Don Hany

Don Hany is an Australian film, television, and stage actor. He is best known in Australia for his role as Zane Malik in East West 101 and in the US for starring in the NBC medical comedy-drama series Heartbeat.

He has received a number of accolades and nominations. He won a Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor, playing the protagonist, Zane Malik, in the SBS series East West 101 (2007–2011). He also received three AACTA Awards nominations for the role.

He had an early role playing Senior Constable Theo Rahme in the Network 10 police drama series White Collar Blue (2002–2003) for two seasons. He also played Dr. Chris Havel in the Network 10 comedy-drama series Offspring (2010–2011). In 2014, he starred in the prison drama film Healing, for which he received a Best Actor award nomination from the Film Critics Circle of Australia. In 2017, he starred in the romantic comedy film Ali's Wedding, for which he received a nomination for AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He played Dr. Mackenzie in the Showcase mystery romantic drama series Picnic at Hanging Rock (2018). He also played the Australian prime minister in the second season of Showcase political thriller television series Secret City (2019).

Early life and education Don Hany was born in Australia to an Iraqi father, Tewfiq, and a Hungarian mother, Csilla; He later moved to Los Angeles to complete shooting for the short film Winning the Peace. Hany plays an Iraqi-American Marine deployed to Baghdad, and he went on to win the Best Actor award at Method Fest in 2005.

In 2006, he returned to Australia to work on the film Lucky Miles, which went on to win the audience award for Best Film at the Sydney Film Festival. Beginning in 2007, Hany starred in the Australian mini-drama series East West 101 for SBS television, in which he played the lead role of Zane Malik. The show was later expanded, running for two more seasons, concluding in 2011. In 2010, Hany won the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor, having been previously nominated for the same role in 2008. In 2012, Hany and the cast won the Equity Award for Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for their work in the third season of the show.

In 2008, he had a recurring role in the first season of Underbelly, an acclaimed Australian television true crime-drama series on the Nine Network. The series depicts the 1995–2004 gangland war in Melbourne, with Hany playing Nik Radev. In 2009, Hany also starred in the two-part Australian television mini-series False Witness for BBC UKTV. Hany played the role of Sergei Krousov, a Russian mafia figure. In the same year, he starred alongside Joel Edgerton in ABC1's drama series Dirt Game.

In 2010, he joined the main cast of the Foxtel drama Tangle, playing politician Spiros Georgiades. He also joined Channel Ten's comedy-drama series Offspring, in the role of paediatrician Chris Havel. He played the love interest and colleague of the series' protagonist, Dr Nina Proudman, played by Asher Keddie.

In 2013, Hany took the lead role of Sam Callaghan in the HBO Asia production Serangoon Road. The following year, Hany appeared in The Broken Shore, a telemovie that aired on the ABC. He also starred in the mini-series Devil's Playground. In the same year, he appeared in the fifth season of Who Do You Think You Are?. The film garnered acclaim, including a four-star review from Margaret Pomeranz on At the Movies for ABC. Megan Lehmann of The Hollywood Reporter was also enthusiastic Hany's performance: "Weaving is terrific as Matt Perry...But the film belongs to Don Hany, a veteran of Australian television starring in his first major film." Hany was nominated for the Best Actor award at the 2014 Film Critics Circle of Australia, losing out to Russell Crowe for The Water Diviner.

In 2014, he was cast as the male lead in Warriors, a pilot for the American Broadcasting Company. The medical drama series, with Hany playing a military doctor, was not picked up for a series order. However, he was later cast as Dr. Jesse Shane, chief of surgery at St. Matthew's Hospital in the NBC medical comedy-drama series Heartbeat (2016). In 2017, he starred in the critically acclaimed Australian romantic comedy Ali's Wedding. He received a nomination for AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role, losing out to Dev Patel in Lion.

In 2018, Hany starred in Foxtel's Showcase mystery romantic drama television series Picnic at Hanging Rock, a television adaptation of the 1967 novel of the same name by Joan Lindsay. In 2019, Hany played Australian prime minister Ewan Garrety in the second season of the political thriller Secret City, alongside Anna Torv.

The following year, Hany took over the role of Pierce Greyson in Neighbours from Tim Robards for a guest stint. In 2022, Hany was cast alongside Claudia Karvan in the Sydney Theatre Company and State Theatre Company of South Australia co-production The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? by Edward Albee, set for the 2023 season. Hany subsequently withdrew from the production for personal reasons and the role was recast with Nathan Page.

In 2025, he stars in The Survivors, a Netflix crime-mystery series set in Tasmania. The series is based on Jane Harper's novel of the same name. In August 2025, Hany would join the filming of UK/Australia Co-commissioned series The Imposter.

In the same year, he was also cast in Jaume Collet-Serra's upcoming survival-thriller, Play Dead.

Personal life Hany married actress Alin Sumarwata in 2011. The couple have two daughters.

He is an agnostic atheist.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Type 2026 Play Dead Feature film 2016 Ali's Wedding Sheik Mahdi Feature film 2014 Healing Viktor Khadem Feature film 2014 Warriors George TV movie 2013 The Broken Shore Detective Joe Cashin TV movie 2012 Jack Irish: Bad Debts TV movie 2012 Jack Irish: Black Tide Dave TV movie 2011 Tell Them Lucifer Was Here Nik "The Russian" Radev TV movie 2010 The Road to Success Simon Diceman Short film 2010 Suburbia Joel Short film 2009 False Witness Sergei Krousov TV movie 2008 The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce John Mather Feature film 2008 Plastic Henry Short film 2008 Four Dr Brown / Real Estate Agent / Geoff Short film 2006 Lucky Miles Private Greg Plank Feature film 2007 Sleep in Heavenly Peace Trent Partiridge Short film 2006 The TV Set Guy in mall Feature film 2006 California King Eric Short film 2006 Big Top Bobby 2004 Winning the Peace Sergeant Charlie Latif Short film 2000 Life in a Volkswagen Short film 1999 The Monster The Cowboy Short film

Television Year Title Role Type 2025The ImposterSimon O'RileyTV series 2025 The Survivors George Barlin TV series 2020–21 Neighbours Pierce Greyson TV series, 34 episodes 2019 My Life is Murder Roger Simms TV series. 1 episode 2019 Bad Mothers Kyle TV series, 8 episodes 2019 Secret City Ewan Garritty, Australian Prime Minister TV series, 6 episodes 2018 Doctor Doctor Raph TV series, 3 episodes 2018 Picnic at Hanging Rock Dr Mackenzie Miniseries, 6 episodes 2017–18 Strike Back Omair Idrisi TV series, 6 episodes 2017 Janet King Clay Nelson TV series, 2 episodes 2016 Heartbeat Dr Jesse Shane TV series, 10 episodes 2014 Childhood’s End Paul Danlow TV series, 1 episode 2014 Devil’s Playground Bishop Vincent QuaidTV series, 6 episodes 2013 Serangoon Road Sam Callaghan TV series, 10 episodes 2013 Who Do You Think You Are? Self TV series 2012 Devil's Dust Adam Bourke Miniseries, 2 episodes 2012 Rake Damien Tengrove TV series, 1 episode 2012 Futurestates EMT 1 TV series, 1 episode 2010–12 Tangle Spiros Georgiades TV series, 6 episodes 2010–11 Offspring Dr Chris Havel TV series, 18 episodes 2010 Miracles Robert Boguki TV series, 1 episode 2009 Legend of the Seeker Captain Ensor TV series, 1 episode 2009 Chandon Pictures Boysis TV series, 2 episodes 2009 Dirt Game Dion Pesci TV series, 5 episodes 2008 Rush Bobby Lavilla TV series, 1 episode 2008 Underbelly Nik "The Russian" Radev TV series, 4 episodes 2007 All Saints Carlo TV series, 1 episode 2007–11 East West 101 Detective Zane Malik TV series, 2 episodes 2003 White Collar Blue Senior Constable Theo Rahme TV series, 44 episodes 2002 Crash Palace Gary TV series, 11 episodes 2002 Heroes' Mountain David Kuhn Miniseries 2001 Life Support TV series, 1 episode 2001 Flat Chat TV series 2000 Water Rats Rob Schreiber TV series, 1 episode 1999 The Monster TV series 1998 Breakers Alex Markham TV series

Awards and nominations Year Group Award Film/Show Result 2005 Method Fest Independent Film Festival Best Actor Winning the Peace 2008 Logie Award Most Outstanding Actor East West 101 2008 AFI award Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama East West 101 2009 AFI award Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama East West 101 2010 Logie Award Most Outstanding Actor East West 101 2011 Logie Award Most Popular Actor Tangle and Offspring 2011 Astra Award Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor: Male Tangle 2012 AACTA Award Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama East West 101 2012 Logie Award Most Outstanding Actor East West 101 2012 Equity Award Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series East West 101 2017 AACTA Award Best Supporting Actor Ali's Wedding