Peter Phelps
Encyclopedia
Peter Phelps is an Australian actor, singer and writer. He is notable for his role of Peter Church in the television drama, Stingers
and Trevor Cole
, in Baywatch
. He is the brother of Professor Kerryn Phelps
.
teen soap opera The Restless Years
produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation
. After that series ended he had a starring role in new Grundy soap opera Sons and Daughters
. It was actually Phelps who came up with the "Pat the Rat" moniker in the series.
In the early 1990s, he was one of the lifeguards (Trevor Cole
) in the first series of Baywatch
, and had a very minor role in the film Point Break
. He also had roles in A Country Practice
and The Flying Doctors
. In 1993, Phelps won an Australian Film Institute Best Actor award for his role in the G.P. episode, "Exposed".
From 1998 until 2004, he starred in Stingers
, a role that won him the 2002 Logie Award for Most Popular Actor.
Phelps also played a recurring role as doctor Doug "Spence" Spencer on the medical drama, All Saints
starting 4 October 2005.
In 2009, Phelps had a busy year. He appeared in two television dramas—Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities
playing detective inspector Joe Messina; and Vince Marchello in Rescue: Special Ops
. Also in 2009, he also had a role as a police officer in the film Stone Bros.
In 2009, he appeared in a new public awareness campaign by the NSW Rural Fire Service about the need to prepare for bushfires. This included television and radio advertisements. The campaign has subsequently been adopted by the Tasmanian Fire Service.
Stingers
Stingers was an Australian police drama television series. It ran for eight seasons on the Nine Network before it was canceled in late 2004 due to declining ratings and the late timeslot Channel Nine gave the program...
and Trevor Cole
Trevor Cole (Baywatch)
Trevor Cole is a fictional character from the TV series Baywatch. He was played by Peter Phelps from 1989 to 1990.He was a main cast member for the first season and was credited in the opening credits for every episode of the season, despite this he made his final appearance in episode 13...
, in Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
. He is the brother of Professor Kerryn Phelps
Kerryn Phelps
Kerryn Lyndel Phelps AM is an Australian medical practitioner and public commentator. She is current President of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association and Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health at the University of Sydney...
.
Career
Phelps began his acting career in the early 1980s with an on-going role in the Network TenNetwork Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
teen soap opera The Restless Years
The Restless Years
The Restless Years is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and young adults. It was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for Network Ten. It debuted December 1977 and ran until late 1981. It was not renewed by the network due to declining ratings...
produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation
Reg Grundy Organisation
The Reg Grundy Organisation was an Australian television production company founded in 1959 by businessman Reg Grundy . It has since branched out into Europe and the USA. The company first produced game shows, before branching into soap operas in 1973...
. After that series ended he had a starring role in new Grundy soap opera Sons and Daughters
Sons and Daughters (Australian TV series)
Sons and Daughters was a Logie Award winning Australian soap opera created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation between 1981 and 1987. The first episode aired in December 1981, during the Christmas/New Year non-ratings period, and the official broadcast date of the final...
. It was actually Phelps who came up with the "Pat the Rat" moniker in the series.
In the early 1990s, he was one of the lifeguards (Trevor Cole
Trevor Cole (Baywatch)
Trevor Cole is a fictional character from the TV series Baywatch. He was played by Peter Phelps from 1989 to 1990.He was a main cast member for the first season and was credited in the opening credits for every episode of the season, despite this he made his final appearance in episode 13...
) in the first series of Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
, and had a very minor role in the film Point Break
Point Break
Point Break is a 1991 action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The title refers to the surfing term point break, where a wave breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the coastline.The film was a box office success upon...
. He also had roles in A Country Practice
A Country Practice
A Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...
and The Flying Doctors
The Flying Doctors
The Flying Doctors is an Australian drama series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the real Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia....
. In 1993, Phelps won an Australian Film Institute Best Actor award for his role in the G.P. episode, "Exposed".
From 1998 until 2004, he starred in Stingers
Stingers
Stingers was an Australian police drama television series. It ran for eight seasons on the Nine Network before it was canceled in late 2004 due to declining ratings and the late timeslot Channel Nine gave the program...
, a role that won him the 2002 Logie Award for Most Popular Actor.
Phelps also played a recurring role as doctor Doug "Spence" Spencer on the medical drama, All Saints
All Saints (TV series)
All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...
starting 4 October 2005.
In 2009, Phelps had a busy year. He appeared in two television dramas—Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities
Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities
Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities is a 13-part Australian television mini-series loosely based on real events that stemmed from the marijuana trade centred around the New South Wales town of Griffith. The timeline of the series is the years between 1976 and 1987. Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities...
playing detective inspector Joe Messina; and Vince Marchello in Rescue: Special Ops
Rescue: Special Ops
Rescue: Special Ops is an Australian television drama series that first screened on the Nine Network in 2009. Filmed in and around Sydney, the program is produced by Southern Star Entertainment with the assistance of Screen Australia and the New South Wales Government.This drama series focuses on a...
. Also in 2009, he also had a role as a police officer in the film Stone Bros.
Stone Bros.
Stone Bros. is an Australian indigenous stoner comedy film. It was theatrically released in Australia on 24 September 2009.-Plot:When Charlie trades Eddie's favourite jacket, he unwittingly loses a sacred stone, entrusted to Eddie by his uncle, which he promised to one day return to its home in...
In 2009, he appeared in a new public awareness campaign by the NSW Rural Fire Service about the need to prepare for bushfires. This included television and radio advertisements. The campaign has subsequently been adopted by the Tasmanian Fire Service.
Television work
- The Restless YearsThe Restless YearsThe Restless Years is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and young adults. It was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for Network Ten. It debuted December 1977 and ran until late 1981. It was not renewed by the network due to declining ratings...
, Network 10 (Australia), 1977 - A Country PracticeA Country PracticeA Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...
, Seven Network (Australia), 1981 - John Palmer, Sons and DaughtersSons and Daughters (Australian TV series)Sons and Daughters was a Logie Award winning Australian soap opera created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation between 1981 and 1987. The first episode aired in December 1981, during the Christmas/New Year non-ratings period, and the official broadcast date of the final...
, Seven Network (Australia), 1981–1983 - Will Ballieu, The Challenge, 1986
- David Eastwick, The Dirtwater DynastyThe Dirtwater DynastyThe Dirtwater Dynasty is a five-part Australian drama miniseries, first screened on Network Ten in 1988. The Dirtwater Dynasty was directed by Michael Jenkins and John Power....
, 1988 - Appeared in episodes of Rafferty's RulesRafferty's RulesRafferty's Rules was an Australian television drama series which ran from 1987 to 1990 on the Seven Network.The producers of the series were Posie Graeme-Evans , and Denis Phelen. The directors were Graham Thorburn, Mike Smith and Russell Webb...
, 1988 - Trevor ColeTrevor Cole (Baywatch)Trevor Cole is a fictional character from the TV series Baywatch. He was played by Peter Phelps from 1989 to 1990.He was a main cast member for the first season and was credited in the opening credits for every episode of the season, despite this he made his final appearance in episode 13...
, BaywatchBaywatchBaywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
: Panic at Malibu Pier (pilot), NBC, 1989 - Trevor Cole, BaywatchBaywatchBaywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
, NBC, 1989–1990 - Hack "Kangaroo Kid" Wilkins, "The Exchange," The Young RidersThe Young RidersThe Young Riders is an American Western television series created by Ed Spielman that presents a fictionalized account of a group of young Pony Express riders based at the Sweetwater Station in the Nebraska Territory during the years leading up to the American Civil War...
, ABC (U.S.), 1991 - Phil North, Heartbreak HighHeartbreak HighHeartbreak High is an Australian television series that ran for seven years from 1994 to 1999. The series dealt with the students of Hartley High, a tough high school in a multi-racial area of Sydney, and proved to be a more gritty and fast-paced show than many of its contemporaries...
, Network 10/ABC (Australia) - Dennis Taylor, The Flying DoctorsThe Flying DoctorsThe Flying Doctors is an Australian drama series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the real Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia....
(also known as R.F.D.S.), Nine Network - Alex Willis, "Flash the Descent," Police RescuePolice RescuePolice Rescue was an Australian television series which originally aired on ABC TV between 1989 and 1996. It was produced by ABC and Southern Star Xanadu in association with the BBC....
, ABC (Australia), 1995 - Abo Henry, Blue MurderBlue Murder (mini-series)Blue Murder is a two-part Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1995, and is based on true events. Given its confronting content, the DVD release was classified MA 15+...
, ABC (Australia), 1995 - Jimmy Formica, "Trust," Water RatsWater Rats (TV series)Water Rats is an Australian TV police procedural broadcast on the Nine Network from 1996 to 2001. The series was based around the men and women of the Sydney Water Police who fight crime across Sydney Harbour and surrounding locales. The show was set on and around Goat Island in Sydney...
, Nine Network (Australia), 1998 Jimmy Formica, "War Games," Water Rats, Nine Network, 1998 - Peter Church (Mike Fischer), StingersStingersStingers was an Australian police drama television series. It ran for eight seasons on the Nine Network before it was canceled in late 2004 due to declining ratings and the late timeslot Channel Nine gave the program...
, Nine Network (Australia), beginning 1998 - Himself, Inside the Arena, 2000
- Detective Inspector Joe Messina in Underbelly: A Tale of Two CitiesUnderbelly: A Tale of Two CitiesUnderbelly: A Tale of Two Cities is a 13-part Australian television mini-series loosely based on real events that stemmed from the marijuana trade centred around the New South Wales town of Griffith. The timeline of the series is the years between 1976 and 1987. Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities...
, 2009 - Station Coordinator Vince Marchello in Rescue: Special OpsRescue: Special OpsRescue: Special Ops is an Australian television drama series that first screened on the Nine Network in 2009. Filmed in and around Sydney, the program is produced by Southern Star Entertainment with the assistance of Screen Australia and the New South Wales Government.This drama series focuses on a...
, 2009 - Himself in guest appearance, The Joy of SetsThe Joy of SetsThe Joy of Sets is an Australian comedy television series looking at the elements used to construct television shows. The show was originally broadcast weekly by the Nine Network, premiering on 20 September 2011....
, Nine Network, 2011
Film
- Theo, Undercover, 1983
- Judah/Robert, Playing Beatie BowPlaying Beatie Bow (film)Playing Beatie Bow is a 1986 Australian drama film directed by Donald Crombie. The screenplay by Peter Gawler and Irwin Lane is based on the novel by Ruth Park.-Plot summary:...
, South Australian Film Corporation, 1986 - Les DarcyLes DarcyJames Leslie Darcy was an Australian boxer. He was a middleweight, but held the Australian Heavyweight Championship title at the same time....
, The Les Darcy Story - Butterfly Island
- Dave Mitchell, The LighthorsemenThe Lighthorsemen (film)The Lighthorsemen is a 1987 Australian feature film about the men of a World War I light horse unit involved in the 1917 Battle of Beersheeba...
, 1987, Cinecom Pictures, 1988 - Patrick, Starlight Hotel, 1987, Republic, 1988
- Eddie, Rock n' Roll Cowboys, 1987
- Ross Cameron, Breaking Loose, Avalon Films, 1988
- Peter Maya, Trio Film, 1989
- Australian surfer, Point BreakPoint BreakPoint Break is a 1991 action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The title refers to the surfing term point break, where a wave breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the coastline.The film was a box office success upon...
, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1991 - John Pope, Merlin (also known as Merlin: The True Story of Magic), Hemdale Film Corporation, 1992
- Brian Petrie, The Feds: Betrayal, Nine Network (Australia), 1993
- Dozer Brennan, Rough Diamonds, Nine Network/Beyond Films/Film Australia/Film Queensland/Forest Home Films/Southern Star Entertainment, 1994
- Dr. Frank Jamison, Blackwater Trail, Warnervision Entertainment, 1996
- Leo Megaw, Zone 39, Phaedra Cinema, 1996
- Mick Webb, One Way Ticket, 1997
- Presenter, Fire and Ice—The Many Moods of Thredbo and the Snowys (documentary), 1999
- Patrick Phelan, LantanaLantana (film)Lantana is a 2001 Australian film, directed by Ray Lawrence and featuring Anthony LaPaglia, Kerry Armstrong, Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey. It is based on the play Speaking In Tongues by Andrew Bovell, which premiered at Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company...
, Palace Films, 2001 - Rod, Teesh and TrudeTeesh and TrudeTeesh and Trude is an Australian drama directed by Melanie Rodriga, and was adapted from an original stage-play by Wilson McCaskill. The film was produced and shot entirely in Western Australia with Production Investment Funding Support from ScreenWest and Lotterywest...
, 2002 - Constable Lonigan, Ned KellyNed Kelly (2003 film)Ned Kelly is an Australian drama film directed by Gregor Jordan. The film portrays the life of Ned Kelly — a legendary bushranger in northeast Victoria. Ned Kelly, his brother Dan, and two other men — Steve Hart and Joe Byrne — formed a gang of Irish Australians in response to Irish and...
, 2003 - Jake, The SquareThe Square (film)The Square is a 1994 Chinese documentary film directed by Zhang Yuan. It is Zhang's first true documentary film, after two documentary-influenced fiction films: Mama and Beijing Bastards....
, 2008 - Mark, Stone Bros.Stone Bros.Stone Bros. is an Australian indigenous stoner comedy film. It was theatrically released in Australia on 24 September 2009.-Plot:When Charlie trades Eddie's favourite jacket, he unwittingly loses a sacred stone, entrusted to Eddie by his uncle, which he promised to one day return to its home in...
, 2009
Awards and nominations
| Year | Category | Award | Series | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Best Actor in a Leading Role in a TV Drama | AFI Award | G.P. | Won |
| 2002 | Best Supporting Male Actor | FCCA Award | Lantana | Nominated |
| 2002 | Most Popular Actor | Logie Award | Stingers | Won |
Stage appearances
Appeared in productions of:- The ClubThe Club (play)The Club is a satirical play by Australian playwright David Williamson, that follows the fortunes of a football club over the course of a season. It explores the clashes between "human loyalty versus materialistic gain". It was inspired by the backroom dealings and antics of the Victorian Football...
- Miranda
- Nicholas Nickleby
- The Sum of UsThe Sum of UsThe Sum of Us is a play by David Stevens.The plot revolves around the comfortable relationship between widower Harry and his gay son Jeff and their individual searches for the right mate. Harry unconditionally loves his Rugby-playing son, and even takes an active part in Jeff's search for Mr. Right...
Advertising
- Channel SevenSeven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
, 1983 - Prepare Act Survive television and radio advertisements for NSW Rural Fire Service, 2009
Writings
- Books:
- Sex without Madonna: The True Confessions of a Hired Gun in Tinseltown (autobiography), Pan Macmillan Publishers Australia, 1994
- Contributor to magazines: including Harper's BazaarHarper's BazaarHarper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
.