Ethan Panizza

Ethan Panizza is an Australian television actor and former football player from Albany, Western Australia. Panizza was interested in acting from an early age but chose to pursue a career in Australian rules football. He is the son of footballer Darrell Panizza and played in the West Australian Football League. He played his last professional game in 2014 and decided to concentrate on his acting career. He began by appearing in short film and television commercials. In 2018, Panizza took the role of Rusty O'Reilly in the Network Ten drama series Playing for Keeps.

Early life Ethan Panizza was born in Albany, Western Australia and is the son of the Australian rules footballer Darrell Panizza. He attended Albany Senior High School and took part in amateur drama productions. When his parents split-up, he moved to the Gold Coast with his mother Diane. Despite advice from his mother to pursue acting, Panizza decided to begin a football career in an attempt to reconnect with his father back in Western Australia. in Sydney. Panizza had to decline to participate in the finals for Claremont Tigers in the WA Football League and take on the TAFTA course. In 2014, the actor appeared in the Australian television documentary series The War That Changed Us, playing Harold Burk. Panizza played the guest role of Ray Davis in an episode of the ABC drama The Doctor Blake Mysteries.

In May 2018, it was announced that he had secured the role of Rusty O'Reilly in the Network Ten drama series Playing for Keeps. The show is about a group of AFL players and their wives' personal lives. Panizza's background in football benefited him during filming as he was able to accurately portray an AFL player. In July 2024, it was announced that Panizza had joined the cast of the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Heath Royce, with Heath set to debut later that month.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2013 Turkish Delight James Short film 2013 Blue Boys Undercover cop Short film 2016 Wings James Short film 2022 High Power Bailey Short film

Television Year Title Role Notes 2014 The War That Changed Us Harold Burk Documentary series 2017 Bro/Science/Life: The Series Web series 2017 Seven Bucks Digital Studios Guest role 2017 The Doctor Blake Mysteries Ray Davis Guest role 2018–19 Playing for Keeps Rusty O'Reilly Regular role 2023 The Claremont Murders Steven Guest role 2024 Neighbours Heath Royce Guest role