Mark Priestley

Australian Actor
9/8/1976 – 27/8/2008

Mark Priestley was born in Perth, Western Australia, and moved to Sydney in 1997 to study at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating in 1999.   The following year he appeared in the ABC mini-series “The Farm” and later in “Changi”.   He subsequently appeared in the television dramas “the Secret Life of Us” and “Blue Heelers” and in 2004 “All Saints”, in the role of Nurse Dan Goldman, for which he was best known.

It is reported that Mark had suffered from depression for a number of years.  It is not known whether Mark was receiving treatment for his depression and there is very little information available about how he managed it.  However, it is reported that family, friends, colleagues and his Channel 7 network employer were aware and supportive of him during the bleak periods.
 

He was unable to work on some days and production of “All Saints” was at times re-scheduled around his illness to accommodate him and to allow him to recuperate.
 

He had apparently been struggling since a split from his girlfriend of several years (playwright and actress Kate Mulvany).  The relationship having ended just three weeks prior to his death. 
 

He was ultimately unable to beat the personal demons which led him to take his own life on the afternoon of 27 August 2008. 
 

Mark was rewarded for his acclaimed work on “All Saints” in April 2009 when he was nominated for a posthumous Logie Award for ‘Most Popular Male Actor on Television’.  
 

Mark was just 32 years old when he died and had a promising career in the entertainment industry ahead of him.

Refs: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/622095/more-details-of-priestley-death-emerge
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/mark-priestley-dead-co-star-jolene-anderson-injured/story-e6freuy9-1111117323324
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/all-saints-star-priestley-was-my-soul-mate/story-e6frfmyi-1111117343385

Reviewed January 2011