Roy Billing OAM
Roy Billing in 2012.
Born	Roy Harwood Billing 1947 (age 77–78) New Zealand
Occupation(s)	Actor, comedian
Spouse	Linda Tizard (¿? - present)
Children	Kelly Billing Simon Billing (1975 - October 26, 1995) deceased

Roy Harwood BillingOAM (born 1947) is aNew Zealand television actor, now based onWaiheke Island, New Zealand. He was brought up inRuawai,Northland, New Zealand. Billing spent almost three decades living and working in Australia. He became widely known for his role as organised-crime boss “Aussie Bob”Trimbole in the TV seriesUnderbelly.

In 1965 Billing formed apsychedelic rock band called The Ministry of Fog. After a short period at university doing a science degree, he dropped out and got a job at Inland Revenue. After three years he moved into advertising, joining Auckland agencies Jacka Brown and later, McCann Erickson. “For a long time, I was stuck in accounts when I really wanted to be in creative.”^[1]

After hobby stints in amateur theatre and Theatre Corporate, founding director Raymond Hawthorne offered him a job with a state theatre program, Theatre in Education, working with high schools throughout the North Island. Billing left advertising to take up the less lucrative new role, at the age of 30. It was the beginning of his life as an actor.

"Looking back now, I don’t know how I managed it. Theatre in Education was actually quite a hard job. We travelled around the country going to schools and trying to engage students in the concepts of drama, and of course they didn’t want to know about it."^[1]

Billing has starred in many television shows and had main roles onBad Cop, Bad Cop,Dossa and Joe andHell Has Harbour Views. Billing also had a recurring role onBlue Heelers as Senior ConstableIan Goss, onAlways Greener as Eddie McGill, inPacked to the Rafters as Ron Barrett, and inUnder the Mountain. In 2000 he featured in the filmThe Dish, a comedy about theMoon landings, portraying the Mayor ofParkes. He also appeared as part of the ensemble on the 2006 season ofThank God You're Here. He has had a guest role onAll Saints.

From 2012 Billing has played Harry Strang in theJack Irish television drama series and television movies adapted from the detective novels byPeter Temple.^[2]

In 2009, Billing played Griffith drug lordRobert Trimbole in the high-rating drama seriesUnderbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, starring alongsideMatthew Newton. He also starred in the filmCharlie and Boots. Billing played the part of Chief Dufflepud in the 2010 filmThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as well as a recurring character in theNine Network police dramaCops L.A.C..

He started acting with Theatre Corporate, Auckland in the late 1970s. Early roles in New Zealand were inSea Urchins a 1980-84 New Zealand TV series, the 1982 filmsThe Scarecrow andBeyond Reasonable Doubt, the 1985 filmCame a Hot Friday, and asCaptain Gordon Vette in the 1988 miniseriesErebus: The Aftermath.

In 2013, he appeared in the New Zealand television comedyAgent Anna,^[3] for which he agreed to be paid at New Zealand rates.

In 2020, Billing starred in the Australian comedy-drama filmNever Too Late.^[4]

Billing returned to New Zealand to live in late 2019.^[1]

In 2023, Billing was announced for the ABC seriesAustin.^[5] On 22 June 2025, Billing was named in the cast for Paramount Plus seriesTwo Years Later.^[6]

In 1999, Billing was nominated in the 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role' award at theAFI Awards for his role inSiam Sunset. In 2009, Billing won the 'Best Actor in a Television Drama' award at the AFI Awards, and was nominated for the 'Outstanding Actor' award at the 2010Logies for his role in Underbelly.

Billing's career achievements were honoured in 2009 when he was inducted into theAustralian Film Walk of Fame.^[7]

On 26 January 2015, Billing was awarded theMedal of the Order of Australia for "service to the performing arts, particularly as an actor, and to the community".^[8][9]

In 2015, Billing became the first person to be honoured with a star onWinton's Walk of Fame which was revealed duringThe Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival inWinton, Queensland.^[10]

Billing is a national ambassador for the cancer charityDry July and has supported the charity for over 4 years.^[11]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toRoy Billing.

• Official website
• Roy Billing atIMDb
• Roy Billing at NZ On Screen
• Courting With Justice documentary[1]
• Interview fromNew Zealand Listener of 2 August 2003, pages 12-13
• Photo of Roy Billing (right) inUnderbelly
• Roy Billing - Actor Profile

• 1947 births
• 20th-century New Zealand male actors
• 21st-century New Zealand male actors
• Living people
• AACTA Award winners
• New Zealand emigrants to Australia
• Australian male television actors
• Australian male film actors
• New Zealand male stage actors
• People from the Kaipara District
• Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
• 20th-century New Zealand comedians
• New Zealand male comedians
• 21st-century New Zealand comedians

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from September 2016
• Use Australian English from September 2016
• All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
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• Commons category link from Wikidata