Wayne Blair (director) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wayne Blair
Born	Taree, New South Wales, Australia
Alma mater	CQ University
Occupation	Television and film director, writer, actor

Wayne Blair is a talented Australian writer, actor, and director. He has worked both in front of and behind the camera. He is well-known for directing the movie The Sapphires. He also acted in the TV drama series Total Control from 2021 to 2024.

Early Life and School Days

Wayne Blair was born in Taree, New South Wales, Australia. His parents are Julie and Bob Blair, and he has two older sisters, Janet and Mandy. Wayne is an Aboriginal Australian man. He proudly says he is from the Batjala, Mununjali, and Wakka Wakka peoples.

Because his father was a soldier, Wayne's family moved around a lot. When Wayne was young, his family lived in Woodside, South Australia. Later, when he was a teenager, they moved to Rockhampton, Queensland. In Rockhampton, Wayne was very good at sports like cricket and rugby. He later became interested in acting and dancing at school.

Wayne worked as a tour guide at Rockhampton's Dreamtime Cultural Centre. He also performed as a dancer there. He then went to Central Queensland University to study marketing. But he also took classes in drama, which he really enjoyed. For a short time, he even played rugby league for the Canterbury Bulldogs under-21s team in Sydney.

In 1992, he tried out for the NIDA but didn't get in. However, he later studied acting for three years at the Queensland University of Technology. While he was a student in 1997, he mentioned that he had played many different characters, but he really wanted to play an Aboriginal person.

Career in Film and TV

Wayne Blair's first acting role on screen was in an Australian TV movie called The Tower in 1997. The next year, he appeared in TV shows like All Saints and Wildside. He also acted in Water Rats and Fireflies.

In 1998, Wayne was one of the first four filmmakers chosen for the Metro Screen Indigenous Mentor Scheme. Through this program, he made a short film called Fade 2 Black. Ten years later, he became a mentor himself for the same program.

Directing and Acting Highlights

Wayne starred in the first stage version of Tony Briggs's play, The Sapphires, in 2005. This play was later made into a movie, which Wayne directed.

In 2007, he played the main role in Othello for Bell Shakespeare. This play toured all over Australia. He also directed several episodes of the TV show Lockie Leonard.

In 2008, Wayne directed all thirteen episodes of Double Trouble. This was an Australian children's TV series about twin Indigenous girls who were separated at birth. In 2009, he wrote an episode for the TV series The Circuit. In 2010, Wayne directed four episodes of Dead Gorgeous, a children's supernatural comedy TV series. He also directed plays at Sydney's Belvoir St Theatre, including Dirty Butterfly and Namatjira. That same year, he was chosen to star in a play called True West, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.

In 2011, Wayne received the Bob Maza Fellowship from Screen Australia. This award helps Indigenous actors develop their careers. The year 2012 was a big one for Wayne. His movie The Sapphires was released and became a hit. It received great reviews at the Cannes Film Festival and brought him international attention. Later that year, he acted in and directed episodes of the ABC TV drama Redfern Now. To end the year, Variety Magazine named him one of their top ten directors to watch in 2013.

Wayne has also worked on projects outside Australia. These include Septembers of Shiraz in 2015, which was filmed in Bulgaria. He also directed a TV remake of the American classic Dirty Dancing in 2017.

In 2020, Wayne was cast in the ABC series Aftertaste. In 2021, he joined the second season of the ABC political drama Total Control (TV series) as Paul Murphy. He continued this role in the third season in 2023. Wayne also directed nine episodes of Total Control. He also appeared in the Netflix show Irreverent.

In 2023, he directed four episodes of the ABC series Bay of Fires. In 2024, Wayne was announced as part of the directing team for the ABC drama Plum. He was also announced as a director for the second season of Mystery Road: Origin.

Awards and Special Mentions

Wayne Blair has received several awards and recognitions for his work:

• 2005: Won the Crystal Bear for his short film The Djarn Djarns at the Berlin Film Festival.
• 2005: Nominated for Best Screenplay in a Short Film at the AFI Awards for The Djarn Djarns.
• 2011: Received the Bob Maza Fellowship. This award supports new Indigenous acting talent.
• 2012: Won the AACTA Award for Best Direction for his movie The Sapphires.
• July 2021: Invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the group that gives out the Oscars!

Film and TV Work

Here are some of the films and TV shows Wayne Blair has worked on, either as a director, writer, or actor.

Short Films

Actor in Short Films

Feature Films

Director of Feature Films

• Firestarter (2020)
• Top End Wedding (2019)
• Septembers of Shiraz (2015)
• The Elegant Gentleman's Guide to Knife Fighting (2013)
• The Sapphires (2012)

Executive Producer of Feature Films

• Brando With The Glass Eye (2024)

Actor in Feature Films

Television Work

Actor in Television Shows

See also

In Spanish: Wayne Blair para niños