Frank Woodley

Frank Woodley's Biography

Since emerging from the acclaimed duo Lano and Woodley in 2006 Frank has created four new stage shows and his own ABC series Woodley. 2013 saw Frank open at the Sydney Festival, collaborating with acclaimed acrobat Simon in INSIDE which is set to tour Australia through the year.

Since hanging up his hat with Lano & Woodley, Frank has been busier than a bee (bees are allegedly flat out). His smash hit solo show Possessed played across Australia and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with packed houses and rave reviews. In addition, his animated short, Chicken of God, received an AFI nomination and he won the coveted Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Fringe for his role of Candide in the Malthouse Theatre production of Optimism.

Frank was also a regular guest on ABC TV’s music quiz show Spicks and Specks and Network TEN’s Good News Week and an audience favourite on Thank God You're Here.  

Australia’s most visually compelling comedian was never far from the stage – doing live stand up in the unique song singing, limb flinging Woodley way. It was no surprise that Frank’s 2010 solo tour, Bewilderbeest, quickly sold out around the country, firmly cementing him as once of one of Australia’s most-loved comedians. In 2012, Frank was back on stage with his new show Bemusement Park.

2012 also saw the much anticipated debut of Woodley on ABC TV. Created by, written, produced and starring Frank as the title character opposite Justine Clarke and newcomer Alexandra Cashmere, Woodley is a romantic comedy filled with virtuosic physical mayhem. It also resulted in Frank receiving an AACTA nomination for Best Performance in a Television Comedy.

Frank then premiered Inside - another new, daring stage show, this time alongside Simon Yates from acclaimed physical troupe, acrobat. This Kafkaesque piece put the two clowns in prison and premiered at the 2013 Sydney Festival before touring to Adelaide and Melbourne.

In 2014 Frank returned to his Woodley way with a new show, Fool’s Gold, performing at Adelaide Fringe, Darwin Festival, Brisbane and Sydney Comedy Festivals, and of course the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He’s also stretched his musical legs in his collaboration with Harvest Rain (playing Sir Robin in Monty Python’s Spamalot at QPAC) and as the Inspector in Lemony Snicket’s The Composer Is Dead at the Sydney Opera House and the Melbourne Recital Centre.

Frank’s recent exciting foray – into children’s fiction – via Penguin Books hit the shelves in July 2015. The first two books in the Kizmet series can be found in all good book stores around Australia.

2016 will see Frank tour not one, but TWO new shows – one for the kids and the other for adults. Something for everyone who loves Woodley’s special brand of nonsense-genius.