Steven Vidler

Steven Vidler (born 9 August 1960) is an Australian actor, screenwriter and director known for his part in the Scottish–Australian series Jeopardy.

Early life and education Vidler was born on 9 August 1960 in Sydney, Australia. He grew up in the Australian Outback, in a family of Vietnam veterans.

In 1981, Vidler began his formal trained at Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating in 1983 with a Bachelor of Dramatic Art and Acting.

Career

Film Vidler's first film appearance was in 1984 WWII television film The Blood of Others opposite Jodie Foster. He played Sugar, the younger brother, in pre-WWII 1987 film The Good Wife (also known as The Umbrella Woman) alongside Rachel Ward, Bryan Brown and Sam Neill. Other early film roles include Dick Marston in TV movie Robbery Under Arms (1985) alongside Sam Neill, the lead role of Eddie in sci-fi film Incident at Raven's Gate (1988) and Jack Donaghue in Outback (1989) also known as Wrangler or Minnamurra.

Vidler played Lieutenant Gore in 1998 American war epic The Thin Red Line. He worked with Heath Ledger, when he played alongside him as 'The Man' in 1999 crime thriller Two Hands, also featuring Rose Byrne and Bryan Brown. and Bad Eggs (2003).

Vidler played officer Frank Williams in 2006 horror film See No Evil, as well as its sequel the following year.

Television Vidler had an early television role as Tropp in 1985 miniseries, The Dunera Boys. He had recurring roles in several television series in the 1990s, including playing Phil McCarthy in ABC drama miniseries Heartland, opposite Cate Blanchett and Ernie Dingo. Others included Frankie's House, Janus and MDA.

In 2001, Vidler had a guest role as Captain Askwith in the third season of action adventure series The Lost World, an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novel of the same name. Beginning in 2002, he played the part of the teacher in BAFTA award-winning children's sci-fi drama series Jeopardy.

In 2006, Vidler appeared as Steve in critically-acclaimed series Love My Way, alongside Claudia Karvan and Asher Keddie. From 2007 to 2008, he played the recurring role of Noel Anderson on long-running soap opera Home and Away. He also had recurring roles as Mark Mackey in Packed to the Rafters in 2013) and as the Premier in two seasons of Rake in 2012 and 2014. known for being Heath Ledger’s first film role. Together with Nicholas Hammond, Vidler co-wrote 1998 miniseries A Difficult Woman, which won the Silver World Medal for best miniseries at the New York Festivals.

Vidler wrote and directed 2019 film Standing Up for Sunny, starring Breaking Bad's RJ Mitte. The film won the award for Best Indie Film at the 2020 AACTA Awards.

Vidler currently works as a screenwriter, director and script assistant with his company Sidekick Pictures, based in Hollywood.

2012 The Fourth Knot Writer As yet unproduced