Steven Vidler (born 9 August 1960) is an Australian actor, screenwriter and director known for his part in the Scottish–Australian series Jeopardy.
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Early life and education
Vidler was born on 9 August 1960 in Sydney, Australia. He grew up in the Australian Outback, in a family of Vietnam veterans.
In 1981, Vidler began his formal trained at Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating in 1983 with a Bachelor of Dramatic Art and Acting. From 1993 to 1994, he studied a Graduate Diploma in Film Directing at Swinburne University of Technology. He then continued his studies at NIDA, undertaking an Actor-Director relationship course, run in collaboration with AFTRS from 1994 to 1995.
Vidler also studied writing and directing at UCLA while on a fellowship as an intern for Atman Entertainment. He also studied Playwriting at NIDA in 1992. He obtained a research PhD in screenwriting from Macquarie University in 2015, which used cognitive neuroscience to explore viewer engagement with characters in film.
Career
Film
Vidler's first film appearance was in 1984 WWII television film The Blood of Others opposite Jodie Foster. He played Sugar, the younger brother, in pre-WWII 1987 film The Good Wife (also known as The Umbrella Woman) alongside Rachel Ward, Bryan Brown and Sam Neill. Other early film roles include Dick Marston in TV movie Robbery Under Arms (1985) alongside Sam Neill, the lead role of Eddie in sci-fi film Incident at Raven's Gate (1988) and Jack Donaghue in Outback (1989) also known as Wrangler or Minnamurra.
Vidler played Lieutenant Gore in 1998 American war epic The Thin Red Line. He worked with Heath Ledger, when he played alongside him as 'The Man' in 1999 crime thriller Two Hands, also featuring Rose Byrne and Bryan Brown. That same year, he played Captain William in 1999 survival film Dog Watch, alongside Joel Edgerton. He then had roles in comedy films The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002) and Bad Eggs (2003).
Vidler played officer Frank Williams in 2006 horror film See No Evil, as well as its sequel the following year. In 2013, he played Neil Webster, Tara's father in the Australian drama film Dance Academy.
Television
Vidler had an early television role as Tropp in 1985 miniseries, The Dunera Boys.
He had recurring roles in several television series in the 1990s, including playing Phil McCarthy in ABC drama miniseries Heartland, opposite Cate Blanchett and Ernie Dingo. Others included Frankie's House, Janus and MDA. He also appeared in the 1998 miniseries The Day of the Roses, based on the real life story of the 1977 Granville rail disaster.
In 2001, Vidler had a guest role as Captain Askwith in the third season of action adventure series The Lost World, an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novel of the same name. Beginning in 2002, he played the part of the teacher in BAFTA award-winning children's sci-fi drama series Jeopardy. In 2004, he featured in several miniseries, including The Mystery of Natalie Wood as Richard Gregson, Through My Eyes as Charlwood and Salem's Lot as Sheriff Parkins Gillespie.
In 2006, Vidler appeared as Steve in critically-acclaimed series Love My Way, alongside Claudia Karvan and Asher Keddie. From 2007 to 2008, he played the recurring role of Noel Anderson on long-running soap opera Home and Away. Vidler played the recurring role of a police commander in the 2012 season of Underbelly (Underbelly: Badness). He also had recurring roles as Mark Mackey in Packed to the Rafters in 2013) and as the Premier in two seasons of Rake in 2012 and 2014.
Throughout his career Vidler has also had guest roles in numerous television series including A Country Practice, G.P., Bony, Snowy River: The McGregor Saga, Halifax f.p., Police Rescue, State Coroner, Big Sky, Wildside, Water Rats, Stingers, SeaChange and McLeod's Daughters.
Writing and directing
Vidler made his feature film directorial debut with the award-winning 1997 film Blackrock, known for being Heath Ledger’s first film role. Together with Nicholas Hammond, Vidler co-wrote 1998 miniseries A Difficult Woman, which won the Silver World Medal for best miniseries at the New York Festivals.
Vidler wrote and directed 2019 film Standing Up for Sunny, starring Breaking Bad's RJ Mitte. The film won the award for Best Indie Film at the 2020 AACTA Awards.
Vidler currently works as a screenwriter, director and script assistant with his company Sidekick Pictures, based in Hollywood.