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Aaron Pedersen

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Aaron Pedersen
Pedersen at the 2013 Sydney Film Festival
Born (1970-11-24) 24 November 1970 (age 53)
OccupationActor
Years active1993–present

Aaron Pedersen (born 24 November 1970) is an Aboriginal Australian television and film actor. He is known for many film and television roles, in particular as Detective Jay Swan in the film Mystery Road (2013), its sequel Goldstone (2016), and spin-off television series (2018–2020). He has been nominated for many and won several acting awards, including the 2021 AACTA Award for International Award for Best Actor in a Series.

Early life

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Pedersen, who is of Arrernte and Arabana descent, was born and grew up in Alice Springs,[1] one of eight children. He and his seven siblings grew up in foster homes away from their alcoholic mother,[2] Margaret,[3] and experienced much family violence in the home.[4] From an early age, he looked after his brother, Vinnie, who has cerebral palsy and a mild intellectual disability.[3]

In the early 1990s, Pedersen underwent a cadetship at the ABC in Melbourne, and worked as a journalist and presenter. He was a host for the TV series Blackout.[1]

Career

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His acting career began in 1994, when he starred in the miniseries Heartland and was voted Bachelor of the Year by Cleo magazine.[5][better source needed] He came to notice in 1995 as co-host of Gladiators Australia, an Australian game show.[citation needed]

Pedersen's first major acting role was as lawyer Vince Cellini in Wildside in 1997. In 1999, he played Detective Senior Constable Michael Reilly in Water Rats, and took a major role in The Secret Life of Us (2005).[1]

Since 2007, he had the leading role in SBS's drama series The Circuit, and from 2007 to 2011 he appeared in Channel Seven's drama City Homicide.[citation needed] He appeared as Cam Delray in ABC Television's Jack Irish series, beginning in 2012 and running for several seasons.[1]

Pedersen took the lead role of Detective Jay Swan in Ivan Sen's Mystery Road (2013), a role he reprised in its sequel film Goldstone (2016), and its spin-off television series (2018–2020).[6][1]

He played war veteran Frank Gibbs in A Place to Call Home (2017–2018) and Tom Campbell in Total Control (2019).[citation needed] In 2020 to 2021, he was the presenter for an ABC Television documentary series Australia Remastered. In the same year, he featured as a presenter with writer Holly Ringland in an eight-episode documentary series on ABC Television called Back to Nature.[7]

In 2024, Pedersen would appear in the Foxtel/Binge series High Country.[8]

Recognition

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In 2007, Pedersen was the recipient of the Bob Maza Fellowship, which recognises emerging acting talent and support professional development for Indigenous actors.[9]

Awards

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Pedersen has been nominated for many and won several awards.[10]

He won the Best Actor award at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival for Darklovestory (2006).[11]

My Brother Vinnie (2006) won the Best Short Documentary award at the Melbourne International Film Festival and was nominated for an IF Award for Best Short Documentary. Pedersen was also nominated for a Deadly Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film.[12]

Pedersen won a Deadly Award nomination for Male Actor of the Year in 2003 and 2011, and was nominated for it in 2007.[12]

In 2013, he was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, for his role in the film Mystery Road.[11]

After being nominated several times over the years for AFI and AACTA Awards, in 2021 he won the AACTA International Award for Best Actor in a Series, for his role in Mystery Road.[13][14]

Other roles

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Pedersen speaks at schools and prisons, and is concerned at the rate of incarceration of Indigenous Australians, seeing parallels with the early history of Australia, being founded as a penal colony; the link between poverty and crime.[1] Other speaking roles include emceeing various events, including the Melbourne Indigenous Arts Festival, and has hosted Black Nite Film Festival since 2009. He was co-host of the 2011 Deadly Awards, and has undertaken many other public speaking engagements.[12]

Personal life

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Pedersen looked out for his younger brother Vinnie, who has cerebral palsy and mild intellectual disabilities, on and off since he was a child.[3] In 1997, when Aaron was following his career as an actor in Sydney, their grandmother, who had been helping to care for Vinnie in Alice Springs, died. There were no services available nor other family support, so Aaron took on the role as full-time carer and Vinnie joined him in Sydney. After things got difficult for Aaron, his de facto mother-in-law, Mum Frances, stepped in and Vinnie moved in with her.[3]

Vinnie accompanies Aaron during his filming.[15] The short documentary film My Brother Vinnie (2006), written by Pedersen, directed by Steven McGregor, and shot by Warwick Thornton (both friends), was selected for the Melbourne International Film Festival and Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival.[16][3][17]

Pedersen's partner in life is Sarah Bond. He says that caring for Vinnie means that there is no space in their lives for children. He loves working with wood, and has a "secret desire to be a tradie".[1]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1996 Dead Heart Tony
2000 Saturday Night Mac
2004 Queen of Hearts
Floodhouse Uncredited
2006 Darklovestory Gil
My Brother Vinnie Himself Short film[16]
2012 Bad Karma Bear
2013 Mystery Road Detective Jay Swan
The Darkside
2014 The Fear of Darkness Dr. Nicholas Trengrove
2015 Spear Suicide Man
2016 Killing Ground German
Goldstone Detective Jay Swan Sequel to Mystery Road
2017 1% (aka Outlaws) Sugar
2019 Dirt Music Beaver
2020 High Ground Walter
2021 Back to the Outback Clive the Dung Beetle (voice)

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1993–1996 Crocadoo Billy TV series
1994 Heartland Clarrie Carmichael 6 episodes
1995 Australian Gladiators Host Series 1
1996 The Territorians Tom Daly Television film
1997–1999 Wildside Vince Cellini 50 episodes
1999–2001 Water Rats Det. Snr. Constable Michael Reilly 88 episodes
2002–2003 MDA Dr. Tony McKinnon 23 episodes
2003 Grass Roots Joe Ventimiglia Episodes: "Investigation" and "Garbage"
2005 The Secret Life of Us Corey Mailins 9 episodes
Grange Sam Television film
A Very Barry Christmas Warrun (voice only) Television film
2006 Blackjack: Dead Memory Greg Television film
2006–2011 City Homicide Duncan Freeman 85 episodes
2007 East West 101 Adam King Episode: "Death at the Station"
2007–2010 The Circuit Drew Ellis 12 episodes
Logie nominee in 2009 for the 'Most Outstanding Actor' award
2008 Double Trouble Kelton 13 episodes
2012 Jack Irish: Black Tide Cam Delray Television film
Jack Irish: Bad Debts Television film
2014 Jack Irish: Dead Point Television film
The Code Tim Simons 6 episodes
2016 It's a Date Matt Episode: "Should You Re-connect with an Old Flame?"
2016–2021 Jack Irish Cam Delray 16 episodes
2017 A Place to Call Home Frank Gibbs 12 episodes
Blue Murder: Killer Cop Detective Joe Kenshell Miniseries, 2 episodes
2018–2020 Mystery Road Jay Swan 12 episodes
Sequel to Mystery Road (2013) and Goldstone
2019 Total Control Tom Campbell Jnr 4 episodes
2020 The Gloaming Inspector Lewis Grimshaw 8 episodes
2020– Australia Remastered Host In the 'Desert' episode, Pedersen repeatedly mistakes a juvenile budgerigar for its mother, diminishing his narrative credibility
2021 Back to Nature Host
2023 Barfuß Durch Australien Kalti Rogers Television film
2024 High Country Owen Cooper 6 episodes

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Kalina, Paul (16 January 2015). "Actor Aaron Pedersen says the fear of 50 motivates him". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Aaron Pedersen: is the Mystery Road star one of the greatest actors of his generation?". theguardian.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e My Brother Vinnie (2006) on YouTube (28 mins) VJM, 7 Feb 2017.
  4. ^ McGregor, Steven (1 September 2011). "Guestroom - Steven McGregor" (Audio). ABC Local (Interview). The Guestroom. Interviewed by O'Toole, Kate. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  5. ^ "Biography: Aaron Pedersen". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
  6. ^ Dow, Steve (19 August 2017). "Aaron's lands". The Saturday Paper.
  7. ^ "Back to Nature". Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  8. ^ Kelly, Vivienne (8 April 2023). "'High Country': New Original Drama Coming to Foxtel and Binge". Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  9. ^ "Screen Australia's Indigenous Department celebrates 25 years". Screen Australia. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Aaron Pedersen". IMDb. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Aaron Pedersen in Mystery Road". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  12. ^ a b c "Aaron Pedersen". Platinum Speakers and Entertainers Bureau. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Australian Academy announces winners for the 10th AACTA International Awards". AACTA. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  14. ^ Slatter, Sean (6 March 2021). "AACTA International awards for 'Promising Young Woman', Aaron Pedersen". IF Magazine. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Aaron Pedersen Is a Different Kind of Archetypal Leading Man". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  16. ^ a b "My Brother Vinnie (2006) - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Video Overview My Brother Vinnie (2006)". Australian Screen Online. National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 15 July 2022.

Further reading

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