in June 2023 and later on NITV and SBS Television. In the film, Mark shares his own experiences and those of his family regarding difficult times.
At the 2023 Logie Awards, Mark Coles Smith made history. He became the first Indigenous Australian actor ever to be nominated for the prestigious Gold Logie. He was also nominated for Most Popular Actor and Most Outstanding Actor for his role in Mystery Road: Origin. In November 2024, it was announced that a second series of Mystery Road: Origin would be made, with Mark returning as Jay Swan.
In 2025, Mark narrated "The Kimberley," a nature series on ABC TV.
Stage Acting
Mark has also performed in many plays. His first stage performance was as a child in Crabbing at High Tide in 2005.
In 2016, he performed in The Drover's Wife at the Belvoir Theatre in Sydney. This role earned him the Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play in 2017.
In 2020, Mark played a main role alongside Jack Charles in Black Ties by ILBIJERRI Theatre Company. This play was performed at the Sydney Festival and then toured to Perth, Melbourne, and New Zealand.
Music and Sound Design
Mark Coles Smith is also a talented sound designer. He created the sound for the play Which Way Home at the Belvoir Theatre.
Under his stage name Kalaji (which means "whirlwind" in the Nyikina language), Mark gave his first musical performance called "Night River" in 2019. This show explored his Nyikina country and the Mardoowarra (also known as the Fitzroy River area).
In December 2021, as Kalaji, he released an electro-pop album. The album includes field recordings of natural sounds and explores his connection to the Martuwarra (Fitzroy River) and his Nyikina culture. One of the songs is named "Wandjina", which are cloud and rain spirits in Aboriginal Australian mythology.
Narration for Audio
In 2020, Mark narrated a part of Banjo Paterson's famous poem "The Man From Snowy River" for RN Breakfast.
He also narrated the audiobook for Tasmanian Aboriginal author Adam Thompson's short story collection, Born Into This (2021). In 2023, he narrated and helped produce the book Total Reset, which is about the wisdom of the Goolarabooloo people.
Awards and Recognition
Mark Coles Smith has won several important awards for his acting:
- In 2007, he received the Yvonne Cohen Award.
- In 2015, he won the FCCA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Last Cab to Darwin.
- In 2017, he won the Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play for The Drover's Wife.
- In 2022, he won the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Series for Mystery Road: Origin.
- In 2023, he also won the AACTA International Award for Best Actor in a Series for Mystery Road: Origin.
- In 2023, he was nominated for the prestigious Gold Logie award.
Personal Life
Mark Coles Smith has shared that he was deeply affected by a difficult experience when he was 23 years old. He kept his feelings private for many years until he worked on the documentary Keeping Hope.
In interviews on ABC Television and Double J radio in October 2023, Mark talked about five songs that help him feel calm and centered:
- Crystal Waters – "100% Pure Love"
- David Bowie – "New Killer Star"
- Benjamin Clementine – "I Won't Complain"
- Jónsi – "Go Do"
- M83 – "Outro"
Mark also mentioned that his grandmother was Ningali Lawford, a dancer and actress.
After living on the east coast of Australia for many years, Mark returned to his hometown of Broome by 2023.
Mark Coles Smith's Work
Here are some of the TV shows and movies Mark Coles Smith has been in:
Television Roles
- 2003: Ocean Star as 'Spider' Webb
- 2005: Blue Heelers as Luke Parnell
- 2007–2010: The Circuit as Billy Wallan
- 2013–2018: Hard Rock Medical as Gary Frazier (Canadian series)
- 2014: Modern Family as Australian Guide (American series)
- 2014: The Gods of Wheat Street as Tristan Freeburn
- 2017–2023: Little J & Big Cuz as Uncle Mick (voice)
- 2018: Picnic at Hanging Rock as Tom
- 2022, 2025: Mystery Road: Origin as Jay Swan
Film Roles
- 2024: We Bury the Dead as Riley
- 2023: Combat Wombat: Back 2 Back as Reginald
- 2022: Sweet As as Ian
- 2020: Occupation: Rainfall as Captain Wessex
- 2015: Last Cab to Darwin as Tilly
- 2015: Pawno as Pauly
- 2010: Beneath Hill 60 as Billy Bacon
Narrator and Presenter Roles
- 2023: The Dog House Australia (Narrator)
- 2020: Outback Ringer (Narrator)
- 2019: Will Australia Ever Have a Black Prime Minister? (Presenter)
Theatre Performances
- 2005: Crabbing at High Tide
- 2016: The Drover's Wife as Yadaka
- 2020: Black Ties as Kane
Images for kids
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Coles Smith in 2020
