Christopher Sommers
Christopher Grantley Sommers (30 June 1977) is an Australian actor born in Brisbane Queensland.
Education
He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) from the Queensland University of Technology (2000-2002). He undertook Master Classes at the 16th Street Studio (Melbourne) in 2012 with Ellen Burstyn, 2014 with Carl Ford and with Larry Moss in 2014 and 2016. He also attended a Masterclass with Ivana Chubbuch in Los Angeles in 2016.[1]
Acting career
While undertaking his degree Sommers acted in several stage productions, starting in 2001 in Uncle Vanya. Following his graduation he acted with several major companies mainly in Queensland although he did travel interstate with touring productions.[2]
His first role was in a short film, The Machine, in 2002 and he has since appeared in short film, television series and feature films.[3]
He has worked with Russell Crowe in The Water Diviner (2014), with Ethan Hawk and Sarah Snook in Predestination (2014) and John Cusack in Drive Hard (2014). Sommers stars in a feature film a zombie western Bullets for the Dead (set for release 2016) the first film for a joint venture between a Brisbane-based Cathartic Pictures and UK sales agent Stealth Media Group. It is intended to film a number of low budget genre films to be sold internationally.[4]
Sommers has played diverse characters including a scientist, a bush bashing yokel, a soldier and comedy and says that growing older and changing your appearance allows you to play different roles.[5]
Teaching
Sommers is a co-creator of the 21 Day Actors Challenge. Together with Angela Olyslager and Tanya Schneider they have put together a program to assist actors. The program is online and it includes acting exercises that will help participant be better prepared for stage and film roles.[6] They also run Weekend Workshops.[7]
Reviews
In the 2010 production of Fat Pig at the Bille Brown Studio he was described in a review by ABC radio as, " the always interesting Christopher Sommers" and "In fact all performances were of the very highest quality. Sommers was likewise wonderfully sensitive".[8]
In the production of Beautiful (2008) the review in Stagediary stated,
... Christopher Sommers, as the mysterious almost sinister left-behind school friend, is the best example of this, and his triumph in this performance is to make his character almost seem like a bad actor who hasn’t learned his lines, until we notice the utter control he has over his movement and his voice. Stage presence doesn’t have to shout “Look at me acting!” – in this case, it’s all done by understatement.[9]
Nathanael Cooper in the Courier Mail review of Orphans (2011) wrote of Sommers,
The play is not easy to watch. It is troubling and harrowing and one particular scene sees Christopher Sommers absolutely own the audience as he describes, in gruesome detail, some of the darkest sides of life.[10]
Awards
2006 Matilda Awards Emerging Artist[11]
2010 Matilda Awards nominated Best Male Actor in a Leading Role[12]
Films[3]
| Year | Title | Role | Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Machine (Short) | Scarred Man | 2007 | Counter (Short) | James Dalton |
| 2007 | All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane | Kane/Negative Man | 2007 | Unfinished Sky | Mike Potter |
| 2008 | The Horseman | Pauly | 2008 | The Prams (Short) | Earl |
| 2010 | Jucy | Nate | 2011 | Attached | Michael |
| 2012 | Silver Stilletto (Short) | Trevor Fenton | 2012 | Jacob Fights Giants (Short) | Neil Rockford |
| 2013 | Cough (Short) | Brett | 2014 | Predestination | Mr. Miller |
| 2014 | Drive Hard | Gas Station Attendant | 2014 | Letter to Annabelle (Short) | James |
| 2014 | Inverse (Short) | John | 2014 | The Water Diviner | Tucker |
| 2014 | Power State (Short) | Martin Andrews | 2014 | Ouroboros (Short) | Linden Connor |
| 2015 | The Fear of Darkness | Detective Constable Gardiner | 2015 | Actor's Apocalypse | Social Services Officer |
| 2015 | Bullets for the Dead | James Dalton | 2015 | Brothers (Short) | Police Officer |
| 2016 | The Insect & the Alien (Short) | Owen | 2017 | Emporium (Short) | Kent |
| 2013 [2016?] | A Guide to Dating at the End of the World | Ken | 2015 [2017?] | The Girlfriend (Short) | Steve |
Television[3]
| Year | Title | Role | Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Love Bytes (Series) | Neal | 2006 | Monarch Cove (Series) (Ep. 1:11) | Mechanic |
| 2007 | The Starter Wife (Hour 3) (Mini-Series) | Clarity Harbor Staffer #2 | 2008 | The Strip (Ep. 1.9) | Barry Barrington |
| 2011 | Sea Patrol (Series) (1 Ep.) | Jason Merritt | 2011 | Terra Nova (Series) (Pt. 1, Pt. 2)) | Earl |
| 2012 | Fatal Honeymoon (TV Movie) | Inmate 1 | 2013 | Reef Doctors (Series) (Ep. 1.5) | Liam |
| 2014 | Parer's War (TV Movie) | Dr Bill McLean | 2015 | Texas Rising : The Lost Soldier (Mini-Series (Ep. 1.1) | Settler |
| 2015 | Mako: Island of Secrets (Series) (1 Ep.) | Mr Johnson | 2016 | Wanted (Ep. 1.5) | Dirk (Series) |
| 2016 | Hunters (Series) (2 Eps.) | Sterling Martinez | 2017 | Dirty, Clean and In between (TV Movie) (Ep. 1.5) | James |
| 2018 | The Bureau of Magical Things (Series) | Professor Maxwell |
Theatre[2]
Christopher Sommers as actor unless otherwise stated
| Year | Title | Venue | Year | Title | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Uncle Vanya | QUT Gardens Theatre, Brisbane | 2001 (25 Oct-23 Nov) | The Merchant of Venice | QUT Gardens Theatre, Brisbane |
| 2002 | Song of the Yellow Bittern | QUT Gardens Theatre, Brisbane | 2002 (7-23 Mar) | The Jungle | Woodward Theatre, Kelvin Grove |
| 2002 (23 May - 1 Jun) | Building The Wall | QUT Gardens Theatre, Brisbane | 2003 (10 -13 Dec) | Stained | Darlinghurst Theatre, Darlinghurst |
| 2004 (24 May-26 Jun) | Proof | Cremorne Theatre, South Brisbane | 2004 (3-5 Nov) | Sleeping Around | Belvoir Street Downstairs Theatre, Surry Hills |
| 2005 | The Oracle | Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm | 2005 (8 -13 Feb) | Trance | Newtown Theatre, Newtown |
| 2005 (Apr-Aug) | Zigzag Street | Touring Qld, NT, NSW, WA, Vic | 2006 | Trivia | Metro Arts, Brisbane |
| 2006 (24 Jan -4 Feb) | Omon Ra | Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm | 2006 (8 May) | Hoods | The Studio (Sydney Opera House), |
| 2007 (8-18 Aug) | Closer | Sue Benner Theatre, Brisbane | 2007 (23 Oct-3 Nov) | The Laramie Project | Visy Theatre, New Farm |
| 2008 (Apr/May) | Hoods | NSW, Qld, SA | 2008 (22 - 23 May) | The People Next Door | Metro Arts Studio, Brisbane |
| 2008 (26 Nov-6 Dec) | Anatomy Titus Fall of Rome | Merlyn Theatre, Southbank | 2008 (29 Nov-8 Dec) | Beautiful | The Loft, Kelvin Grove |
| 2009 (18 Mar-4Apr) | The Pillowman (Producer) | Sue Benner Theatre, Brisbane | 2009 (13-22 May) | The Exception and the Rule | Bille Brown Studio, Brisbane |
| 2009 (Jul/Aug) | The School of Arts | Touring Qld | 2009 (18-20 Sep) | My Night with Harold (Assistant Director) | Metro Arts Warehouse, Brisbane |
| 2009 (26 Oct-14 Nov) | The Crucible | Playhouse, Southbank, Brisbane | 2010 (6 Feb-14 Mar) | Hamlet | Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove |
| 2010 (7-25 Apr) | Blackbird (Producer) | Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove | 2010 (31 May-26 Jun) | Fat Pig | Bille Brown Studio, Brisbane |
| 2011 (6-23 Apr) | The Ugly One (Assistant Director/Producer) | Metro Art Galleries | 2011 (23 Jun-9 Jul) | Orphans | Bille Brown Studio, Brisbane |
| 2011 (7-27 Nov) | Pygmalion | Playhouse, Southbank |
References
- "Christopher Sommers Resume". IMDb. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- "Christopher Sommers". AusStage. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- "Filmography". IMDb. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- "Bullets for the Dead heralds Oz-UK co-venture BY Don Groves 24 May 2013". if. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- "Filmmaking in Brisbane : an interview with chris sommers By Willem Whilfield 19 Jan 2016". The Creative Issue. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- "Ten top tips - Christopher Sommers 5 August 2015". MEAA. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- "Workshop/Resources". 21 Day Actor Challenge. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- "Fat Pig reflects the audience By Nigel Munro-Wallis 9 June 2010". ABC Radio Brisbane. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- "Beautiful by Alison Cotes [28 November 2007]". StageDiary. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- "Review: Orphans at Bille Brown Studio By NAthanael Cooper 28 June 2011". Courier Mail. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- "Emerging Artists 2006". Matilda Awards. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- "2010 Awards". Matilda Awards Archive. Retrieved 25 June 2017.