SLEEPING DOGS by
DAVID WILLIAMSON

Some of his notable works have been adapted for the screen including The Removalists, Don’s Party, The Club, Travelling North. Emerald City, Sanctuary and Brilliant Lies, and six of them have been made into quality Telemovies in Poland.

David Williamson has won the Australian Film Institute film script award five times, for Petersen (1974), Don’s Party (1976), Gallipoli (1981) Travelling North (1987) and Balibo (2009) and has won twelve Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Awards. He also wrote the screenplay for Pharlap (1981) , The Year of Living Dangerously, (1983) receiving a nomination for best screenplay from the Writer’s Guild of America.
In 2015 he was awarded the Special NSW Premier’s Literary Award for lifetime achievement.

His success continues with the The Puzzle at the State Theatre Company of South Australia in October 2024 and The Great Divide (2024) and Aria (2025) successively breaking all time box office records at the Ensemble Theatre in Sydney and Melbourne Theatre Company mounting a very successful revival of The Removalists earlier this year. Before becoming a hit in Sydney Aria had a highly successful tryout season here in Noosa and we are sure that Sleeping Dogs will follow in its path.

Erik’s other recent credits include the Stan drama series CRITICAL INCIDENT, NZ series MY LIFE IS MURDER alongside Lucy Lawless and Stan’s comedy series C*A*U*G*H*T.  He also starred in the acclaimed ABC (Australia) series AFTERTASTE, which he also produced, starring as an internationally renowned yet volatile celebrity chef whose spectacular fall from grace sees him return to his hometown in the Adelaide Hills, where he endeavours to rebuild his career and restore his reputation, with the help of his talented, young, pastry-chef niece.
Erik’s film credits include Robert Connolly’s feature BLUEBACK alongside Mia Wasikowska and Eric Bana, Renée Webster’s HOW TO PLEASE A WOMAN opposite Sally Phillips, James Ashcroft’s acclaimed feature thriller COMING HOME IN THE DARK which screened at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, Roderick Mackay’s debut feature film THE FURNACE, which received critical acclaim at its world premiere at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, Shawn Seet’s STORM BOY alongside Geoffrey Rush and Jai Courtney, Daniel J. Phillips’ horror feature AWOKEN, Scott Hicks’ THE BOYS ARE BACK opposite Clive Owen, Cate Shortland’s SOMERSAULT with Sam Worthington, THE BLACK BALLOON opposite Toni Collette, Wayne Hope’s NOW ADD HONEY, ACCIDENTS HAPPEN with Geena Davis, BEAUTIFUL and WE’RE HERE TO HELP.

For his outstanding performance in SOMERSAULT, Erik was awarded the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2004 and was nominated for a Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In 2008, Erik was again nominated for an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the multi-award-winning film THE BLACK BALLOON. Erik was also nominated for Best Actor in a Feature Film for WE’RE HERE TO HELP, and Best Actor in a TV Drama for THE MILLION DOLLAR CONMAN at the 2008 NZ Film Awards.

Erik was awarded the Silver Logie in 2016 for his performance as ‘George Turner’ in 800 WORDS and in 2003 for his performance as ‘Dr Mitch Stevens’ in the television drama series ALL SAINTS.  He has been nominated a further eight times for the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor Award and in 2011 he was also nominated for the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actor. Erik is well known for his role as the head of the Rafter family in Australia’s top rating TV drama PACKED TO THE RAFTERS and he reprised the role in the recent Amazon Prime series BACK TO THE RAFTERS.  His other television credits include the Network Seven drama series THE CLAREMONT MURDERS, Stan mystery series BLACK SNOW, the limited series THE LUMINARIES for the BBC and Starz (US) in the role of Dick Mannering alongside Eve Hewson and Eva Green, the AACTA Award winning first series of THE CODE, Rowan Woods’ miniseries THE BROKEN SHORE adapted from the Peter Temple novel, THE ALICE, BLACKJACK: DEAD MEMORY, MDA, THROUGH MY EYES, THE MILLION DOLLAR CONMAN, WILDSIDE, 13 GANTRY ROAD, PACIFIC DRIVE, HERCULES and XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS.

Erik’s theatre credits include the sold-out season of THE SPEECHMAKER for the Melbourne Theatre Company; THE SPLINTER for the Sydney Theatre Company; JULIUS CAESAR, TWELVE ANGRY MEN, ALL MY SONS and ANGELS IN AMERICA for the Auckland Theatre Company; and SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL, HAMLET and GYPSY for the Court Theatre, and most recently, THE PUZZLE for the State Theatre Company South Australia.

Erik will play the role of MAX in the World Premiere of SLEEPING DOGS, proudly presented by NOOSA alive!