Kieran Darcy-Smith

• Name — Kieran Darcy-Smith • Birthplace — Mona Vale, Sydney, New South Wales • Education — Killarney Heights High School University of Western Sydney • Occupation — Actor, director, writer • Years Active — 1996–present • Spouse — Felicity Price (m. 7 January 2006) • Children — 2 Kieran Darcy-Smith is an Australian actor, film director, and screenwriter.

Kieran Darcy-Smith was born to a pharmacist father who worked in the Sydney suburb of Frenchs Forest and a stay-at-home mother, and was one of five siblings. He attended Killarney Heights High School, leaving school at the age of 15 to work at a bookshop in Manly, where he became an avid reader. By the age of 18, Darcy-Smith was living in a long-term de-facto relationship in North Avalon. He later formed the rock band Feast of Friends with an old schoolfriend, in which he was a singer-guitarist. The band released a single and toured with Transvision Vamp in the 1980s. When Darcy-Smith was 25, he decided to try a part-time acting class. Following this, he auditioned for drama schools and ultimately spent three years studying theatre at the University of Western Sydney, meeting Joel Edgerton on his first day there. He was 30 when he graduated.

At the age of 31, after graduating from university, Darcy-Smith formed the film collective, Blue-Tongue Films with Joel Edgerton and his stuntman brother, Nash, to make the short film Loaded in 1996. He also began working regularly on film and TV sets as an actor. Early television roles included Water Rats, All Saints, Wildside and My Place, and he also appeared in the 1999 crime comedy film Two Hands, alongside Heath Ledger, Rose Byrne and Bryan Brown. Initially, Darcy-Smith played thugs and villainous characters, before scoring a role in 2005 American studio film The Cave. As his acting career progressed, Darcy-Smith realised his passion lay in filmmaking. Blue-Tongue Films made 2008 film The Square, short film Miracle Fish (2009) and David Michôd's 2010 award-winning Animal Kingdom. He also had roles in all three films. Darcy-Smith had roles in the films September (2007) and The Reef (2010). Blue-Tongue Films made 2010 American comedy drama Hesher, 2012 war film Memorial Day (which won the 2008 IF Award for Best Unproduced Screenplay) and 2015 Michod's western film The Rover, starring Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson. In 2012, at the age of 45, Darcy-Smith made his feature film writing and directing debut with mystery drama Wish You Were Here, starring Joel Edgerton and Teresa Palmer, which he co-wrote with his wife Felicity Price, who also had a lead role in the film. After screening at the Sundance Film Festival, the film was so well-received, that it immediately sold for US release and was nominated for Best Film and Best Director at the AACTA Awards in 2013. Darcy-Smith's second directorial project, 2016 western feature The Duel, starred Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Emory Cohen, William Hurt, and Alice Braga. The film had a limited release and through video on demand on 24 June 2016, by Lionsgate Premiere. Filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Darcy-Smith served as a writer and director on the 2023 series Last King of the Cross, telling the story of real life crime figure, John Ibrahim, played by Lincoln Younes. The series also starred English actor Tim Roth. Kieran’s other television directing credits include the first season of Jack Irish, two episodes of Wolf Creek and three episodes of Reef Break. He has also collaborated on music videos and photo shoots with Powderfinger, Ben Lee, Alex Lloyd, Kasey Chambers, Paul Kelly, You Am I, Amiel, Shane Nicholson and Troy Cassar-Daley. Darcy-Smith was curator and producer of the Homebake Festival's short film program, having been involved in the festival since 2001. In 2025 he plays the estranged father of a transgender man in Harvey Zielinski's feature directorial debut, Sweet Milk Lake.

Darcy-Smith first met his wife, actress Felicity Price, at the opening of Sydney's Fox Studios. They were initially just friends, after which time Price relocated overseas for a few years and the pair lost touch. On her return to Australia, the pair resumed their friendship, which eventually turned romantic and they were married on 7 January 2006. Actor Joel Edgerton was best man at their wedding and is the godfather of one of their two children. They couple relocated to Los Angeles in 2012, shortly after their film Wish You Were Here was released, and while their children were still young.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1996 — Daydream Believer — Stagehand (uncredited) — Feature film • Loaded — Paddy — Short film • Jac et Bill — Jac — Short film • 1998 — Bloodlock — Scott Robertson — Short film • 1999 — Two Hands — Craig — Feature film • 2000 — The Island — The Man — Short film • 2001 — The Pitch — Chainsaw Maniac — Short film • 2005 — The Cave — Strode — Feature film • 2006 — Pacific — Man — Short film • 2007 — Katoomba — Brian — Short film • September — Rick — Feature film • 2008 — The Square — Barney — Feature film • The List — Nick — Short film • 2009 — Miracle Fish — Peter Unwin / TRG Negotiator — Short film • 2010 — Animal Kingdom — John Harrop — Feature film • The Reef — Warren — Feature film • Grey Scale — Michael — Short film • 2012 — Cryo — The Captain — Short film • Spirit-ED — Mr Jones — Short film • 2021 — Shark — Captain Rick — Short film • 2024 — How to Make Gravy — Red — Feature film • 2024 — Make It Look Real — Himself — Documentary film • 2026 — Sweet Milk Lake — Lee — Feature film

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1996 — Police Rescue — Col — Season 5, episode 1: "The Ultimate" • 1997 — Fallen Angels — Hoon — Season 1, episode 10: "Bury My Heart in Endeavour Park" • Murder Call — Felix Kiver — Season 1, episode 3: "Cat & Mouse" • 1997–2001 — Water Rats — Stewart Renshaw / Craig Castle / Xavier Tully / Des — 4 episodes • 1999 — Big Sky — Cooly — 2 episodes • Wildside — George Renner — Season 2, episode 11 • Blue Heelers — Travis Watson — Season 6, episode 36: "Second Chance" • Breakers — Slim — 4 episodes • 1999–2008 — All Saints — Dave Hegarty / Mathew King / Gordie Hallam / Dave Barclay — 4 episodes • 2001 — Going Home — Stalker — 7 episodes • 2001; 2009 — Home and Away — Tim Coleman / Terry — 9 episodes • 2002 — Young Lions — Marty Charlton — 2 episodes • Always Greener — Trevor Southall — Season 2, episode 9: "Understanding the Cry" • 2003 — White Collar Blue — Neil Jeffries — Season 2, episode 20 • McLeod's Daughters — Lindsay Stubbs — Season 6, episode 10: "The Big Commitment" • 2006 — Stupid, Stupid Man — Jack Hanson — Season 1, episode 7: "The Mole" • 2007 — Dangerous — Garry — Miniseries, 6 episodes • 2008 — Infamous Victory: Ben Chifley's Battle for Coal — Don Rogers — TV movie • 2009 — My Place — Pa — 3 episodes • 2011 — Rescue: Special Ops — Detective Brendan Lockyer — Season 3, episode 17: "Art Attack" • 2019 — Mr Inbetween — Vinnie Williams — Season 2, 4 episodes • 2025 — Apple Cider Vinegar — Andrew Dal-Bello — Miniseries, episode 2: "Clean Sheets"

• Year — Artist — Title — Role • 2003 — You Am I — Deliverance — Director / Producer • 2003 — You Am I — The Cream & the Crock — Director / Producer / Additional Cinematographer • 2010 — Powderfinger — Sunsets: Powderfinger Farewell Tour Live in Concert — Camera Operator

• Year — Artist — Title — Role • 2002 — Eskimo Joe — Liar — Actor

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1996 — Loaded — Writer / Producer / Composer — Short film • 1998 — Bloodlock — Writer / Producer / Composer / Production Coordinator — Short film • 2000 — The Island — Writer / Co-producer — Short film • 2002 — Texas — Additional Cinematographer — Documentary film • 2006 — Kokoda: 39th Battalion — Script Editor — Feature film • 2008 — I Love Sarah Jane — Production Stills — Short film • The Square — Additional Stills — Feature film • Netherland Dwarf — Still Photographer — Short film • 2009 — Daybreakers — ADR Loop Group — Feature film • 2010 — Tomorrow, When the War Began — Loop Group Performer — Feature film • 2012 — Wish You Were Here — Writer / Director — Feature film • 2016 — The Duel — Director — Feature film • 2021 — Our Father — Executive Producer — Short film • Power & Way — Director — In development • Blackwater — Director — In development • Fever — Director / Writer — Pre-production • Treat — Writer — In development • Out of Mind — Producer — In development

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2016 — Jack Irish — Director — 2 episodes • 2017 — Wolf Creek — Director — 2 episodes: "Chase", "Singing" • 2019 — Reef Break — Director — 3 episodes • 2023 — Last King of the Cross — Director — 4 episodes (co-directed 2 episodes with Grant Brown) • Writer — 3 episodes • Script Producer — 10 episodes

• Year — Work — Award — Category — Result — Ref. • 1995 — Little Sky Cambodia — Australian Writers' Guild and NSW Film & Television Office — Mentorship Scheme Award • 2008 — Memorial Day — IF Award — Best Unproduced Screenplay • 2012 — Wish You Were Here — Sundance Film Festival — Grand Jury Prize • 2013 — AACTA Awards — Best Original Screenplay Award • Best Film • Best Director • Australian Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Film • Best Screenplay