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Benjamin John McNair (born 25 August 1974, London) is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Malcolm Kennedy in the soap opera Neighbours.
Benjamin McNair | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 August 1974 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Known for | Neighbours, The Secret Life of Us |
McNair moved to Australia with his family when he was 18 months old.[1] He developed an interest in performing and began studies at the Australian Theatre for Young People and completed a season at the NIDA Summer School in Sydney.
After leaving school in 1992, McNair appeared in several television commercials and had guest roles in television dramas G.P. and Home and Away.[2]
McNair played Malcolm Kennedy in the soap opera Neighbours from 1994 to 1997, returning briefly in 2002, 2004, 2011 and 2014 with a cameo appearance in 2005, and also in 2022.
He left Neighbours in 1997 and travelled to the UK where he performed on stage in several Christmas pantomimes such his role as Prince Charming in Sunderland's Cinderella and at Tunbridge Wells in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Since leaving Neighbours, McNair has continued acting on television and stage. He was cast as Joseph in the original The Secret Life of Us telemovie for Network Ten in Australia in 2001 and later played Joseph, the boyfriend of Deborah Mailman, during the first season of television series of the same name.[3]
He has guest-starred in television series such as All Saints (1999), Something in the Air (2001), and Blue Heelers (2000; 2002; 2005). He also played lead roles in Marshall Law (2002); Nine Network's Stingers (2004); Last Man Standing (2005); and the children's series Wicked Science. He co-starred in the short film Umbrella Men with Damian Walshe-Howling.
McNair continued to perform on stage, returning to England to play the role of Ferdinand in the Stafford Summer Festival's production of Shakespeare's The Tempest in 1999. He has also appeared as Matt in Broken; Darko Reeves in Blowback; Casper St Clair in Next Best Thing, and seven different characters in the black comedy The Steve Promise Story.
McNair is a voice over artist who can be heard on numerous radio and television adverts.
He returned to Neighbours, once again playing Malcolm for short stints in 2002 and 2004. In mid-2005 he made another return to Neighbours as part of the series' 20th anniversary episode. On 9 May 2011, it was announced that McNair would be returning to Neighbours in July 2011 for a four-month guest stint.[4]
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | G.P. | Morgan | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1993 | Home and Away | Alan | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1994–97; 2002; 2004; 2005; 2011; 2023 | Neighbours | Malcolm Kennedy | TV series, 267 episodes |
| 1999 | All Saints | Greg Morris | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2000; 2002; 2005 | Blue Heelers | Aaron Bridges / Clint Billings / Craig Simpson | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 2001 | Something in the Air | Ron Thomas | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2001 | The Secret Life of Us | Joseph | TV movie & TV series, season 1, 5 episodes |
| 2002 | Marshall Law | Tarpey | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2004 | Stingers | David Hartley | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2004 | Wicked Science | Earl Hanley | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2005 | Last Man Standing | Nurse Derek | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2007 | Satisfaction | Truckie | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2008 | McLeod's Daughters | Tim Dolan | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2010 | Sea Patrol | Richard Logan | TV series, 1 episode |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Eavesdrop | Interactive feature film[5] | |
| 2005 | The Umbrella Men | Tommy | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Cinderella | Prince Charming | Christmas pantomime at Sunderland Empire Theatre, UK |
| 1999 | The Tempest | Ferdinand | Stafford Summer Festival, UK |
| 1999–2000 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | The Prince | Christmas pantomime at Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, UK |
| 2002 | Broken | Matt | Chapel Off Chapel for Melbourne Fringe Festival |
| Next Best Thing | Casper St Clair | ||
| 2003 | The Steve Promise Story | Steve & various (7) characters | The Store Room for Melbourne International Comedy Festival |
| 2004; 2006 | Blowback | Darko Reeves | St Kilda Army & Navy Club Memorial Hall, Melbourne with NYID, Sydney Opera House |
| 2005 | Dude, Where's My Hump? | Hunchbax Theatre Restaurant, Melbourne |
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