Peter Phelps
Australian actor
title: "Peter Phelps" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1960-births", "living-people", "aacta-award-winners", "australian-anglicans", "australian-male-film-actors", "australian-male-soap-opera-actors", "australian-people-of-english-descent", "australian-people-of-scottish-descent", "australian-people-of-swedish-descent", "logie-award-winners", "musicians-from-sydney", "male-actors-from-sydney"] description: "Australian actor" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Phelps" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Australian actor ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image | Peter Phelps.jpg |
| caption | Phelps in 2012 |
| name | Peter Phelps |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| parents | George Thomas Phelps |
| Shirley Amy Gunston | |
| spouse | Donna Fowkes (2000–present) |
| children | Aja Blue Phelps (b. 2002) |
| Polly Elsie Rose Phelps (b. 2005) | |
| relatives | Kerryn Phelps (sister) |
| Bryan Robson (cousin) | |
| occupation | Actor, singer, writer |
| years active | 1977−present |
| known | John Palmer in Sons and Daughters |
| Trevor Cole in Baywatch | |
| Peter Church in Stingers | |
| awards | AFI: Best Actor in a Television Drama 1993 |
| Logie: Most Popular Actor 2002. | |
| website | peterphelps.com.au |
| :: |
| image = Peter Phelps.jpg | caption = Phelps in 2012 | name =Peter Phelps | birth_date = | birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | parents = George Thomas Phelps Shirley Amy Gunston | spouse = Donna Fowkes (2000–present) | children = Aja Blue Phelps (b. 2002) Polly Elsie Rose Phelps (b. 2005) | relatives = Kerryn Phelps (sister) Bryan Robson (cousin) | occupation = Actor, singer, writer | years active = 1977−present | known = John Palmer in Sons and Daughters Trevor Cole in Baywatch Peter Church in Stingers | awards = AFI: Best Actor in a Television Drama 1993 Logie: Most Popular Actor 2002. |website = peterphelps.com.au
Peter Phelps (born 20 September 1960 in Sydney) is an Australian actor, singer and writer. He is notable for his role as Trevor Cole in Baywatch. Phelps is also known for his roles in the internationally successful Australian series Sons and Daughters and Stingers and has appeared in feature films including Blackwater Trail with Judd Nelson. He is the brother of Professor Kerryn Phelps.
Career
Phelps began his acting career in the early 1980s with an ongoing role in the Network Ten teen soap opera The Restless Years produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation. After the series ended he had a starring role in new Grundy soap opera Sons and Daughters. It was Phelps who came up with the 'Pat the Rat' moniker in the series.
In 1988, he had a brief role in the miniseries The Dirtwater Dynasty. Peter featured as David Eastwick, the first-born son of the main character Richard Eastwick, played by Hugo Weaving (who is fewer than six months older than Phelps).
From 1989 to 1990, Phelps played one of the lifeguards (Trevor Cole) in the first season of Baywatch, and had a minor role as a surfer in the film Point Break. He also had roles in A Country Practice and The Flying Doctors. In 1993, Phelps won an Australian Film Institute Best Actor Award for his role in the G.P. episode, "Exposed".
From 1998 until 2004, he starred in Stingers – a role that won him the 2002 Logie Award for Most Popular Actor.
Phelps also played a recurring role as doctor Doug 'Spence' Spencer on the medical drama All Saints, starting 4 October 2005.
In 2009, Phelps appeared in two television dramas – Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, playing Detective Inspector Joe Messina; and as Vince Marchello (Station Co-ordinator) in Rescue: Special Ops. The same year, he also had a role as a police officer in the film Stone Bros.
In 2009, he appeared in a new public awareness campaign by the NSW Rural Fire Service about the need to prepare for bushfires. The campaign included both television and radio advertisements and was subsequently adopted by the Tasmania Fire Service.
In 2021, Phelps appeared in Channel 7’s series Australia's Sexiest Tradie.
In 2023 Phelps appeared in Channel 7 soap Home and Away as Gary Morrow. Phelps also appeared in the theatre play La Cage aux Folles. Phelps in 2024 appeared in 7plus series Roast Night which was written by his co-star Rick Donald. Phelps was later announced to appear in ABC series Return to Paradise.
Personal life
In 2015, Phelps was one of many victims who were scammed by financial advisor Brad Sherwin who stole more than $400,000 of Phelps' superannuation.
Acting credits
Television
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–1982 | The Restless Years | Kevin Ryan | 6 episodes |
| 1981–1993 | A Country Practice | Chris / Hector / Jeff | 10 episodes |
| 1982–1984 | Sons and Daughters | John Palmer | 421 episodes |
| 1984 | The Cowra Breakout | Terry Moyes | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
| 1986 | Prime Time | TV series | |
| 1986–1987 | The Challenge | Will Baillieu | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Australians | Les Darcy | Anthology series, episode 1: "Les Darcy" |
| The Dirtwater Dynasty | David Eastwick | Miniseries, 5 episodes | |
| Rock 'N' Roll Cowboys | Eddie | TV movie | |
| 1989 | Baywatch: Panic at Malibu Pier | Trevor Cole | TV movie |
| 1989–1990 | Baywatch | 21 episodes | |
| 1990 | Rafferty's Rules | James Frederick | 1 episode |
| 1992 | Chances | David Hensen | 1 episode |
| The Young Riders | Hack Wilkins | 1 episode | |
| 1993 | G.P. | Sam Hill | 1 episode |
| 1993–1994 | R.F.D.S | Dennis Taylor | 13 episodes |
| 1994 | Heartbreak High | Phil North | 4 episodes |
| 1995 | Fire | Nick Connor | 13 episodes |
| Blue Murder | Graham 'Abo' Henry | Miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| 1996 | Police Rescue | Alex Willis | 3 episodes |
| The Feds: Betrayal | Brian Petrie | TV movie | |
| 1997 | One Way Ticket | Mick Webb | TV movie |
| Reprisal | Borodin | TV movie | |
| 1998 | Water Rats | Jimmy Formica | 3 episodes |
| 1998–2004 | Stingers | Peter Church | 192 episodes |
| 2005–2007 | All Saints | Doug Spencer | 16 episodes |
| 2006 | Small Claims: The Reunion | Paul Lloyd | TV movie |
| 2007 | Chandon Pictures | Eddie Connolly | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities | Detective Inspector Joe Messina | 13 episodes |
| 2009–2011 | Rescue: Special Ops | Vince Marchello | 48 episodes |
| 2012, 2022-present | Home and Away | Alan Henderson / Gary Morrow | 28 episodes |
| 2013 | Mr & Mrs Murder | Paul Craven | 1 episode |
| 2013–2015 | Wonderland | Warwick Wilcox | 23 episodes |
| 2014 | Modern Family | Wise Australian | 1 episode |
| Old School | Malcolm Dwyer | 8 episodes | |
| 2017 | Blue Murder: Killer Cop | Graham 'Abo' Henry | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Blue Water Empire | Commanding Officer | TV series |
| Les Norton | Mick Matthews | 1 episode | |
| 2020 | Drunk History Australia | Lee Robinson / Olympic Crowd | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Australia's Sexiest Tradie | Boss Man Wayne | 6 episodes |
| 2024 | Roast Night | Wayne Turner | 6 episodes |
| Return to Paradise | Vince | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Plum | Mo Hanlon | 2 episodes | |
| 2025 | Optics | Rob Ryan | TV series |
| :: |
Film
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Undercover | Theo | |
| 1986 | Playing Beatie Bow | Judah Bow / Robert Bow | |
| 1987 | The Lighthorsemen | Dave Mitchell | |
| Starlight Hotel | Patrick | ||
| 1988 | Breaking Loose: Summer City II | Ross Cameron | |
| 1989 | Maya | Peter | |
| 1991 | Point Break | Aussie Surfer | |
| 1993 | Merlin | John Pope | |
| 1995 | Rough Diamonds | Dozer Brennan | |
| Blackwater Trail | Frank | ||
| 1996 | Zone 39 | Leo Megaw | |
| 2001 | Lantana | Patrick Phelan | |
| 2002 | Teesh and Trude | Rod | |
| 2003 | Ned Kelly | Constable Lonigan | |
| 2006 | Footy Legends | Billy Major | |
| 2007 | Without Warrant | The Buyer | |
| 2008 | The Square | Jake | |
| Forever Strong | Referee | ||
| 2009 | Stone Bros. | The 'New Age' Copper | |
| 2010 | Caught Inside | Skipper Joe | |
| 2016 | Embedded | Cassidy | |
| Drone | Blake | ||
| 2019 | Locusts | Sgt Harvey | |
| 2021 | Beverley | Short film | |
| Him | Neil Espers | ||
| :: |
Stage
::data[format=table]
Awards and nominations
::data[format=table]
| Year | Category | Award | Series | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | AFI Award | Best Actor in a Leading Role in a TV Drama | G.P. | |
| 2002 | FCCA Award | Best Male Supporting Actor | Lantana | |
| 2002 | Logie Awards | Most Popular Actor | Stingers | |
| 2014 | Equity Ensemble Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Wonderland | |
| :: |
Writings
Books
- Sex without Madonna: The True Confessions of a Hired Gun in Tinseltown (autobiography), Pan Macmillan Publishers Australia, 1994
- The Bulldog Track: A grandson's story of an ordinary man's war and survival on the other Kokoda trail, Hachette Australia, 2018
Magazine contributor
References
References
- "Default Parallels Plesk Panel Page". afi.org.au.
- "NSWRFS". YouTube.
- Rigden, Clare. (2021-09-02). "Rick Donald's quest to be crowned our Sexiest Tradie".
- Foster, Dan. (2023-01-21). "Home and Away introduces Felicity's foster father Gary".
- McLoughlin, Sean. (10 September 2023). "New cast to join la cage aux folles".
- "Watch Roast Night Online: Free Streaming & Catch Up TV in Australia".
- Knox, David. (2024-08-12). "Airdate: Return to Paradise (Aussie Death in Paradise spin-off) {{!}} TV Tonight".
- (2015-05-20). "Australian actor Peter Phelps lost $400,000 at hands of disgraced investment adviser".
- (2 August 1995). "Theatre that dares". [[Green Left (Australian newspaper).
- "Peter Phelps". [[AusStage]].
- (9 July 2018). "Peter Phelps shares the story of his grandfather who made it home from PNG via the Bulldog Track". Redland City Bulletin.
- . (2 August 2018). ["The other Kokoda trail"](http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/conversations-peter-phelps/10041334). *[[abc.net.au]]*.
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