Tom Burlinson
Tom Burlinson | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 14, 1956 Toronto, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, vocalist |
| Years active | 1977–present |
Tom Burlinson (born 14 February 1956) is an actor and vocalist originally from Canada who established his career in Australia.
Early life
Burlinson was born in Toronto, Canada, and experienced several relocations with his family before they ultimately settled in Australia in 1965. Following his parents’ separation, he stayed with his father and elder sister. He attended Pittwater High School in Sydney, where he held the position of school captain. Although his father hoped he would study law, Burlinson gained admission to the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1974 and completed his studies there in 1976.
Career
His professional journey began with engagements at Brisbane’s Queensland Theatre Company and Twelfth Night Theatre in 1977. Burlinson then transitioned to Australian television, notably portraying Mickey Pratt for sixteen months in the soap opera The Restless Years. His early theatrical performances included roles in Da (1978) and Tribute (1979).
Burlinson’s major breakthrough occurred when he landed the lead role in the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River, which at the time became the highest-earning film produced in Australia. He solidified his reputation with a starring role as horse trainer Tommy Woodcock in Phar Lap: Heart of a Nation.
In 1985, he appeared in Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven’s initial English-language project, Flesh and Blood. The following year, Burlinson co-starred with Nicole Kidman in the romantic comedy Windrider, and later led the science fiction movie The Time Guardian (1987). He reprised his character Jim Craig in the sequel The Man from Snowy River II released in 1988.
Shifting towards historical narratives, Burlinson featured in the 1988 mini-series Piece of Cake as well as the Canadian Western film The Legend of Kootenai Brown.
Parallel to acting, Burlinson developed a singing career inspired by Frank Sinatra. In 1990, he introduced his original composition "The Man in the Hat" on Australian TV. Tina Sinatra selected him to provide the singing voice of young Frank Sinatra for the Golden Globe-winning miniseries Sinatra (1992), which led to opportunities in musical theatre.
He returned to stage musicals with performances in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1992) and productions by Sydney Theatre Company such as Merrily We Roll Along and Miracle City (1996).
In 1998, Burlinson created and toured with Frank – The Sinatra Story in Song, performing across Australia and at corporate events until 2003; this show was later renamed Frank – A Life in Song. His television appearances included performances on Carols by Candlelight and hosting duties on Nine Network’s Animal Hospital. Additionally, he provided Sinatra’s singing voice for the 2003 film The Night We Called It a Day.
In 2004, Burlinson took on the role of Leo Bloom in Mel Brooks’ musical The Producers, sharing the stage with well-known Australian artists.
Between 2007 and 2010, he served as a judge on the talent show Australia's Got Talent. In 2010, he appeared in Simon Wincer’s film The Cup.
Burlinson continues to create and perform musical productions honoring Frank Sinatra and other iconic vocalists, including tours such as Now We're Swinging! along with concert events like "Young at Heart" (2017) and "Swing That Music" (2018).
In 2019, he portrayed lawyer Billy Flynn during the Sydney and Brisbane runs of the stage musical Chicago.
Film
| Year | Title | Character | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Revenge | Short film | ||
| 1982 | The Man from Snowy River | Jim Craig | Feature film | |
| 1983 | Phar Lap: Heart of a Nation | Tommy Woodcock | Feature film | |
| 1985 | Flesh and Blood | Steven | Feature film | |
| 1985 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Ned Land (voice) | Animated television movie | |
| 1986 | Windrider | Stewart 'P.C.' Simpson | Feature film | |
| 1986 | The Hunchback of Notre-Dame | Quasimodo (voice) | Animated television movie | |
| 1986 | King Solomon's Mines | Sir Henry Curtis (voice) | Animated television movie | |
| 1986 | Kidnapped | Alan Breck (voice) | Animated television movie | |
| 1987 | The Time Guardian | Ballard | Feature film | |
| 1988 | The Man from Snowy River II | Jim Craig | Feature film | |
| 1991 | The Legend of Kootenai Brown | Kootenai Brown | Feature film | |
| 1992 | Landslide | Howard Matterson | ||
| 1995 | The Way to Dusty Death | Ike Jethou | Television movie | |
| 2003 | The Night We Called It a Day | Frank Sinatra (singing voice) | Feature film | |
| 2011 | The Cup | Dave Phillips | Feature film |
Television
1978 1978–1979 data-sort-value="Restless Years, The" |The Restless Years Mickey Pratt Television series, 56 episodes 1978 1978 1979| Year | Title | Character | Format | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1977 |
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Cop Shop Ken Television series, single episode | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Glenview High Robbie's Dream Man Television series, episode: "After the Loving" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Yes, What? |
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Skyways Jim Backwell Television series, episode: "Deborah Loves Jim" |- 1985 Fragments of Terror John Segment: "Revenge" |- 1988 data-sort-value="Piece of Cake (TV series)|Piece of Cake" 'Fanny' Barton Television miniseries, five episodes |- 1992 'Sinatra' Frank Sinatra (singing voice) Television miniseries, two episodes |- 1995 data-sort-value="Way to Dusty Death, The"|The Way to Dusty Death Ike Jethou Television miniseries |- 1995 'G.P.' Andy Drake Television series, episode: "Rhythm & Blues" |- 1997 'Animal Hospital' Host Television series |- 2007–09 'Australia’s Got Talent' Judge Television series |} Games
As actor
As crew
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