Samuel johnson net worth
Samuel Johnson (actor)
This article is about the Australian actor. For other people with the same name, see Samuel Johnson (disambiguation).
Australian actor (born )
Samuel Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Samuel Joseph Johnson () 8 February (age&#;46) Daylesford, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years&#;active | –present |
| Relatives | Connie Johnson (sister) |
Samuel Joseph JohnsonOAM (born 8 February ) is an Australian actor.
He is best known for his roles as Evan Wylde in the television series The Secret Life of Us for which he won the AFI award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Telefeature in , Leon Broznic in Rush, Toby Kirby in After the Deluge and as Molly Meldrum in the miniseries Molly for which he won the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama and won the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Television of
Since , Johnson has led fundraising efforts for the charity Love Your Sister, which he co-founded with his sister Connie Johnson.
Early life
Born in , Johnson was born and raised in Daylesford, Victoria and educated at Wesley College, Melbourne. He was raised by his father, together with his two older sisters, Constance and Hilde. When Johnson was a toddler, his mother died by suicide.[1] His father was a writer, so the family moved around a lot so that he could write.
At the age of 14, he performed in his first school play, cast in a role as Dreyfus in The Pink Panther Strikes Again. On opening night he was spotted by Rhonda Schepisi, former wife of director Fred Schepisi. Taking the reins, she helped Johnson acquire an Equity card and find auditions.
"So I figuratively got a phone call on the first night I'd ever been in a play.
She marched me to the union and demanded that they give me a card, then she drove me to an agent and demanded they take me on. It was somewhat fortuitous and I happened to get the first 20 or so jobs I went for. This career was certainly not designed by me."[1]
Prior to his discovery, his family were going through some financial difficulty.
His father had enough money to pay for one of them to go to a private school for a term. "He chose me despite the fact that my sister had a better academic record. And by the end of the first term, I was earning enough to pay for the school fees that we couldn't afford. I was very lucky. I got an opportunity and I made the most of it." With the money he earned through his acting, they were able to pay off the school fees and eventually started their own family business, a chain of second-hand bookstores around Melbourne.
Career
Television
Johnson's first foray into television started with small roles in various shows including the role of Prince Jobah in The New Adventures of Ocean Girl; as Sally Fletcher's first boyfriend, Gus Bishop, in Home and Away; and in other bit parts including Blue Heelers, Halifax f.p., Stingers and Something in the Air.
His break, however, came in when he was chosen for the role of the scruffy, womanising writer Evan Wylde in Channel 10’s drama series The Secret Life of Us. Evan was a main character, also narrating the majority of the show (apart from instances narrated by Deborah Mailman's character Kelly Lewis).
This made Johnson a household name and earned him an AFI Award in for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama Series.
The Secret Life of Us enjoyed consistent success up until the third series, when many major characters left, resulting in a drop in ratings. Johnson's character Evan (one of the last three original major characters alongside Kelly Lewis and Simon Trader) left early in the fourth series in and the show was axed soon afterwards.
In , during the height of Johnson's Secret Life career, he received rave reviews for his performance in the mini-series After the Deluge. It follows the story of the Kirby family; their father Cliff is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, and relives his disturbing memories of the war and his first love, as a part of his experiences of the present.
Samuel johnson australian actor and daughter When Johnson was a toddler, his mother died by suicide. I mean there's a couple of the kids aren't getting along terrifically well, so it's interesting and very unpredictable but we're pretty keen on keeping the whole process fairly organic and kind of letting it play itself out. This career was certainly not designed by me. You know, a really sweet girl with a massive heart.His three estranged sons Alex (David Wenham), Marty (Hugo Weaving) and Toby (Johnson) are thrown together to care for their father whilst struggling with their own lives and relationships and attempting to come to terms with their father's mental state.
Apart from Johnson's appearances on many Australian shows to promote his work, he has also featured on Thank God You're Here and The Panel as well as the ABC documentary The Sum of Sam; documenting his personal struggles and work with Open Family Australia, a youth outreach program co-founded by South Melbourne parish priest Fr Bob Maguire.
Johnson appeared in the police drama Rush in Melbourne, a drama revolving around Melbourne's Tactical Response team (based on Critical Incident Response-style teams). He played the role of communications specialist Leon Broznic; alongside Callan Mulvey and Catherine McClements who played Evan's girlfriend Carmen in The Secret Life of Us.[2]
In , he made a cameo appearance as an old friend of Sarah's in the final episode of Wilfred.
In , Johnson starred as Molly Meldrum in the miniseries Molly.
In , he competed and won the 16th season of Network 10's Dancing with the Stars, with professional partner Jorja Freeman, and raised $50, in prize money for his charity Love Your Sister.[3][4][5]
Film
Johnson's first film role was in the film Angel Baby where he played Check-Out Cashier.
Angel Baby was the tale of two people suffering from schizophrenia who meet at therapy and fall in love.
The film was a huge success, sweeping the board at the AFI Awards.
Johnson is also well known for his role in the Mick Molloy film Crackerjack. Playing Molloy's slacker pothead flatmate Dave Jackson, the film enjoyed relative success winning a host of awards including Outstanding Comic Screenplay and Outstanding Film Comedy at the Australian Comedy Awards in
After leaving The Secret Life of Us in , Johnson went on to star in the dark, black comedy The Illustrated Family Doctor as Gary Kelp, a man condensing The Illustrated Family Doctor medical guide.
Unfulfilled in every way, Gary starts to develop the physical symptoms of the ills he is transcribing and his life begins to really fall apart. The film divided viewers and critics, with the film resulting in a love-it-or-hate-it divide and was nominated for a handful of awards including Best Adapted Screenplay at the AFI Awards.
Voice-overs and commercials
Johnson provided a voice-over for Vodafone, also appearing in their advertisements.[1] Early in his career, Johnson also lent his voice to commercials for Hungry Jack's, as well as a number of other brands.[6]
Radio
In /06, Johnson joined Nova , hosting the 9am – 12pm slot.
He was popular in the role, but resigned mid, several months after his girlfriend Lainie Woodlands died.
Theatre
In July , Johnson appeared on stage playing a young Weary Dunlop in the play Weary: The Story of Sir Edward Dunlop. The play follows the ageing veteran after retirement, when he returns to the diaries of his time in a World War II POW camp.
The action switches between the young Weary and his older, wiser self.[1]
Johnson's other stage credits include: Love Letters, Hotel Sorrento, The Present, The Snake Pit, Mad Woman’s Fountain, Life During War Time and The Pink Panther Strikes Again.
Credits
Television
| Title | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home and Away | Gus Bishop | TV series, 11 episodes | |
| Ocean Girl (aka Ocean Odyssey) | Robert 'Rocky' Rhodes | TV series, 13 episodes | |
| –97 | Blue Heelers | Glen Rigby / Dennis Cole | TV series, 2 episodes |
| Raw FM | Adams | TV series, 1 episode | |
| –98 | Good Guys Bad Guys | Dermott Maginnis | TV series, 5 episodes |
| Stingers | Murray Best | TV series, season 1, episode 9: "Jellybabies" | |
| Thunderstone | Duane | TV series, 2 episodes | |
| Wildside | Troy Cunningham | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Halifax f.p. | Jamie Callen | TV series, season 4, episode 1: "Someone You Know" | |
| Something in the Air | Dermot Yates | TV series, 7 episodes | |
| The New Adventures of Ocean Girl | Prince Jobah | TV series, 10 episodes | |
| –04 | The Secret Life of Us | Evan Wylde / Narrator | TV series, seasons 1–4, 72 episodes |
| The Secret Life of The Secret Life of Us | Interviewer | TV special | |
| After the Deluge | Toby Kirby | TV miniseries | |
| Australian Story: The Sum of Sam | Himself | TV documentary special | |
| Lonely Planet's Bluelist Australia | Host | TV series, 4 episodes | |
| –11 | Rush | Leon Broznic | TV series, episodes 1–70 |
| Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities | Jack Smith | TV series, season 2, 6 episodes | |
| Beyond the Darklands | Narrator | TV series, 9 episodes | |
| Sleuth | Cache | TV series, 1 episode | |
| The Pacific | Adam | TV miniseries, 1 episode | |
| Wilfred | Sam | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Small Time Gangster | Gary | TV series, 5 episodes | |
| Paper Giants: Magazine Wars | Paul Cavanagh | TV miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| Rush: Underground | Leon Broznic | TV miniseries (also writer / producer) | |
| –15 | Gold Coast Cops | Narrator | TV series, seasons 1–2, 20 episodes |
| The Secret River | Saggity | TV miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| Hipsters | Presenter | TV series, 6 episodes | |
| The Wizards of Aus | Terry | TV series, 2 episodes | |
| Molly | Molly Meldrum | TV miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| Anh's Brush with Fame | Self | TV series, episode: "Samuel Johnson: In Memory of Connie" | |
| –current | Paramedics | Narrator | TV series |
| Dancing with the Stars | Contestant (Winner – with Jorja Freeman) | TV series, season 16, 10 episodes | |
| Eden | Ezra Katz | TV miniseries, 6 episodes | |
| Year Of[7] | Tristan Kellaway | TV series, 3 episodes |
Film
| Title | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angel Baby | Check-Out Cashier | Feature film | |
| Inner Sanctuary | Carl | ||
| One Way Ticket | Jimmie | TV movie | |
| Bloodstained Angels | Glen Rigby | ||
| The Last of the Ryans | Young Journalist | Film | |
| What You Can | Adams | ||
| Strange Fits of Passion | Josh | Feature film | |
| Taken | |||
| ICQ | Eric | ||
| Sparky D Comes to Town | Stretch | ||
| New Skin | Sten | ||
| Crackerjack | Dave Jackson | Feature film | |
| The House of Names | Cleveland | ||
| The Illustrated Family Doctor | Gary Kelp | Feature film | |
| Hole in the Wall | |||
| Ten Feet Tall | Tim | ||
| Dead Rain | Josh | ||
| $ | Dave Peck (voice) | Animated feature film | |
| Crawlspace | Matthews | Feature film | |
| Dying Minutes | Watch VO | Short film |
Video game
| Title | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadowbane | Voice | Video game |
TVC and voiceovers
[8]
Radio
| Title | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| –06 | Nova | Presenter | Radio show |
Theatre
[9]
Publications
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Love Your Sister | with Connie Johnson | |
| Dear Santa | ||
| Dear Dad | ||
| Heroes Next Door | with Hilde Hinton | |
| Dear Mum | ||
| My Life and Other Catastrophes | ||
| Dear Lover |
Personal life
At age 11, Johnson's sister Connie was diagnosed with cancer, after a tumour was discovered in her leg.[10] She died in September, of terminal breast cancer.[11]
On 5 February , his girlfriend Lainie Woodlands took her own life.[12] Johnson and Woodlands' mother Kim then endured a bitter legal tug-of-war for two months with Lainie's estranged father to bury her close to her chosen home and those she loved.
She was eventually buried by Johnson, Kim, Lainie's siblings and many close friends.[13][14] Johnson took an extended career break to recover from the trauma and returned to Daylesford.
In late , Johnson began a relationship with Sarah Hallam, a casting director. They have known each other since they were He stated, "I am really enjoying my new life.
It is very different from the other one out in the 'burbs with my girl and her little boy, who is five."[13] They live in the outer suburbs of Melbourne with Hallam's young son, while running workshops for aspiring actors.
In September , he was involved in a bar brawl at Star City Casino in Sydney. While attending a wedding with his girlfriend Hallam, he was involved in an altercation with another guest, Ben Benson.
Johnson had repeatedly punched Benson before stomping on his head as he lay prone on the floor.[15] The court was told that at the time of the offence Johnson was receiving treatment for depression following the suicide of his long-term partner Lainie Woodlands. Upon leaving the court, Johnson was completely remorseful for his actions, stating, "I am very sorry it all happened, I was a bit of a nincompoop and I'm glad that it's all over.
I'm looking forward to moving on". He was given a month good behaviour bond, with Johnson to continue with his counselling, and no conviction was recorded.[citation needed]
In May , Johnson gave his first interview since the death of Woodlands to ABC Television's Australian Story – The Sum of Sam.
He talked about the turmoil of the last three years – and his life changing involvement with Open Family Australia, a charity that works with vulnerable young people.[16]
As of mid, Johnson was living in his birthplace of Daylesford, near Melbourne.[17]
In , Johnson was involved in a serious road accident when he was hit by a car as a pedestrian in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
He received a serious knock to the head, resulting in an acute case Post Traumatic Amnesia for 11 days. Ground glass was found in his lungs, and his neck and skull had multiple fractures. He was in hospital for 6½ weeks. [18]
Johnson won the Daylesford Tennis Championship for the second time just before his accident.
His father, before him had won the Daylesford Tennis Championship six years in a row, from [18]
In January , Johnson revealed his personal rift with Molly Meldrum, whom he portrayed in the miniseries Molly and had known personally for 20 years. The rift began when Meldrum hijacked Johnson's speech at the Logie Awards, which Johnson intended to use to call attention to the Love Your Sister charity.[19]
Fundraising
In , Johnson rode from Sydney to Melbourne on a unicycle to raise money for children's cancer charity Canteen.[20]
On New Years Day , he and his sister, Connie Johnson, started the Love Your Sister charity, which supports the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
In , Johnson began riding 15,&#;km on a unicycle in a year-long attempt to break the Guinness World Record and raise $1 million for the Garvan Institute of Medical Research to find a cure for breast cancer.[21] His stated mission is to remind every Australian woman about the need to be 'breast aware', in an effort to promote early detection and improve survival rates, via his charitable foundation, Love Your Sister.[22]
On 14 February , Johnson returned to the starting point of his journey, Melbourne's Federation Square, having travelled 15,&#;km by unicycle, broken the world record for the longest unicycle journey and raised $1,,[23] In , Johnson was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to cancer research support organisations, and to the performing arts.[24]
On 24 August , Love Your Sister reached their initial goal of $10,, raised.[citation needed]
Awards and nominations
References
- ^ abcdBailey, John (29 July ).
"Play it again, Sam".
Australian male actor It's shaping up to be one of the most intense periods of my life. To see her being so kind of willing to talk is a massive transformation for her. News Ltd. Sign up and join the community.The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax.
- ^Enker, Debi (28 August ). "Feel the rush". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax.
- ^Knox, David (24 January ). "Rumour: Dancing with the Stars cast".Samuel johnson australian actor The Secret River. And then as his career sort of took off, I think it was more 'The Secret Life' days, I obviously saw him less. The film was a huge success, sweeping the board at the AFI Awards. Share Copy link Facebook X formerly Twitter.
TV Tonight. Retrieved 3 February
- ^Lynch, Jessica (24 January ). "Dancing with the Stars First Celebs To Hit The DF Revealed!". 10 Daily. Retrieved 3 February
- ^"Dancing With The Stars: Samuel Johnson crowned winner". . 23 April Retrieved 23 April
- ^Bailey, John (13 March ).
"The secret life of Samuel". The Age.
- ^Harris, Rachel (15 May ). "STAN original Series YEAR OF, an original drama about friendship and family in the wake of a shocking event". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 19 September
- ^
- ^"AusStage".
- ^"The Sum of Sam – Transcript".
ABC. 26 May
- ^"Connie Johnson, sister of Samuel Johnson, loses cancer battle". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 September Retrieved 8 September
- ^"Suicide shock".New zealand actor For other people with the same name, see Samuel Johnson disambiguation. It was somewhat fortuitous and I happened to get the first 20 or so jobs I went for. KEZ: It's really worked because now we have really made a team. Blind Company as Theatre Director.
The Daily Telegraph. 10 February Archived from the original on 7 March
- ^ abBryne, Fiona (30 September ). "Samuel Johnson in bar brawl". The Sydney Telegraph. News Limited.
- ^McGuire, Jess (30 May ).
"S amuel Johnson Is Making A Comeback". Defamer. Allure Media. Archived from the original on 27 April
- ^"Actor Samuel Johnson escapes conviction". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax.
Famous australian actors names: Molly as Ian 'Molly' Meldrum. Eden 8 episodes as Detective Ezra Katz. I was very lucky. He had to go and sort of find that link himself.
18 December
- ^"Australian Story&#;:: The Sum of Sam". ABC. 26 May
- ^"Sam Johnson: 'I've fallen in love with my sister's best friend'". Woman's Day. 6 May
- ^ ab"Last year I nearly died - it turned out to be the best of my life".
13 October
- ^"Samuel Johnson's extraordinary spray against Molly Meldrum in live TV interview".
- Samuel johnson actor awards
- Samuel johnson wife
- Samuel johnson sister
- Samuel johnson movies
- Samuel johnson accident
17 January
- ^Nguyen, Kenneth (8 January ). "One wheel, and a whole lot of magic". The Age. Melbourne.
- ^"Herald Sun&#;:: Actor Samuel Johnson to unicycle 15,&#;km to raise $1 million for breast cancer research". News Ltd. 11 January
- ^"".
–
- ^Sadler, Denham (14 February ). "Samuel Johnson raises $m for breast cancer research in unicycle ride". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 February
- ^ abFraser, Mark. "Australia Day Honours Lists - S1 - Order of Australia"(PDF).
Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 26 January
- ^Idato, Michael (23 April ). "Gold Logie winner Samuel Johnson edges out favourite as Molly steals show". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 28 October Retrieved 27 October
- ^"Samuel Johnson named Victorian Australian of the Year for cancer support work".
. 27 October Archived from the original on 27 October Retrieved 27 October