Stephen Peacocke

Stephen Peacocke was born on 30 October 1981 in Dubbo, New South Wales, the son of former accountant Gareth Peacocke and Sylvia Peacocke. Growing up he attended schools in South Dubbo before completing his secondary education at a boarding school in Bathurst, and later studied communications at the University of Newcastle where a drama class taught by Glenn Hazeldine sparked his passion for acting. During his twenties he supported himself with a variety of labour‑intensive jobs—unloading freight trucks, working as a jackaroo for a meagre $3 an hour, and even playing rugby for the Dubbo Kangaroos before injuries steered him toward the stage. In 2004 he won the City of Newcastle Drama Award for his portrayal of Ricko in A Property of the Clan, a triumph that encouraged him to relocate to Sydney. There he lived in a cramped share house in Stanmore, struggled to pay rent, and pursued every opportunity in community theatre, appearing in productions such as Brand Spanking New, Interrupting Grace and Stories from the 428. His on‑screen breakthrough arrived in 2006 with a small role in Suburban Mayhem, followed by a recurring part as Zeb Hall on the medical drama All Saints in 2007. The defining moment of his career came in 2011 when he was cast as Darryl “Brax” Braxton on the popular soap Home and Away, a performance that earned him two Logie Awards for Most Popular Actor and a nomination for the Gold Logie. After departing the show in 2015 he expanded into film, appearing in Hercules (2014), Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) and Me Before You (2016). Recent years have seen him headline the series Wanted, Five Bedrooms, RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service and The Newsreader, the latter garnering an AACTA nomination. Off‑screen, Peacocke married fellow University of Western Sydney alumna Bridgette Sneddon in 2014 and the couple welcomed a daughter in 2023, keeping their family life largely private.