Hugh Sheridan is an Australian actor, singer, and television presenter who is known for his^{[lower-alpha 1]} role as Ben Rafter in the television series Packed to the Rafters. Sheridan is a four-time Logie Award winner, in the Logie Award for Most Popular Actor category.

In 2009 he released the album Speak Love, and has released three singles. He is also a co-founder and member of singing trio the California Crooners Club.

Sheridan grew up in the Adelaide suburb of Millswood. His father, Denis Sheridan, was a jazz musician, and was mayor of Unley from 1982 to 1985, and his mother, Margaret, and all seven children in the family were active in the community. Hugh attended Loreto College in Marryatville for the junior primary years, before changing to Saint Ignatius' College.^[2]

He began training at Unley Youth Theatre aged 5,^[3][4] later (2010) becoming patron of the then renamed Urban Youth.^[5]

From the age of 16 studied advanced dance at the Terry Simpson Studios in Adelaide, where his teacher recommended that he audition at the Australian Ballet School, where he was accepted. While studying dance there, he also studied opera at the Victorian College of the Arts.^[4]

Upon leaving the Australian Ballet School, Sheridan was accepted into the Bachelor of Dramatic Art course at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, aged 18. In his final year there, he won the role of Ben Rafter in the pilot for Packed to the Rafters.^[4]

Sheridan performed in The Lost Echo with the Sydney Theatre Company, and was then hired for the Seven Network series Packed to the Rafters as Ben Rafter, for which he won several awards. In February 2011, he filled in as host on The Kyle & Jackie O Show alongside fellow Packed to the Rafters star George Houvardas.^[6] In 2012, Sheridan hosted the Network Ten talent show series I Will Survive, during a production break for Packed to the Rafters.

Controversy

In 2020, the Australian production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch was postponed after a petition highlighted the lack of LGBTQ representation in the show and expressed "disappointment" over the casting of Sheridan in the lead role of Hedwig, whom many believe to be a transgender character.^[7] On Instagram, Zoe Terakes shared an open letter to the Sydney Festival penned by a group of people including Daya Czepanski, David Campbell and Michaela Banas, explaining why trans representation is vital when telling the story of a trans character.^[7] The letter also called for the recasting of Sheridan, who stated an attraction to both men and women but avoids a sexuality label.^[7] In response to the letter, the American creators of Hedwig, John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, issued a statement saying they did not believe that Hedwig was transgender, and that anyone could play the role, however, the Australian producers, Showtune Productions, cancelled the show.^[8]

Other projects

In March 2021, Sheridan debuted his stage show Hughman at Adelaide Fringe.^[9] Sheridan reprised his role as Ben Rafter in Back to the Rafters, an Amazon Prime Video reboot of Packed to the Rafters.^[10]

In 2022, Sheridan was revealed to be Rooster when he placed third in Season 4 of The Masked Singer Australia.^{[citation needed]}

In 2023, Sheridan performed the lead role of Jonathan Larson in Tick, Tick...Boom! in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney.^[1]

In 2009 he released the album Speak Love, which peaked at no. 86 on the Australian charts.^[11] He has also released the singles "Just Can't Throw Us Away",^[12] "All About Me",^[13] and "Speak Love".^[14]

Sometime before 2015 Sheridan and friends Emile Welman and Gabe Roland formed the singing trio California Crooners Club, after sharing their love of jazz music in Hollywood.^[15] The California Crooners Club, based in Los Angeles,^[2] has performed at the Adelaide Fringe (2015, 2019, 2020) to good reviews,^[16][17][18] with six shows sold out before their first appearance. In 2015 they were also booked for Melbourne and Sydney.^[15] They performed in a Spiegeltent at the Brisbane Festival in 2016 and 2018.^[19][20]

In 2010 Sheridan became patron of Urban Myth Theatre of Youth.^[5]

In 2017, he was appointed as one of three Fringe Ambassadors for the Adelaide Fringe.^[21]

Sheridan came out as non-binary and bisexual in an Instagram post on 26 June 2021,^[22][23] In an October 2020 interview with Stellar, Sheridan revealed relationships with both women and men but preferred not to label his sexuality.^[24]

He was married to Venezuelan actor Rafael de la Fuente from 2009 to 2018.^[21] On 5 March 2021, Sheridan proposed to boyfriend Kurt Roberts during the opening night of the Hughman stage show;^[25][26] their separation was announced in November 2021.^[27]