Andrew McFarlane (born 1951) is an Australian actor with many stage, television, and film credits.
McFarlane was born in Albany, Western Australia. The family moved to Brisbane in the 1960s, often taking long trips to Adelaide where his grandparents lived. His father was a cattle drover and McFarlane accompanied him to far west Queensland, droving, when he was eleven.
After the family relocated to Melbourne, McFarlane attended Camberwell Grammar School, where he was involved in school plays and school cadets.
McFarlane studied a Bachelor of Dramatic Art majoring in Acting, at Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating in 1973, alongside actress Tina Bursill.
Crawfords police dramas Homicide and Matlock Police, McFarlane won a recurring role on Division 4, before joining World War II soap opera The Sullivans, as oldest son John Sullivan. He left the series after eighteen months and in the storyline John was reported missing in action â the writers left his final fate unresolved, in the hope McFarlane would return to the show. He returned to the role in the TV movie spinoff The John Sullivan Story. The role gained McFarlane a Sammy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series in 1977.
In 1977, McFarlane appeared in the Walt Disney family film Harness Fever, as Teddy's older brother Doone Boyd. It was released in UK cinemas in 1977 and again in mid 1978, under the name Born to Run. It wasn't released in Australia however, until 1979. The same year, it was split into two parts and shown on American television on NBCâÂÂs The Wonderful World of Disney.
From 1979 to 1983, McFarlane had a lead role opposite Robert Coleby in action drama series Patrol Boat, as Lieutenant David Keating. During this time, he also appeared alongside an all-star cast in the 1982 World War I miniseries 1915, as Robert Gillen. A big budget production, the series was sold to over 40 countries, creating a demand for Australian programming in the US.
McFarlane took the lead role of Dr Tom Callaghan in the miniseries The Flying Doctors in 1985, reprising the role in the ongoing series that followed. He left the series after 16 episodes, at the height of its popularity, but returned in the fifth season for a further 37 episodes, through to 1991. He also appeared in Rafferty's Rules as Police Prosecutor Gibson in 1988.
From 1995 to 1997, McFarlane had a regular role in children's fantasy adventure series Spellbinder, as Paul's widowed father and scientist, Dr Brian Reynolds. He also had a recurring role in New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, as Bobby Wrightman jr in 1996, before playing Jeff Scheppers in teen series Heartbreak High the following year.
McFarlane began a long-running presenting role on children's series Play School in 2000, with a tenure of over 25 years to date. He then took on two soap opera characters, playing Ian Osbourne, the father of Tasha Andrews in Home and Away in 2004 and Izzy HoylandâÂÂs father, Bobby Hoyland in Neighbours in 2005. He also played Hugh Delaney in the drama series The Alice from 2005 to 2006.
In 2009, McFarlane portrayed prominent Australian anti-drugs campaigner and murder victim Donald Mackay in the second season of the Underbelly franchise, '. He appeared in a musical for the first time in 2010, in Fame â The Musical at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney.
In 2014, McFarlane had a supporting role as Jim Miller in period drama series Love Child. He also had a recurring role, playing against type, as nefarious Dr Milson in post-war drama series A Place to Call Home. That same year, McFarlane played paedophile priest Father Marco Andrassi in the Foxtel miniseries Devil's Playground, alongside Toni Collette and Simon Burke. The series was devised as a sequel to the 1976 Fred Schepisi film of the same name, which also starred Burke. His portrayal earned him a win at the ASTRA Awards for Most Outstanding Performance in a TV Drama and an AACTA Award nomination for Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama.
McFarlane next appeared as Dick Hibey in American political drama feature Truth, opposite Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett. The same year, he had a starring role in ABC's six-part supernatural drama series Glitch, portraying Vic Eastley. In 2016, he followed this with a main role as corrupt politician Geoff Matthews in Cleverman and regular parts in both The Code as Neil, and eight-part crime series Hyde & Seek as Stuart Flanagan. He then starred as Eric Whitley in Newton's Law in 2017.
In 2019, McFarlane appeared alongside Anna Torv, in series Secret City, as Air Chief Marshall Lockwood, a character involved in a political cover-up. 2023 saw McFarlane perform in a Sydney Theatre Company production of Hubris & Humiliation which earned him a win for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Mainstage Production at the Sydney Theatre Awards. In 2025, he reunited with Torv in drama series The Newsreader, playing the recurring role of media mogul Richard Bertrand.
Most recently, McFarlane has starred in 2025 American miniseries ', portraying Gabinius, a corrupt Roman senator. His most recent stage role, was as Charles Mallory in David Williamson's The Social Ladder at SydneyâÂÂs Ensemble Theatre from January to March 2026.
McFarlane has long been open about his homosexuality.