Hunter Page-Lochard facts for kids

Hunter Djali Yumunu Page-Lochard is an Australian stage and screen actor of both Aboriginal Australian and African-American descent. He is known for his roles in the films The Sapphires (2012), Around the Block (2013) and the 2016 TV series Cleverman.

Early life and education

Page-Lochard is the son of choreographer Stephen Page, who is from Brisbane, and Cynthia Lochard, from Manhattan, New York City. Page-Lochard was born in Sydney. His mother, who is of African-American descent, was a dancer for the New York City Ballet and is now a teacher for the Pilates Method. His father, who is descended from the Nunukul people and the Munaldjali of the Yugambeh people from southeast Queensland, was a dancer turned choreographer and became the artistic director for Bangarra Dance Theatre. Page-Lochard credits his father, along with 11 uncles and aunts, with giving him much of his education, including at Bangarra.

He attended St Mary's Cathedral College, Sydney.

In 2012, Page-Lochard graduated from Australian Film, Television and Radio School with a Graduate Certificate in Story Development and Screenwriting Fundamentals, and completed an Actors Residency course at the National Institute of Dramatic Art.

Career

Stage

Page-Lochard first appeared on stage at six months old, held by his dad when he was dancing. He later appeared in Skin (2000); Boomerang (2005); Bloodland (2012, for the Sydney Theatre Company and Adelaide Festival by Bangarra Dance Theatre); and Blak (2013).

He featured in Wesley Enoch's, Black Diggers (2014) a Queensland Theatre Company production. He then played the lead in Brothers Wreck (2014) by Jada Alberts at Sydney's Belvoir directed by Leah Purcell. He played a role in ATYP's Sugarland (2014). He won the Sydney Theatre Awards' Best Newcomer Award for Black Diggers, Brothers Wreck and Sugarland. He was nominated for a Helpmann Award in 2015 for Brothers Wreck. In 2015, he starred as Orestes in Belvoir's Elektra/Orestes.

Film and TV

As a child, Page-Lochard appeared in short films, including Adrian Russell Wills' Arcadia (2002) and Wayne Blair's The Djarn Djarns (2005), which won the Crystal Bear Award for Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival.

He appeared in guest roles on Water Rats (2001), East West 101 (2007), directed by Peter Andrikidis and ABC2's Soul Mates (2014).

He made his feature film debut in Rachel Perkins' award-winning film, Bran Nue Dae (2010). He appeared in Wayne Blair's The Sapphires, which screened in Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival. He also featured as the lead in Sarah Spillane's feature film, Around the Block (2013) alongside Christina Ricci.

In 2015, he attended the Toronto International Film Festival for his father's feature film debut Spear (2015), in which he played the lead role as Djali.

Page-Lochard appears as the lead in Wayne Blair and Leah Purcell's Cleverman on ABC Television in 2016.

He directed and co-wrote (with Eryk Lenartowicz) his first short film Djali in 2017. It was selected for screening at the Sydney Film Festival and CinefestOZ in 2018.

In 2020, he appeared in and co-directed the children's TV series Thalu, commissioned by National Indigenous Television and ABC Me.

In 2023, Page-Lochard appeared in ABC drama The Newsreader, for which he won an AACTA Award for best supporting actor.

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Advertising

Page-Lochard stars in a 2022 Hyundai television ad, called "Have you tried it?", which was filmed in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia.

Filmography

Film appearances

Theatre