Cast Bios Bindi Irwin
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‘RETURN TO NIM’S ISLAND’ CAST BIOS BINDI IRWIN (Nim) – Bindi Irwin is only 14 years old and is already an international award- winning celebrity. Born to wildlife enthusiastic Steve and Terri Irwin – a passion Irwin has inherited – she first appeared on television as a small child and by the age of nine had appeared on numerous American talk shows, including “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Oprah” and “Larry King Live.” In 2007, Irwin launched her clothing line, Bindi Wear International, and that same year she was awarded two Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for “Fave Aussie” and “Biggest Greenie.” Also in 2007, Irwin launched her very own TV show, “Bindi: The Jungle Girl,” which won an Emmy® in 2008 and was nominated for an Emmy® again in 2009. Irwin loves to sing and dance, particularly about wildlife and regularly performs songs from her popular and award winning DVDs at Australia Zoo. Irwin has also performed at special events such as “G'Day USA” at the Music Centre in LA and the New York City Centre in 2007. In 2008, Irwin won a Logie for “Most popular new female talent” and in 2009 she was nominated for an ARIA (Australian Record Industry Award). Both Irwin and her younger brother Robert were awarded the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for “Biggest Greenies” in 2009. They accepted this award together and dedicated it to their father Steve and the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve. Irwin has also co-created a range of books called Bindi Wildlife Adventures which have been launched in Australia, New Zealand in 2010 and the US in 2011. Released early 2010, Irwin played the lead-role in her first full-length feature film, “Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove.” ### TOBY WALLACE (Edmund) — Toby Wallace was born in 1995 in London and moved to Australia at age eight. He made his film debut playing Tom, one of the leading roles in Kriv Stenders’ “Lucky Country,” going on to roles in the Underbelly telemovie “The One Who Got Away” and appearing in several episodes of the long-running Australian television series “Neighbours.” Wallace has also appeared in the feature film “Surviving Georgia,” starring alongside Pia Miranda and in the moody coming-of–age drama “Galore,” opposite Ashleigh Cummings and Lily Sullivan. ### (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/‘RETURN TO NIM’S ISLAND’– Cast Bios – Page 2 MATTHEW LILLARD (Jack) — Matthew Lillard’s first on-screen role was the summer after he finished high school, when he was hired as an extra for “Ghoulies III: Ghoulies Go to College.” Most recently, he starred in the acclaimed feature film “The Descendants” with George Clooney, sharing with his fellow cast members nominations in several major screen awards, including the Screen Actors Guild, Gotham and Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards. Along the way, Lillard’s many screen credits include “Scooby-Doo,” “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,” “Serial Mom,” “The Pool Boys,” “She’s All That,” “Scream,” “Hackers” and “SLC Punk!” ### NATHAN DERRICK (Felix) — Nathan Derrick won a scholarship to the Victorian College of the Arts and is a singer and dancer, as well as an actor. On screen Derrick has had roles in several successful Australian television series including “Rush,” “Bed of Roses,” “Neighbours,” “Blue Heelers” and “Fast Forward.” He has also appeared in several stage productions including The Boy from Oz, High School Musical and The Sound of Music. ### JOHN WATERS (Booker) – John Waters is one of Australia’s most loved performers. His first big break was in musicals, playing Claude in a Sydney production of Hair in 1969, then Judas in Godspell. Among his most famous roles are Sergeant Robert McKellar in the 1976 television series “Rush,” Capt. Alfred Taylor in the Academy Award® winning film “Breaker Morant,” directed by Bruce Beresford and as Pontius Pilate in the Australian concert production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Many Australians remember him fondly from his nearly 20-year stint on the much loved Australian children's series “Play School.” Waters’ heart-throb status was confirmed in the 1983 Australian miniseries “All the Rivers Run.” Waters won the AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the film “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and was in the original Australian production of “They're Playing Our Song,” starring opposite Jacki Weaver. Waters is also an accomplished musician and has toured for many years with his one man show “Looking Through a Glass Onion,” a tribute to John Lennon. He currently appears on the Logie-award winning series, “Offspring.” ### JACK PEARSON (Ben) – Jack Pearson’s first major role was in the Australian television series “Winners and Losers.” Pearson grew up on a rural property and was drawn to acting in high school, securing an agent in his last year of studies. At his second audition, he landed a starring role in the Disney Channel's “As the Bell Rings.” Guest roles in “City Homicide” and “Rush” followed. He also had a guest role in “The Hollowmen” and was featured in the short film “Look My Way.” In his spare time, Pearson enjoys gymnastics, snowboarding and wake boarding. ### (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/‘RETURN TO NIM’S ISLAND’– Cast Bios – Page 3 SEBASTIEN GREGORY (Frankie) – Sebastien Gregory, who divides his time between Melbourne, Australia and Los Angeles, performed publicly for the first time at the age of 11. A self-taught guitarist, drummer and songwriter, Gregory formed a band called Menace when he was just 13. After being spotted in his own music video, Gregory was signed to an acting management agency. He made his first television appearance in a 2004 episode of “Blue Heelers.” Two years later he landed a recurring role in the soap opera “Neighbours.” Gregory made his feature film debut in “Acolytes” and this was followed by a role in the film “Beautiful” and a regular role in the children's television series “The Elephant Princess.” Gregory's next film roles were in the comedy films “Accidents Happen” and “A Heartbeat Away.” He was also invited to join the cast of “Neighbours” for a second time and plays drums for the internationally successful Australian rock band The Veronicas. --HALLMARK CHANNEL-- .