Mark Priestley

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Mark Priestley
Born(1976-08-09)9 August 1976
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Died27 August 2008(2008-08-27) (aged 32)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
EducationNational Institute of Dramatic Art
Alma materAquinas College, Perth
OccupationActor comedian

Mark Damien Priestley (9 August 1976 – 27 August 2008) was an Australian actor and comedian. Born in

Changi
in 2001.

Career

Priestley played a semi-regular role in

Changi and The Farm and appeared in Blue Heelers before his first on-air appearance in All Saints in July 2004. Priestley was a long-time friend of Wil Traval
, his co-star on All Saints. The two were known to get up to countless pranks on set.

Priestley also had some notable theatre credits. He worked with the

Bell Shakespeare Company, playing Silvio in The Servant of Two Masters, as well as with The Sydney Theatre Company
in Major Barbara, both in 2003.

All Saints

Priestley's character on the Australian television program All Saints (Dan Goldman) was involved with a storyline with his on-screen wife Erica when the actor took his own life. Coincidentally, the final two episodes Priestley was to play in on the program (written before his death) also involved much tragedy and sadness.

Death

On the afternoon of 27 August 2008 Priestley checked into the

Swissotel in Market Street, Sydney, under the name 'Damien Barker'.[1] He jumped from a window at the hotel at about 2PM. Police confirmed that his body was found in an awning. A police spokesperson said that the incident was not being treated as suspicious.[2] The actor was believed to have been suffering from depression. Priestley continued to be seen posthumously in his All Saints role until 18 November 2008.[3]

Priestley's funeral was held on 4 September 2008 at Perth's Holy Family Catholic Church in Como, with more than 500 people in attendance. Press and camera crews were allowed to enter the church at the permission of the family, under the condition that no details of the eulogy be released in public. Priestley was privately cremated after the ceremony.[4]

Priestley was rewarded for his acclaimed work on All Saints in April 2009, nominated for a posthumous Logie Award for Most Popular Male Actor on Television but lost out to Home and Away actor Todd Lasance. It is also noted at the end of the Channel Seven Perth Telethon 2008 telecast as being in memory of him.[5]

Tributes

Priestly's co-star John Howard, who played Dr Frank Campion, said Priestley was a fine actor: "He had the most extraordinary combination of very deft comic touch and great emotional depth."

Actor John Waters, who played Dr Mike Vlasek in the series, was stunned. "I worked with him on stage and on screen and will miss him more than I can say right now," Waters said. "Mark the actor was intuitive, and graced every scene in which he appeared with a touch of whimsical genius that only he could apply." Wil Traval, who played Dr Jack Quade, described his friend as a gift. "It’s so sad," he said. "He has some quiet from the pain now." All Saints producer Bill Hughes said he had "lost a friend" and added "His work as an actor is always inventive and his performance in All Saints is a joy to watch,"

Notable roles

References

  1. ^ Robinson, Georgina (28 August 2008). "All Saints star found dead". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press.
  2. ^ Casey, Marcus; Byrnes, Holly; Lawrence, Kara (28 August 2008). "Mark Priestley dead, co-star Jolene Anderson injured". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 August 2008.
  3. ^ "All Saints actor Mark Priestley found dead". Archived from the original on 28 August 2008.
  4. ^ Ganska, Helen (4 September 2008). "All Saints actor Mark Priestley farewelled at Perth service". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008.
  5. ^ "Mark Priestley's Logies salute". Herald Sun. 3 May 2009. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009.

External links

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