John Brumpton

John Brumpton (born 28 July 1958) is an Australian actor who has appeared in a large number of local productions.

Early life Brumpton grew up in Sydney, attending Blacktown High School. He graduated from the University of New South Wales in 1982, before relocating to Darwin to work as a surveyor. He then took a surveying job in the Australian Capital Territory in 1984.

In 1985, Brumpton was the Australian (full contact) Kung Fu Champion as well as representing Australia in Amateur Boxing at the prestigious Kings Cup tournament in Thailand.

Brumpton studied at Theatre ACT when he lived in Canberra. He then moved to Melbourne in 1986 and Brumpton was accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts to train as an actor, but several weeks was invited him to come back. He completed the course, graduating in December 1988.

Career

Film and television After starring in his friend, director Lawrence Johnston's debut film Night Out in 1990, That same year, Brumpton co-wrote and had his first starring role in 1996 feature film Life, an adaptation of his play, Containment. Life also won the International Critics Prize at the 1996 Toronto International Film Festival

Brumpton's second film in a leading role, Dance Me to My Song (1998) in which he played Eddie, was screened in competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. In 1999, he played the lead role of Detective Robbie Walsh in the film Redball. The film won the Gold Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature Film at the Chicago Underground Film Festival 1999 and was the first digital film produced in Australia.

In 2003, Brumpton appeared opposite Colin Friels as Andy in the made for television film BlackJack: Murder Archive, reprising the role in the second of the film series BlackJack: Ace Point Game in 2005. From 2005 to 2006, he played the recurring role of Ben Wilde in short-lived drama series HeadLand. He also had a recurring role as George in 2006 miniseries RAN Remote Area Nurse.

Brumpton's short film script William (2007) received production co-funding from the Australian Film Commission and Film Victoria's 2005 Short Film Fund. It was the only Australian short film selected to screen at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. From 2007 to 2008, he had a recurring guest role as Hunt in the first season of East West 101. In 2008, he played Vince Love in the debut season of underworld crime series Underbelly. The following year, he played the regular role of Bryan Dougherty in ensemble drama series Tangle, for Showcase.

Brumpton portrayed sadist, Eric Stone ('Daddy') in 2009 Australian horror film The Loved Ones, alongside Xavier Samuel. That same year, he played Max in western drama film Last Ride, opposite Hugo Weaving. Both films screened in competition at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, where The Loved Ones won the Audience Choice Award that same year. The following year saw him appear opposite Ryan Kwanten and Steve Bisley as Rex in western thriller Red Hill.

Brumpton played the role of real life serial killer, Peter Dupas in 2011 crime drama series Killing Time, alongside David Wenham and Colin Friels. That same year, he appeared in a prison drama series Wentworth, in the recurring guest role of Malcom Spitz.

In 2015, Brumpton played the lead role of Les Underwood in the romantic comedy-drama ensemble film Pawno, earning him Best Actor nominations at both the 2016 AACTA Awards and the 2017 AFCA Awards. He then appeared in several miniseries, including Gallipoli (2015), Catching Milat (2016) and Deep Water (2016),

Brumpton next reprised the role of Magoo in 2018 Stan miniseries Romper Stomper (25 years after his appearance in the film of the same name), designed to be a sequel to the original. In 2023, he played the role of Ashtray Frank Amente in the first season of Paramount+ underworld crime thriller series Last King of the Cross for 8 episodes. The following year, he wrote the screenplay for 2024 sports drama film Kid Snow, featuring Phoebe Tonkin, also taking on the role of Jack in the film.

Brumpton has also performed in numerous short films, including the 2006 Tropfest finalist, Silencer.

Theatre Brumpton has performed in stage productions for Melbourne Theatre Company, Playbox Theatre and Jigsaw Theatre Company.

2 episodes: "Late July, Friday 4pm to 10.30pm", "The Whole Year"

Accolades Year Award Category Film Result Ref.1996 AACTA Awards Best Adapted Screenplay Life Equity Ensemble Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Miniseries or Telemovie Killing Time 2016 AACTA Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Pawno 2017 Australian Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor