Portrait of Alex Dimitriades

Alex Dimitriades (b. 1973), actor, grew up in Earlwood, Sydney, the son of first-generation Greek immigrants. He began his career in the 1993 film The Heartbreak Kid, alongside Claudia Karvan, and later starred in the spin-off television series Heartbreak High. In 1998, he took on a significantly grittier role as the protagonist of the film Head On, adapted from Christos Tsiolkas' novel Loaded. His performance was critically acclaimed and earned him an AFI Award nomination. He went on to appear in many films, plays and television shows including The Slap (2011), for which he won the AACTA for Best Lead Actor in a television series. In 2016 he won the Logie for Most Outstanding Actor for The Principal (2015). Recent television credits include Tidelands (2018), The Cry (2018) and Amazing Grace (2021).

As an Australian-Greek man of a similar age, Michael Zavros had long been interested in painting Dimitriades. He painted this work for the 2005 Archibald Prize, employing a stark white background to focus attention on the actor's 'dark hooded eyes and intense stare.' 'He's a good-looking man', Zavros explained, 'but I wanted to avoid any kind of reference to the Greek Adonis ideal.'

Gift of the artist 2006. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Michael Zavros