Todd MacDonald


Todd MacDonald is a Canadian Australian actor who is best known for his roles on the soap opera Neighbours and the drama series The Secret Life of Us and Rush.

Early life

MacDonald and his older brother Paul were born in British Columbia to a Canadian father Deryle, who met their mother Margret, a former air hostess, while he was working in Australia. When MacDonald was seven years old, the family back-packed across Europe, before moving to Queensland, Australia.
He developed an interest in acting while in primary school on the Gold Coast, and took classes at Gold Coast Little Theatre. He played Ham in a production of Samuel Beckett's Endgame in his high school senior year. He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1996.

Career

After several minor roles, MacDonald secured a bigger role in the 1995 television film Sahara, which was shot in Sydney. He considered the film his "big break", but he was out of work for a number of months afterward. MacDonald attended an audition for television soap opera Neighbours in 1996 and was cast as Darren Stark, the son of Cheryl Stark. He relocated to Melbourne from Sydney for filming. The role of Darren had previously been played by Scott Major briefly in 1993. MacDonald departed the series in 1998, returning for guest appearances in 2004 and 2005, and again in 2007 and 2008.
In the early 2000s, MacDonald played the recurring role of Nathan Lieberman on The Secret Life of Us, which was one of his favourite roles. He stated "at the time the show was doing something entirely new which was a such a joy to be a part of." He appeared in the 2004 miniseries Salem's Lot, and had a supporting role in the drama series Rush in 2008. He has also appeared in BeastMaster, Blue Heelers, and feature film The Jammed.
In 2013, he appeared as Thomas with Libby Munro as Vanda in a production of David Ives' 2010 play Venus in Fur by the Queensland Theatre Company in Brisbane.
MacDonald was co-founder and artistic director of The Store Room Theatre in Melbourne in 1999. He went on to become an artistic associate of the Queensland Theatre Company from 2011 to 2014, and CEO and artistic director of La Boite Theatre Company in Brisbane, from 2015 until 2020.
In 2024, MacDonald appeared in the television film A Vintage Christmas as Mayor Mitchell.

Personal life

MacDonald is married to Queensland performer Rebecca McIntosh, whom he met while she was hosting Love TV at the Edinburgh Festival. They have twin daughters.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1995SaharaMike ClarksonTelevision film
1996–1998, 2004–2005,
2007–2008		NeighboursDarren StarkSeries regular
2000Virtual NightmareBobTelevision film
2000 On the BeachRadioman GilesTelevision film
2001BeastMasterBreonEpisode: "The Crystal Ark"
2001–2003The Secret Life of UsNathan LiebermanRecurring
2001Blue HeelersSnr Constable Simon BarclayEpisode: "Letter of the Law"
2004Salem's LotFloyd TibbitsMiniseries
2005Blue HeelersBrendan MaguireRecurring
2007The KingRichard CroftTelevision film
2008RushConnor BarryRecurring
2009 Snake Tales
2009–2010SatisfactionBernieRecurring
2010TanglePaulRecurring
2011Bed of RosesConradEpisode: "Laid Bare"
2019The Family LawRossEpisode: "Dancing in the Dark"
2022Darby and JoanNickEpisode 1.3

YearTitleRoleNotes
1997Bum MagnetJuddShort film
2001Martin FourMartinShort film
2002The Thing in the RoofWillieShort film
2002Guru WayneDavid FisherFeature film
2007The JammedTomFeature film
2008BelladonnaLukeFeature film
2009Welcome to the CosmosRobShort film
2010Don't Be Afraid of the DarkCreature Feature film
2010The PierJoelShort film
2021Thea Goes to TownHalShort film
2024AudreyRanch HandFeature film
2024A Vintage ChristmasMayor Mitchell

Theatre

As director

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