Actor and Producer

Dr Geoffrey Rush was named in Australian of the Year in 2012.

Dr Rush, who has earned acting's coveted "Triple Crown" (Academy, Emmy & Tony Awards), was the 1998 UQ Alumnus of the Year and was awarded a UQ honorary doctorate of letters in 1997.

His honours also include four Screen Actors Guild awards, three British Academy Film Awards and two Gold Globes.

Dr Rush's acting credits range from Shakespearean plays to his Oscar-winning 1996 performance as pianist David Helfgott in Shine; the voice of a pelican in Finding Nemo; Captain Hector Barbarossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise; to playing speech therapist Lionel Logue in The King’s Speech.

The Geoffrey Rush Drama Studio at the University’s St Lucia campus honours his contributions and is a training space for UQ drama students.

Dr Rush is the foundation president of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts and is known for his support of young actors and arts companies.