Ian Bliss
Ian Bliss (born 1966) is an Australian character actor of film, television, and stage.
Ian Bliss | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | National Institute of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1991-present |
| Spouse(s) | Jacquie Brennan (m. 2001) |
| Children | 2 |
Career
Bliss starred in an episode of Halifax f.p. in 1996. Bliss is best known for his role as Bane and Agent Smith in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (2003), for which he was chosen by the Wachowskis because of his accurate impersonation of Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith's program form), and also his partial resemblance to Weaving.
After the Matrix sequels, Bliss took minor roles in the feature films Stealth and Superman Returns. He also played the Peacekeeper scientist Drillic in the Farscape episode "Losing Time". Bliss also appeared on the episode 8 of the 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific as Capt. Le Francois. Bliss also appeared in season 6 of Wentworth, and surf series The Reef. He has also appeared in several Australian television drama series including Heartbreak High, Underbelly, Blue Murder and Canal Road. Stage performances include the lead role in War Horse, in Sydney's Lyric Theatre.[1]
Personal life
Bliss graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art.[2] He is married to Jacquie Brennan, an actress. Bliss and Brennan met on the set of theatre play Silhouette, marrying in 2001, they have two children.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | Precious | Jean | Short film |
| Country Life | David Archdale | ||
| 1999 | Siam Sunset | Martin | |
| Passion | Army Officer | ||
| Powderburn | Dex | ||
| 2000 | Bound | Carter | Short film |
| 2001 | The Bank | Executive #1 | |
| 2003 | The Matrix Reloaded | Bane / Agent Smith | |
| The Long Lunch | Italo Julep | ||
| The Matrix Revolutions | Bane / Agent Smith | ||
| 2005 | Man-Thing | Rodney Thibadeaux | |
| Stealth | Lt. Aaron Shaftsbury | ||
| Danya | Patrick | Short film | |
| 2006 | Superman Returns | Shuttle Commander | |
| 2008 | Playing for Charlie | Drew Hobbs | Lead role |
| 2009 | Together Alone | Vadimus | Short film |
| 2016 | Waste of Time | Time Traveller | Short film |
| 2020 | Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears | Vincent 'Monty' Montague | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | Pugwall | Man on Phone | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Blue Murder | Bobby Chapman | 2 episodes |
| 1995-1996 | Heartbreak High | Andrew Bell | 23 episodes |
| 1996 | Halifax f.p. | Garry | Episode: "Cradle and All" |
| 1996-2000 | Water Rats | Colin Fleetwood / Max Prescott | 4 episodes |
| 1997 | Big Sky | James McCourt | Episode: "The McCourt Family" |
| Home and Away | Kye Lyons | 6 episodes | |
| Murder Call | Scott McKenna | Episode: "Ashes to Ashes" | |
| 1998 | Good Guys Bad Guys | Keith McLeod | Episode: "Blood Is Thicker Than Walter" |
| 1999-2001 | BackBerner | Various | 11 episodes |
| 2000 | Tales of the South Seas | Episode: "Blackbirding" | |
| 2000-2003 | Stingers | Nick Lynch / Masely / Marty Stockwell | 3 episodes |
| 2001 | Farscape | PK Scientist Drillic | Episode: "Losing Time" |
| 2002 | The Lost World | Professor Hamilton | Episode: "Suspicion" |
| Bootleg | Darius Crowe | 3 episodes | |
| 2002-2007 | All Saints | Kevin Maguire / Jimmy 'Buzz' Beasley | 7 episodes |
| 2003 | The Postcard Bandit | Potter | TV movie |
| Blue Heelers | Dave Williams | Episode: "Safety Last" | |
| Making Time | Col Bryant | TV movie | |
| 2004-2006 | Love My Way | Darren Longman | 4 episodes |
| 2005-2007 | McLeod's Daughters | Detective Christopher Montello | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Tripping Over | Ken | 4 episodes |
| 2007 | The Catalpa Rescue | John Breslin | TV movie |
| Gumnutz: A Juicy Tale | Larry / Peer Point J. Marino | TV movie; voice role | |
| 2007-2010 | City Homicide | Lance Hardwick / Toby Hendricks | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Underbelly | Mr. L | 6 episodes |
| Canal Road | Bradley Thompson | 1 episode | |
| Very Small Business | Tony Orsini | 5 episodes | |
| Monash: The Forgotten Anzac | Charles Bean | TV movie | |
| 2009 | Dirt Game | Bart | Episode: "Boab Dreaming" |
| Rush | Ollie Godard | 1 episode | |
| 2010 | The Pacific | Capt. Le Francois | Episode: "Iwo Jima" |
| 2011 | Killing Time | Detective Inspector Patteron | 2 episodes |
| Twentysomething | Auctioneer | Episode: "Lost and Found" | |
| Crownies | Inspector Red Bindall | 1 episode | |
| 2012 | Underground: The Julian Assange Story | Vince | TV movie |
| 2013 | The Doctor Blake Mysteries | Keith Morrisey | Episode: "Still Water" |
| Mr & Mrs Murder | Robin Boydell | Episode: "A Dog's Life" | |
| 2014 | Fat Tony & Co. | Bernie Edwards | 2 episodes |
| The Time of Our Lives | Tony Bridges | Episode: "The Negotiation" | |
| Get Ace | Professor Pringle | 9 episodes; voice role | |
| ANZAC Girls | Colonel Constantine de Crespigny | Episode: "Love" | |
| It's a Date | Alan | 1 episode | |
| 2015 | Gallipoli | Colonel Brazier | Episode: "The Breakout" |
| 2015-2018 | Kuu Kuu Harajuku | Commander Bo-ring / General No Fun / Various | 156 episodes; voice roles |
| 2016 | Wanted | Luke Delaney | 2 episodes |
| Hunters | Burton | Episode: "The Beginning & the End" | |
| Winners & Losers | Colin Gammell | 2 episodes | |
| The Wrong Girl | Gareth | 1 episode | |
| 2017 | Sherazade: The Untold Stories | Yunan | 5 episodes; voice role |
| 2018 | Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You | Val Guest | 1 episode; uncredited |
| Wrong Kind of Black | Police Officer 1 | 4 episodes | |
| 2018-2020 | Wentworth | Senior Detective Collins | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | Reef Break | Jones | Episode: "The Hohenzollern Collection" |
| 2020 | Informer 3838 | Simon Overland | 2 episodes |
| Video games | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | Enter the Matrix | Bane / Agent Smith | Voice role |
References
- Palathingal, George (28 March 2013). "My perfect weekend: Ian Bliss, actor". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- Jary, Marta. "State of Bliss: Australian Actor Ian Bliss Has a Distinctive Face That Has Been Seen in Homegrown Film Productions Such as Siam Sunset (John Poison, 1999) and the Bank (Robert Connolly, 2001)". Metro Magazine. No. 141 (Summer 2004 ed.).