Dean Daley-Jones

Having trained in dance, theatre and drama at the Jon Curtin School of performing Arts, West Australian Aboriginal actor and Nyoongar tribe member, Dean Daley-Jones launched his feature film career playing the lead in the critically-acclaimed Mad Bastards (dir. Brendan Fletcher), selected for the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and the winner of the Deadly Awards Film of the Year 2011.

Dean was also nominated as Best Actor for this role in the inaugural AACTA Awards (previously known as the AFI Awards) in 2012. On the back of this success, Dean has also appeared in Ivan Sven’s Toomelah, selected for Un Certain Regard 2011 at the Cannes Film Festival and the feature film Satellite Boy. Early on in his career Dean also appeared in films such as Shame directed by Steve Jodrell.

Dean takes an active role in mentoring other indigenous people with visits to community and correctional centres Australia-wide. Dean hopes his words will help inspire others to initiate changes and turn their lives around, just as he has done. Dean was a Guest Speaker at Message Sticks 2012, the annual festival celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists at the Sydney Opera House. Dean was recently seen in the ABC TV series Redfern Now, directed by Leah Purcell, and has just wrapped on another ABC series The Gods of Wheat Street, that will screen in 2013.