Damien Richardson (actor)

Damien Richardson (born 2 August 1969) is an Australian film, television and theatre actor. Since 2021 he has been a political campaigner promoting an anti-vax agenda. A graduate from the Victorian College of the Arts, Richardson has appeared in a variety of Australian films and television shows, including Blue Heelers, McLeod's Daughters, Redball, The Hard Word, Rogue, Conspiracy 365 and Wentworth. He and co-writer Luke Elliot won the Best New Comedy-Drama award at the Melbourne Fringe Festival for their play The Belly Of The Whale. One of Richardson's best known roles is Detective Matt Ryan in the crime drama City Homicide, which he played from 2007 until 2011. Since 2012, Richardson has starred as Drew Greer in the Jack Irish television films and subsequent 2016 series. He played Gary Canning in the soap opera Neighbours from 2014 to 2020. In 2021, Richardson quit acting to launch a failed bid to gain a seat as an independent in the Victorian state senate.