# Nathan Phillips (actor)
**Nathan Phillips** (full name Nathan Scott Phillips) is an Australian actor and producer, born in 1980 in Sunbury, Victoria, best known for playing backpacker Ben Mitchell in the horror film *Wolf Creek* (2005) and Sean Jones in *Snakes on a Plane* (2006).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/nathan-phillips/credits/3000638983/) His career has alternated between Australian features, such as *Australian Rules* (2002), *Balibo* (2009), and *These Final Hours*, and international television and film work, including a starring role in the Syfy series *Hunters* (2016).[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) He should not be confused with Nathan Phillips, the Native American activist involved in the 2019 [Lincoln Memorial](https://www.edgepedia.org/lincoln-memorial) encounter, who is a different public figure.[4](https://time.com/5511906/nathan-phillips-today-show-interview/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980, Sunbury, Victoria, Australia[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/) |
| Television start | Role in *Neighbours* in 1999; television work only until 2001 (*Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story*, *Something in the Air*, *The Saddle Club*)[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) |
| Film debut | *Warriors of Virtue: The Return to Tao* (2002)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/) |
| Breakthrough roles | Gary "Blacky" Black in *Australian Rules* (2002), which brought a Film Critics Circle of Australia Best Actor nomination; Ben Mitchell in *Wolf Creek* (2005)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) |
| Hollywood debut | *Snakes on a Plane* (2006), opposite Samuel L. Jackson, as Sean Jones[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/) |
| Notable lead television role | Flynn Carroll in *Hunters* (Syfy, 2016), 13 episodes[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) |
| Other work | Producer of *Blood Vessel* (2019); director of the short films *Message From the CEO* and *PAM*; qualified yoga instructor and designer of the fashion label "The White Wolf"[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/) • [5](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F1e%2F1eae844b-042d-47a7-b508-915bf69c2d7f.pdf) |
## Early career in Australian television
Phillips began acting in 1999 with a role in the long-running Australian soap opera *Neighbours*, which one career profile describes as a traditional rite of passage for Australian actors.[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) Until 2001 he worked entirely in television, with roles in the television movie *Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story* (2001), the series *Something in the Air* (2000) and *Blue Heelers*, and *The Saddle Club* (2001).[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/nathan-phillips/credits/3000638983/) Before acting, he studied [English literature](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-literature), an interest he has cited as the source of his approach to scripts and story.[6](https://www.thecurb.com.au/a-chat-with-nathan-phillips-blood-vessel-acting-in-australia-and-living-with-yowies/)
## Breakthrough in Australian film
In 2002 Phillips moved into features with a role in *Warriors of Virtue: The Return to Tao*, then took the lead as Gary "Blacky" Black in *Australian Rules*, Paul Goldman's drama about race relations in a small [South Australian](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-australian) coastal town, adapted from Phillip Gwynne's novel *Deadly, Unna?*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/) • [7](https://www.screendaily.com/australian-rules/409109.article) In the film, Blacky plays for the town's football team alongside his Aboriginal friend Dumby Red (Luke Carroll), and the role earned Phillips a Best Actor nomination from the Film Critics Circle of Australia.[7](https://www.screendaily.com/australian-rules/409109.article) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) Contemporary reviews noted the performances of Phillips and Carroll as central to the film's effect.[8](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/australian-rules-film-review-by-trinity)
**Wolf Creek.** After a run of Australian comedies and dramas, including *Take Away* (2003), *One Perfect Day* (2004), *Under the Radar* (2004), and *You and Your Stupid Mate* (2005), Phillips took his first horror role as backpacker Ben Mitchell in Greg McLean's *Wolf Creek* (2005).[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) • [9](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/nathan-phillips/) The film, about travelers at the mercy of a killer in the Australian outback, screened at the Sundance and Cannes festivals and, by Phillips's own account, introduced him to an international audience.[10](https://balibo.com.au/pdf/BALIBO_BOOKLET.pdf) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) He has described the shift from comedy into horror as a genuine challenge, drawing on Australian outback murder cases for preparation, and recalled that McLean allowed the cast to improvise.[11](https://walkdenentertainment.com/interview-nathan-phillips-wolf-creek-2005/)
## Hollywood work and the late 2000s
Phillips's American film debut came in *Snakes on a Plane* (2006), playing Sean Jones opposite [Samuel L. Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/samuel-l-jackson).[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) He followed it with the crime drama *Redline* (2007), the drama *West* (2007), the [Matthew McConaughey](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-mcconaughey) comedy *Surfer, Dude* (2008), the horror film *Dying Breed* (2008), and *Balibo* (2009), Robert Connolly's political thriller about Australian journalists killed in [East Timor](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-timor) in 1975, in which Phillips played journalist Malcolm Rennie.[9](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/nathan-phillips/) • [10](https://balibo.com.au/pdf/BALIBO_BOOKLET.pdf) He also directed the behind-the-scenes footage for *Balibo* filmed in East Timor.[10](https://balibo.com.au/pdf/BALIBO_BOOKLET.pdf) That same year he produced, directed, and starred in his own short film, *Message From the CEO*, and he is credited as a producer and screenwriter on *Pirates of the Great Salt Lake* (2006).[10](https://balibo.com.au/pdf/BALIBO_BOOKLET.pdf) • [9](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/nathan-phillips/)
## The 2010s and later career
Phillips played James, the protagonist of Zak Hilditch's apocalyptic drama *These Final Hours*, opposite [Angourie Rice](https://www.edgepedia.org/angourie-rice); IMDb lists the film as 2013, while Australian release listings date it to 2014.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/) • [12](https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/cast/nathan-phillips) In interviews he called the film a "full-circle" project a decade after *Australian Rules*, and said he had been living on a farm in northern California, deliberately away from the industry, when the script reached him.[13](https://wakeupscreening.wordpress.com/recent-interviews/zak-hilditch-and-nathan-phillips-interview-for-these-final-hours/) • [14](https://www.thefilmpie.com/index.php/blog-2/3246-interview-nathan-phillips-on-these-final-hours)
**Television leading role.** His most substantial television commitment was *Hunters*, the 2016 Syfy series in which he starred as Flynn Carroll across all 13 episodes of the first season.[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) Elsewhere on television he has been a recurring or guest presence: Jack Dobbs in the FX series *The Bridge* (2013-2014), Jack McCarthy in *Halifax: Retribution* (2020), Mikey in *RFDS* (2021), Chief Finn McKay in *NCIS: Sydney* (2025), and Tommy Boucher in *Good Cop/Bad Cop* (2025).[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/)
His recent Australian film work has returned him to directors he has worked with before: he plays Billy in Paul Goldman's boxing drama *Kid Snow* (2024) and Frankie in Blair Moore's crime thriller *Kane* (2023).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/) • [12](https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/cast/nathan-phillips) In *Kane*, Phillips plays the title personality of a crime boss with multiple personalities, a performance he has discussed as an exercise in playing a sociopath within a guerilla-style production.[15](https://www.theaureview.com/watch/interview-nathan-phillips/) He also produced and starred in Justin Dix's World War II vampire film *Blood Vessel* (2019), playing an ANZAC soldier, and has appeared in *13th Summer* (2024) and *The Devil Below* (2021).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/) • [6](https://www.thecurb.com.au/a-chat-with-nathan-phillips-blood-vessel-acting-in-australia-and-living-with-yowies/)
**Recent projects.** Phillips plays the gangster Morgan in *Badlands Rising*, a 90-minute crime thriller directed by Blair Moore, completed in 2025 and screened at the 2025 Brisbane International Film Festival; the film has a North American streaming release scheduled for June 12, 2026, through [Saban Films](https://www.edgepedia.org/saban-films).[16](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/badlands-rising-42494/) • [17](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31434090) He is also credited as Skipper in *[Beast](https://www.edgepedia.org/beast-2026-film)* (2026), opposite [Russell Crowe](https://www.edgepedia.org/russell-crowe).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/)
## Working style and life outside acting
Interviewers have consistently described Phillips as versatile across genres, from horror to comedy to political drama.[13](https://wakeupscreening.wordpress.com/recent-interviews/zak-hilditch-and-nathan-phillips-interview-for-these-final-hours/) • [6](https://www.thecurb.com.au/a-chat-with-nathan-phillips-blood-vessel-acting-in-australia-and-living-with-yowies/) After the international attention that followed *Wolf Creek*, he chose to remain based in Australia, working on local productions, and has spoken about treating breaks from the industry as a deliberate, healthy choice.[15](https://www.theaureview.com/watch/interview-nathan-phillips/) • [14](https://www.thefilmpie.com/index.php/blog-2/3246-interview-nathan-phillips-on-these-final-hours) A production press kit describes him as a qualified yoga instructor and a fashion designer who manages his own label, "The White Wolf".[5](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F1e%2F1eae844b-042d-47a7-b508-915bf69c2d7f.pdf)
## References
1. [Nathan Phillips, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680667/)
2. [Nathan Phillips, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/nathan-phillips/credits/3000638983/)
3. [Nathan Phillips, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15035/nathan-phillips)
4. [Native American Veteran on Whether High School Student Should Have Apologized in TV Interview, Time](https://time.com/5511906/nathan-phillips-today-show-interview/)
5. [These Final Hours production press kit (Mongrel Media)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F1e%2F1eae844b-042d-47a7-b508-915bf69c2d7f.pdf)
6. [A Chat with Nathan Phillips: Blood Vessel, Acting in Australia, and Living with Yowies, The Curb](https://www.thecurb.com.au/a-chat-with-nathan-phillips-blood-vessel-acting-in-australia-and-living-with-yowies/)
7. [Australian Rules review, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/australian-rules/409109.article)
8. [Australian Rules review, Eye for Film](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/australian-rules-film-review-by-trinity)
9. [Nathan Phillips, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/nathan-phillips/)
10. [Balibo press kit (Screen Australia / Arenafilm)](https://balibo.com.au/pdf/BALIBO_BOOKLET.pdf)
11. [Interview: Nathan Phillips / Wolf Creek (2005), Walkden Entertainment](https://walkdenentertainment.com/interview-nathan-phillips-wolf-creek-2005/)
12. [Nathan Phillips Movies & Biography, SWITCH](https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/cast/nathan-phillips)
13. [Zak Hilditch and Nathan Phillips Interview for These Final Hours, I Wake Up Screening](https://wakeupscreening.wordpress.com/recent-interviews/zak-hilditch-and-nathan-phillips-interview-for-these-final-hours/)
14. [Interview: Nathan Phillips On These Final Hours, The Film Pie](https://www.thefilmpie.com/index.php/blog-2/3246-interview-nathan-phillips-on-these-final-hours)
15. [Interview: Nathan Phillips on Kane, The AU Review](https://www.theaureview.com/watch/interview-nathan-phillips/)
16. [Badlands Rising, Screen Australia Screen Guide](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/badlands-rising-42494/)
17. [Badland Rising (2025), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31434090)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Australian actors › Surnames O to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license