Tony Briggs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tony Briggs
Briggs in 2012
Born	(1967-07-03) 3 July 1967 (age 57) Australia
Occupation	Actor, writer
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Damienne Pradier
Children	3

Tony Briggs was born on July 3, 1967. He is an Aboriginal Australian actor and writer. He is famous for creating the play The Sapphires. This play was later made into a movie in 2012. It tells the true story of an Aboriginal singing group of girls who performed for soldiers in Vietnam during the war. Tony Briggs was also a talented athlete in track and field.

Early Life and Sports

Tony Briggs was born in Australia. His mother, Laurel Robinson, was one of the original "Sapphires" singers. Tony is a Yorta Yorta and Wurundjeri man, which means he belongs to these Aboriginal groups.

He went to Scotch College, Melbourne, a boarding school, from 1980 to 1985. Tony was an amazing athlete there. He was on the athletics team every year. In 1985, he became the Captain of Athletics. As of 2016, he still held several school records for running races, like the 400m and 110m hurdles. Tony Briggs is believed to be the first Indigenous Australian student at this school. In his last year, he was also a School House Prefect, which is a student leader.

Tony Briggs' Career

Tony Briggs has had a busy career in television, theatre, and film.

Television Roles

Tony started acting on TV in 1987. He played Pete Baxter in the soap opera Neighbours. After that, he appeared in many other TV shows. These included Blue Heelers, Stingers, and The Man From Snowy River. From 1997, he was in the children's TV series Ocean Girl as Dave Hartley.

Later, he played Mick Mathers in The Circuit starting in 2009. In 2011, he was Bilal in The Slap. He also had a role in Redfern Now in 2012. In 2016, he played Boondee in Cleverman and Brett in Nowhere Boys: Two Moons Rising. In 2017, he acted in Seven Types of Ambiguity. He also helped create and write the TV series The Warriors, where he had a small role too. In 2024, it was announced that Tony Briggs would be in a new show called Population 11.

Writing for Theatre

Tony Briggs wrote the famous play The Sapphires. It was first performed in 2004. The play is about four Koori women who form a singing group and travel to Vietnam during the war. This story was inspired by the real experiences of his mother, Laurel Robinson, and his aunt, Lois Peeler. They both toured Vietnam as singers in 1968. Tony later turned his play into a movie, The Sapphires, which came out in 2012.

Film Appearances

Tony Briggs has acted in several movies. Some of his film roles include Australian Rules (2002), Bran Nue Dae (2009), Healing (2014), and Joey (1997).

Tony Briggs also started the Birrarangga Film Festival in Melbourne in 2019. This festival happens every two years. It shows movies made by Indigenous filmmakers from all over the world.

Awards and Recognition

Both the play and the movie The Sapphires won many awards. The play won the Helpmann Award in 2005 for being the best new Australian work. Tony Briggs has also received some special awards himself:

• 2012: He won the Deadly Award – Jimmy Little Lifetime Achievement Award. He shared this award with the original Sapphires singers for their contributions to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music.
• 2013: He received the Bob Maza Fellowship from Screen Australia. This helped him learn more about directing and filmmaking in New York City to grow his international career.
• 2013: He won the NAIDOC Award for Artist of the Year.

Athletics Career Highlights

Before his acting and writing career, Tony Briggs was a very good athlete. He was a successful 400m hurdler. He came in second place at the Australian Athletics Championships three years in a row, from 1990 to 1992. He also finished third in the 110m hurdles at the 1990 Championships. From 1986 to 1987, he was part of the Australian Institute of Sport athletics program, which supports talented athletes.

Other Activities

In 2016, Tony Briggs became a patron for the Scotch College foundation. This foundation helps fund scholarships for Indigenous students at his old school.

Filmography

Television

Film / Shorts