Greg Tait is an Indigenous Australian actor, and musician. He is also a former policeman who sits on some Indigenous committees. His acting credits include the role of Texas in the award winning 2011 film, Mad Bastards, Satellite Boy and a recurring role in the series Firebite.
Greg Tait | |
|---|---|
| Born | Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Actor, musician, businessman, former policeman |
Originally from Halls Creek in the East Kimberley, Western Australia, he is an established singer on the Kimberley Country Music scene. His debut album was Silver Stallion.[1] Up until his acting debut, he had a long career as a policeman. He had no real acting experience, but Mad Bastards' director Brendan Fletcher who was looking for a larger than life character came across him and selected him for the role. Tait took time off his law enforcement job to work with Fletcher.[2]
Leaving school at the age of 12, he spent time in and out of jail and ended up with a criminal record. Fathering a child at 18, he ended up joining the Army Reserves which put him in a different direction. At 21, he was an Aboriginal Police Liaison Officer. He gave up drinking in 1990. As a policeman, he has had to lock up close family members including his sister and brother.[3] He was a policeman for 17 years in Western Australia.[4] He was interviewed by Deadly Vibe magazine regarding his life experiences and the role in the film.[5]
He is a senior member of the Ngarrawanji native title claim group.[6][7] He is also the vice-president of The Kimberley Stolen Generation Aboriginal Corporation (KSGAC).[8]
Playing the burly local policeman in Mad Bastards which is set in a small Kimberley town, he tries to keep the peace with locals as well as within his own family. He also forms a men's group.[9][10] In the film, he is the grandfather of the boy Bullet who is being sought out by his father TJ (played by Dean Daley-Jones). The grandson is in trouble so rather than send him to detention, he sends him to a camp for a couple of weeks. Texas and TJ eventually have a physical confrontation.[11][12]
He had a role in the film, Satellite Boy which also starred David Gulpilil, Cameron Wallaby, Joseph Pedley and Dean Daley-Jones.[13]
He played the role of Smokey in the Australian series Firebite which ran from 2021 to 2022.[14][15]
| Title | Role | Director | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mad Bastards | Texas | Brendan Fletcher | 2010 | [16] |
| Satellite Boy | Aboriginal Liaison | Catriona McKenzie | 2012 | [17] |
| Title | Episode | Role | Director | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firebite | "The Last Bloodhunter" | Smokey | Warwick Thornton | 2021 | |
| Firebite | "We Don't Go Down" | Smokey | Warwick Thornton | 2021 | |
| Firebite | "I Wanna Go Home" | Smokey | Tony Krawitz | 2022 | |
| Firebite | "The Bastard King" | Smokey | Tony Krawitz | 2022 | |
| Firebite | "Hero's Life" | Smokey | Brendan Fletcher | 2022 | |
| Firebite | "The Rise of the Fallen" | Smokey | Brendan Fletcher | 2022 | [18] |