Damian Walshe-Howling Biography: Age, Height, Net Worth, Parents, TV Shows & Movies, Spouse

Damian Walshe-Howling is an Australian actor, director and writer best known for his portrayal of underworld figure Andrew “Benji” Veniamin in the crime series Underbelly, a performance that earned him the 2008 AFI Award for Best Supporting or Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

He first gained widespread recognition as Constable Adam Cooper in the long-running police drama Blue Heelers and has since built a diverse career across television, film and independent directing, with notable credits including The Reef, Janet King and Last King of the Cross.

Damian Walshe-Howling
Wiki Facts & About Data
Name:	Damian Walshe-Howling
Born:	22 January 1971 (age 55 years old)
Place of Birth:	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Nationality:	Australian
Height:	1.78 m
Parents:	Iris (née Romanella) and Mr. Walshe-Howling
Siblings:	Morgan Howling
Occupation:	Actor, Director, Writer
Net Worth:	$1 million–2 million

Early Life and Education

Damian Walshe-Howling entered the world on 22 January 1971 in the inner south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, to mother Iris (née Romanella), an Italian-born actress, director and drama teacher associated with La Mama and the Pram Factory, and a father who was a professor of third-generation Irish background.

He has a brother named Morgan. He attended an arts-specialist high school, spent a year studying drama, dance and music at Rusden College (associated with Victoria College), and later trained at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York in 1999, focusing on the Practical Aesthetics technique. He is of Italian and Irish descent, and his religion is Christianity.

Career

Damian Walshe-Howling began performing in small theatre productions as a child and entered the professional industry around the age of 19. Early television appearances included the children’s anthology More Winners and a guest role in Neighbours.

His first major breakthrough came as Constable Adam Cooper in the popular police series Blue Heelers, where he was a main cast member from 1994 to 1998 and returned for the series finale in 2006, appearing in approximately 180 episodes.

His career advanced with roles in The Secret Life of Us (earning an AFI nomination), films such as He Died with a Felafel in His Hand and Ned Kelly, and the critically acclaimed performance as Andrew “Benji” Veniamin in Underbelly, which brought him the 2008 AFI Award for Best Supporting or Guest Actor in a Drama Series and a Logie nomination.

Subsequent highlights include the lead in the survival thriller The Reef, appearances in Terra Nova, Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms, Janet King, Mystery Road, Bite Club, Jack Irish and Last King of the Cross as Joey Romano. He has also directed and written short films, including the award-winning Unspoken, which received the Grand Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

In later years Walshe-Howling has continued to balance acting with directing and writing, taking on roles in projects such as 2067, Just a Farmer, Return to Paradise and Thou Shalt Not Steal while developing independent short films. His body of work demonstrates a consistent presence in Australian screen storytelling, particularly within crime and dramatic genres, alongside a growing reputation as a filmmaker.

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: @damianromanella

Personal Life

Damian Walshe-Howling has never been married and is currently single. He has publicly stated that he remained single for many years and has not disclosed any long-term romantic partners or children.

Filmography

• Blue Heelers (1994–2006)
• The Secret Life of Us (2001)
• He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2001)
• Ned Kelly (2003)
• Macbeth (2006)
• Underbelly (2008)
• The Reef (2010)
• Terra Nova (2011)
• Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms (2012)
• Mystery Road (2013)
• Around the Block (2013)
• Janet King (2014–2017)
• Bite Club (2018)
• 2067 (2020)
• Last King of the Cross (2023)
• Just a Farmer (2024)
• Unspoken (2024)

Net Worth

Damian Walshe-Howling has an estimated net worth of approximately $1–2 million, built primarily through decades of steady work as a leading and supporting actor in Australian television and film. Additional income has come from directing and writing short films, teaching, and related creative projects within the industry.

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