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Kelton Pell

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Kelton Pell
Born
OccupationActor

Kelton Pell is an Aboriginal Australian stage, TV, and film actor, best known for his role as the court liaison officer, Sam Wallan, in the SBS legal drama The Circuit.

Early life

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Kelton Pell is a Noongar man from Western Australia.[citation needed]

Career

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Pell has performed on stage since 1985, performing for Yirra Yaakin Theatre, the Black Swan Theatre Company, and the Sydney Theatre Company. Many of these performances were of plays which grew from Indigenous themes.[1]

In 2000 Pell, along with Ningali Lawford and Phil Thomson, wrote a show for Yirra Yaakin called Solid, whose premiere performance was at the Perth International Arts Festival. Because of its sensitive Indigenous subject matter, before the premiere the play was performed for, and was approved by, 2000 Indigenous Australians.[2]

Pell performed in several productions of Bloodland, a play directed by the Stephen Page with a Romeo and Juliet-type of story. The play features traditional Aboriginal languages and Pidgin English, as well as song and dance.[3]

He has also acted in performances of Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream.[citation needed]

Pell acted in the children's TV show The Adventures of the Bush Patrol and the SBS series The Circuit, a legal drama set in the Kimberley.[citation needed]

In 2012 he starred in an episode of the TV series Redfern Now as a well-to-do Aboriginal Australian man living in Redfern, Sydney, whose life seems to be exemplary, but it is revealed that he has been receiving government benefit money fraudulently.[4]

Pell plays vampire hunter Jalingbirri in Warwick Thornton's 2021 horror / comedy series Firebite for AMC+ (later shown on NITV).[5]

In 2022 Pell appeared in the ABC drama series Mystery Road: Origin,[6] in March 2024 in the Stan Original movie Windcatcher.[7]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1993 Blackfellas Willice
2001 One Night the Moon Albert Yang
2002 Confessions Of A Headhunter Vinnie, the artist Short film
2002 Australian Rules Tommy Red
2003 Cold Turkey Old Man
2007 The Turtle Pop Short film
2007 September Michael Parker
2009 Stone Bros. Hector
2009 Last Ride Ranger Lyall
2009 Aunty Maggie and the Womba Wakgun Uncle Peter Short film
2009 Bran Nue Dae Mean Drunk
2011 Mad Bastards Mad Dog
2015 Redfern Now: Promise Me Raymond Television film
2015 Looking for Grace Detective
2016 Red Dog: True Blue Durack
2017 Three Summers Jack
2017 Nobody's Child Jimmy Short film
2020 The Xrossing Bobbie
2021 Buckley's Chance Jules
2024 Windcatcher Pop Collins

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1996 The Adventures of the Bush Patrol Wazza
1998 Minty Jack Episode: "If I Were You"
2007–2010 The Circuit Sam Wallman 12 episodes
2011 Cloudstreet Bob Crab 3 episodes
2012 Redfern Now Raymond Episode: "Raymond"
2013 Hard Rock Medical Uncle Albert Episode: "Other Side of the Fence"
2014 The Moodys Fred Episode: "Australia Day"
2014 The Gods of Wheat Street Odin Freeburn 6 episodes
2018 Pine Gap Paul Dupain 6 episodes
2019-2020 The Heights (Australian TV series) Uncle Max 48 episodes
2020 Itch Barry 2 episodes
2021-22 Firebite Jalingbirri 5 episodes
2022 MaveriX Vic Simmons 10 episodes
2022 Mystery Road: Origin Jack Swan 3 episodes

Awards

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Pell has won the following awards:[citation needed]

  • In 1991 WA Aboriginal Artist of the Year Award.
  • In 1994 Swan Gold Award for Best West Australian Actor.
  • In 1996 Contemporary Performing Arts Award for Best Collaboration.[8]
  • In 2019 he was also recognised for his outstanding contribution to the Australian film industry and named the CinefestOZ 2019 Screen Legend.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Kelton Pell" (PDF). Sue Barnett & Associates. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  2. ^ Andrea Mitchell (26 October 2000). "Interview with Phil Thomson, SOLID's director". Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Bloodland". QPAC. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  4. ^ "Redfern Now - Raymond". the ABC. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  5. ^ Johnson, Travis (6 July 2023). "'Firebite' puts an Indigenous twist on the vampire myth". SBS What's On. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  6. ^ Knox, David (12 October 2021). "Filming underway on Mystery Road: Origin | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  7. ^ McGinn, Deirdre (4 February 2024). "The feel-good film of the year is here". Stan. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Meet the Cast: Kelton Pell". SBS. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  9. ^ "H is for Happiness wins CinefestOZ $100,000 Film Prize". CinefestOZ Film Festival. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
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