SeanDuffy
- Actor
- Director
Best known to the public for an extended career as an actor — he co-starred in Mortimer's Patch and won an award playing a dopey farmer in comedy Willy Nilly — Sean Duffy alternated acting gigs with two decades editing for television. Later he moved into directing, working on a range of shows from Heartland to one-off documentaries.
Screenography
Biography
Multi-skilling is close to a job requirement in New Zealand's relatively compact screen scene. Sean Duffy has done his share. For two decades he balanced work as an actor and editor, before calling the shots as director.
An actor since childhood, Duffy's extended screen CV includes many diamond-in-the-rough characters, often working in law enforcement. He is probably best known for two roles. Willy Nilly, the first, marks a rare time Duffy has done comedy on screen. First made as a short film in 1998, it was later reborn as a TV series that went to three seasons. Duffy played Eric, joining Mark Hadlow as country bumpkin brothers who attempt to negotiate life, after the death of their mother. "I got the best comedy actor award for that," recalls Duffy, "but I always thought Mark should have got it in a way. I felt I was more his fall guy."
Awards
2002 TV Guide New Zealand Television Awards
Best Entertainment/Comedy Performance: for Willy Nilly
1995 New Zealand Film and Television Awards
Nominated for Best Performance in an Entertainment Programme: for The Neighbourhood Network
“It was amazing how easy it was, to be honest. That's because I'd spent 18 years on and off in a dark room, looking at other people's mistakes. So I knew exactly what I needed to do.”
More information
Related images
