Damien Richardson

Early and life and education Damien Richardson was born in Adelaide.

Acting career Stage Richardson co-wrote The Belly Of The Whale with Luke Elliot, which was presented at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 1996.

He appeared in the Melbourne Theatre Company production of The Water Carriers in 2011, and was cast as Chris in the 2012 Bell Shakespeare production of The School for Wives.

Richardson starred alongside Kate Kendall in the 2015 production of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. The play was directed by their fellow Neighbours co-star and Richardson's on-screen mother Colette Mann.

Film and TV Richardson had guest stints in several Australian television shows, including Neighbours as Kim White, Blue Heelers, Pearce recommended Richardson to director Scott Roberts, after they worked together in a play two years earlier.

Richardson played Detective Matt Ryan in the Seven Network crime drama City Homicide from 2007 until the show's cancellation in 2011. He initially played a minor role in the unaired pilot, but he proved popular with the test audience and he was asked to attend a screen test for the main cast, where he received the role of Matt. followed by Dee McLachlan's drama film The Jammed (2007),

In 2012, Richardson guested in an episode of the ABC comedy series Lowdown. He also appeared in the television film Fatal Honeymoon alongside Harvey Keitel, Billy Miller and Gary Sweet. From 2012, he appeared as lawyer Drew Greer in the Jack Irish television films and the 2016 television series.

In 2014, Richardson re-joined the cast of Neighbours in the recurring role of Gary Canning. He reprised the role the following year and returned in 2016 as part of the main cast.

Richardson has made guest appearances as Detective Michael Mears in Wentworth, and Gary Riles in Nowhere Boys. He left Neighbours in March 2020 after his character was killed off.

Awards Richardson and co-writer Luke Elliot won the Best New Comedy-Drama award at the Melbourne Fringe for The Belly Of The Whale.

Political career and controversies Richardson made the decision to quit acting in 2021 and announced he would pursue a political career and stand as an independent candidate for the Australian Senate in the 2022 Australian federal election. He later stood in the 2022 Victorian state election representing the far-right Freedom Party of Victoria. He got 1.09% in Northern Metropolitan Region.

In 2023 during a rally which was attended by Liberal MP Renee Heath, Richardson spoke of standing up to the process of deracinating who we are as Australians. The meaning of "deracinate" in this sense is to remove the racial or ethnic characteristics or influences of a place. He also spoke of New World Order and Globalists.

In 2024 Richardson founded a far-right group called National Workers Alliance (NWA). The NWA describes itself as an "Australian Nationalist Organisation for the preservation of western culture and identity". Deakin University researcher Gerard Gill called the emergence of the group as "arguably the most defined and deliberate far-right turn for Australian conspiracism". In November 2024, Victoria Police investigated Richardson after a film from a NWA gathering in September showed him raising his arm in a Nazi salute, which is banned in the state.

Richardson was charged with the offence and in 2025 asked to be spared a criminal conviction. In November 2025, Richardson was found guilty of performing the salute.

Other activities Richardson led an anti-vaccination protest in Melbourne in 2021.

Personal life Richardson was married to Nicole Riches, a writer. They have three children and lived in Melbourne. In December 2016, it was announced that Richardson had separated from his wife and was dating radio presenter Fifi Box. Box and Richardson separated in 2018.

He attends a Baptist church and has written for Christian conservative website Caldron Pool.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1994 Everynight ... Everynight Greer 1998 Blabbermouth & Stickybeak Andy Peck 1999 Redball Detective Rix Dixsarcos 2000 A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow Nigel 2001 Mallboy Security Guard 2002 The Hard Word Mal Twentyman 2003 Horseplay Gilles 2007 The Jammed Federal Agent Mollica 2007 Noise Matty Rhodes 2007 Rogue Collin 2010 Torn Daniel 2012 Fatal Honeymoon Detective Robertson 2016 Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows Gary Riles

Television