Richard Roxburgh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Roxburgh
Roxburgh in 2013
Born	(1962-01-23) 23 January 1962 (age 63) Albury, New South Wales, Australia
Education	Australian National University (BEc) National Institute of Dramatic Art (BFA)
Occupation	Actor filmmaker
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Silvia Colloca ​ (m. 2004)​
Children	3

Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is a famous Australian actor and filmmaker. He has won many awards for his work in movies, TV shows, and plays. These awards include AFI and AACTA Awards, Logie Awards, and Helpmann Awards.

He started his acting journey with the Sydney Theatre Company. Richard Roxburgh has appeared in many Australian and international productions. Some of his well-known roles are in Baz Luhrmann's films Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Elvis (2022). He also starred in the ABC series Rake (2010–2018). You might also know him from action movies like Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), and Van Helsing (2004).

Richard Roxburgh's Early Life and School

Richard Roxburgh was born on January 23, 1962. His parents were John and Mary Roxburgh. His dad was an accountant. Richard grew up in a town called Albury, New South Wales, in Australia.

Studying at University

Richard went to the Australian National University in Canberra. He studied economics there. He lived at Garran Hall during his studies. He earned his Bachelor of Economics degree in 1984.

Becoming an Actor

After finishing university, Richard decided he wanted to be an actor. He tried out for the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) twice. He got in on his second try. He graduated from NIDA in 1986.

Richard Roxburgh's Acting Career

Richard Roxburgh with his wife, Silvia Colloca, at the 1st AACTA Awards in Sydney, 2012.

Right after graduating from NIDA, Richard started working. He joined the Sydney Theatre Company. He also performed with the Belvoir St Theatre.

Early TV and Film Roles

Richard became well-known for playing a detective named Roger Rogerson. This was in the 1995 TV miniseries Blue Murder. Throughout the 1990s, he acted in many Australian films and plays. One of his most praised roles was as Hamlet. He performed this role in 1994 at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney. In 2007, he starred in the play Toy Symphony. He won an award for Best Male Actor in a Play for this role in 2008.

International Movie Roles

In 2000, Richard Roxburgh appeared in his first big international movie. He played Hugh Stamp in Mission: Impossible 2. This movie was filmed in Sydney. He also starred in Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! (2001). In this film, he played the Duke of Monroth.

Over the next three years, Richard played three famous characters. He was Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002). He played Holmes's enemy, Professor Moriarty, in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). Then, he was Count Dracula in Van Helsing (2004). He is one of only two actors to have played all three of these characters.

Directing and TV Series

Richard Roxburgh also directs movies. He directed his first film, Romulus, My Father, in 2007. This movie starred Eric Bana. It won an AFI Award. From 2008 to 2009, he played Art Watkins in the ABC drama series East of Everything.

In 2010, Richard played former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. This was in a TV movie about Hawke's life. He played Bob Hawke again in 2020. This time it was for an episode of the Netflix series The Crown.

In 2010, Richard helped create and star in the TV series Rake. He played Cleaver Greene, a clever but troubled lawyer. He won an award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama for this role in 2012. He also appeared in the movies Matching Jack (2010) and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010).

Return to Theatre

Richard returned to the stage in 2010. He played Vanya in the play Uncle Vanya. He acted alongside Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving. In 2013, he performed with Hugo Weaving again. They starred in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot. In 2014, Richard played the main role in Cyrano de Bergerac. In 2015, he was in a play called The Present. This play later moved to Broadway in New York City in 2016-2017.

Recent Work

In 2023, Richard appeared in Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe. He played a funny version of his character from Rake. In 2024, he starred in the Stan series Prosper. This show is a thriller about a church community.

Richard Roxburgh played journalist Peter Greste in the movie The Correspondent. This film was shown at the Adelaide Film Festival in October 2024. He also did voice work for the animated movie ... Space Princess. In June 2025, it was announced that Richard would play former Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. This will be in a TV documentary called Joh: The Last King of Queensland.

Richard Roxburgh's Children's Book

Richard Roxburgh has also written a children's book. He wrote and drew the pictures for Artie and the Grime Wave. This adventure story is 240 pages long. It was published in October 2016.

Richard Roxburgh's Personal Life

Richard Roxburgh met actress Miranda Otto in 1997. They were together until 2000.

In 2004, he married Silvia Colloca. Silvia is an Italian opera singer, actress, and cookbook author. They met while filming Van Helsing. Richard played Count Dracula, and Silvia played one of his brides. They have three children together.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Theatre Roles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Richard Roxburgh para niños