Alex Dimitriades

 ( 1973 Births ) 

Alex Dimitriades (; born 28 December 1973 Alex Dimitriades ACMI. Retrieved on 20 June 2025 is an Australian television, film and stage actor of Greek descent. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Nick Polides in the 1993 romantic comedy film The Heartbreak Kid and as Nick Poulos in the 1994 television teen drama spin-off Heartbreak High. He won critical acclaim for his role as Ari, a troubled second generation Greek Australian in Head On (1998), based on Christos Tsiolkas's 1995 novel, Loaded. Head 21 May 1998 He won the Film Critics Circle of Australia award for Best Actor for the role and was nominated for the AFI Award for Best Actor. He later starred in The Slap (2011) based on Tsiolkas's novel of the same name and won the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor. He also starred in the titular role of the drama series, The Principal (2015) and won the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor. He has also had roles in a number of British-Australian co-productions such as The Cry (2018) and The Tourist (2022).

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Early life Dimitriades was born in Sydney, as Alexandros Dimitriades. He is the son of first generation Greek immigrants and the youngest of three siblings. He has a brother, George, and a sister, Melinda. He grew up in Earlwood, Sydney. His parents divorced when he was 12. His mother worked as a legal secretary, and she raised the children as a single mother.

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Career

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Film Dimitriades first attracted national attention for his co-starring role as Nick Polides in the 1993 Australian romantic comedy film The Heartbreak Kid, for which he received positive reviews and acclaim.

In 1998, he played the protagonist Ari in the Ana Kokkinos film Head On, based on the book Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas. Dimitriades' performance in the role was critically acclaimed and earned him an AFI Award nomination. The film was controversial for its graphic violence, sex scenes and LGBT subject matter, but it earned mostly positive reviews. It screened at dozens of festivals around the world, including the Director's Fortnight at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

His other film roles include the Australian comedies Let's Get Skase (2001) and La Spagnola (2001), the Greek film To Gamilio Party (English title Bang Bang Wedding, 2008), (2010), and Summer Coda starring with Rachael Taylor. He had roles in the Hollywood films Ghost Ship (2002) and (2005).

In 2015, he co-starred in Ruben Guthrie with Patrick Brammall.

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Television After making his acting debut in the film The Heartbreak Kid, he starred in a television spin-off Heartbreak High, in which he played Nick Poulos. He went on to play underworld figure, Warren Lanfranchi, in the 1995 drama television series Blue Murder. The following year, Dimitriades played estate agent Steve George in the television soap opera Neighbours. In 1997, he took a role in the police drama Wildside.

In 2002, he appeared in Young Lions. In years to follow, he had a small guest role in the Australian science fiction series Farscape. In 2008, Dimitriades starred in the drama series Underbelly.

In 2011, he featured in The Slap, the TV adaptation of the novel of the same name by Christos Tsiolkas. He was awarded the AACTA Awards for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama for his role as the protagonist, Harry. In 2015, he starred in The Principal, a SBS four-part crime drama screened over two weeks in October, for which he won a Logie Awards. The series received positive reviews and various accolades, including several nominations from the Australian Film Institute in 2016. He appeared in the shows Secret City and Seven Types of Ambiguity.

In late 2018, Dimitriades had a recurring role in the BBC One drama The Cry as Detective Peter Alexiades and in the Netflix series Tidelands, again playing a police officer.

In 2021, Dimitriades appeared in the second season of ABC drama Total Control (TV series) in the role of Nice Pearce. Dimitriades also appeared in Nine Network drama Amazing Grace (Australian TV series) as Kirk.

In 2022, Dimitriades played the Greek gangster, Kosta, in the TV series The Tourist with Jamie Dornan and Danielle Macdonald.

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Theatre In 1996 and 1997, Dimitriades, along with Nick Giannopoulos and Vince Colosimo, toured as part of the Wogboys comedy stage shows.

Xavier Pons (2026). 9780522849950, Melbourne University Publish. . ISBN 9780522849950

Geoffrey Milne (2004). 9789042009301, Rodopi. . ISBN 9789042009301

Dimitriades has appeared in many theatre productions, including two plays by Louis Nowra for Griffin Theatre Company, The Woman with Dog's Eyes (2004) and The Emperor of Sydney (2006); The Nightwatchman (2007) and Rain Man in 2010; and the Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of Glengarry Glen Ross in 2014.

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DJ Dimitriades, an avid collector of vinyl records, has stated that his love of music started in childhood. He has a passion for both hip hop and dance music and has stated he is inspired by Kings Go Forth because of their "’70s sound." He works as a DJ professionally across Australia, often referred to as DJ Boogie Monster. Dimitriades has headlined and performed at numerous events, including Derby Day, and as the headline act for the relaunch of the popular South Melbourne nightclub Motel.

Although Dimitriades is primarily known as an actor, his DJ work predates his acting work:

It's partly my fault, I was a DJ before I was an actor, but I wasn't known and haven't been known as one. It's two sides of me that will never go away.”

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Filmography

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Film

2021	At Last	Eric
2018	My Boy Oleg	Ari	Short
2017	Remembering Agatha	Robert	Short
2015	Ruben Guthrie	Damian
2014	The Orchard	Saverio	Short
	The Infinite Man	Terry
2010	Summer Coda	Michael
2010		Mihalis
2008	Three Blind Mice	Tony
	To gamilio party	Ilias
2007	Touched By Fellini	Tony	Short
2006	Loveproof		Short
	Checkpoint	Theo	Short
	Love Thy Neighbours	Peter	Short
2005		Enzo Giarraputo
2003	Subterano	Conrad
2002	Ghost Ship	Santos
2001	Let’s Get Skase	Danny D'Amato
	La Spagnola	Stefano
1998	Deflated		Short
	Head On	Ari
1993	The Heartbreak Kid	Nick Polides

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Television

2025	Bay of Fires	Allessandro	TV series; (S2)
2023–present	Strife	Daniel	TV series; regular
2022	The Tourist	Kostas Panigiris	TV series; 4 episodes
2021	Total Control	Nick Pearce	TV series; 6 episodes
	Amazing Grace	Kirk Gilbert	TV series; 8 episodes
2020	The End	Dr. Nikos Naoumidis	TV series; 9 episodes
2019	Epiphany	Theo	TV movie
2018	Tidelands	Sergeant Paul Murdoch	TV series; 7 episodes
	The Cry	Detective Peter Alexiades	TV series; 4 episodes
2017	Wake in Fright	Evan 'Doc' Tydon	TV miniseries; 2 episodes
	Seven Types of Ambiguity	Joe Marin	TV miniseries; 6 episodes
2016	Secret City	Charles Dancer	TV series; 6 episodes
	Wanted	Anton Maric	TV series; 2 episodes
2015	The Principal	Matt Bashir	TV miniseries; 4 episodes
2014	Carlotta	Angelo	TV movie
2011	The Slap	Harry	TV miniseries; 8 episodes
2010		Guy Hewitt	TV series; 1 episode
2008	Underbelly	Victor Brincat (Mr.T in original broadcast)	TV series; 5 episodes
2007	Love My Way	Julien	TV series; 1 episode
2006	Stepfather of the Bride	Jack	TV movie
	Two Twisted	Rolly	TV series; 1 episode
	Society Murders	Robert Nazaretian	TV movie
2004	Go Big	Hamish Fitz-herbert	TV movie
2002	Young Lions	Det Snr Constable Eddie Mercia	TV series; 23 episodes
2000	The Love of Lionel's Life	Steve	TV movie
	Farscape	Lieutenant Velorek	TV series; 1 episode
1998–99	Wildside	Charlie Coutous	TV series; 44 episodes
1996	Neighbours	Steve George	TV series; 18 episodes
	G.P.	Luke Papadopoulos	TV series; 1 episode
1995	Blue Murder	Warren Lanfranchi	TV miniseries; 2 episodes
1994	Heartbreak High	Nick Poulos	TV series; 38 episodes

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Theatre

Universal Theatre, Melbourne, Enmore Theatre

Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney

Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company

Stables Theatre, Sydney with The Group Theatre

NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney

Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company

Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company

Ensemble Theatre

Southbank Theatre, Melbourne with MTC

Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne

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Personal life Dimitriades had an 8-year relationship with Terry Biviano in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 2004, a portrait of Dimitriades by Michael Zavros, was a finalist in the Archibald Prize. The portrait is now displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. (2021). Alex Dimitriades National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved on 20 June 2025 Portrait of Alex Dimitriades Art Gallery NSW. Retrieved on 20 June 2025

In 2008, Dimitriades was arrested driving under the influence. It was reported that he had a blood alcohol reading of .11, more than twice the legal limit in Australia. The charge resulted in the suspension of his driver's licence.

In September 2009, his mother died after a long-time illness.

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External links

• Interview with Paul Fischer

Categories: 1973 Births, 20th-century Australian Male Actors, 21st-century Australian Male Actors, Aacta Award Winners, Australian Male Film Actors, Australian Male Soap Opera Actors, Australian Male Stage Actors, Australian People Of Greek Descent, Living People, Logie Award Winners, Male Actors From Sydney

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