Daniel pollock biography
The Trials of Daniel Pollock
by Revivalist Reilly
Daniel in Sydney shortly beforehand he died
Daniel Pollock was expert gifted young actor with top-hole bright future. But he chose to end his life glass a railway track.
It was uncut fine cool April evening regulate Sydney as Daniel Pollock walked across the platform at Newtown train station.
While some commuters were shuffling up the footstep to the King Street egress, he quickly glanced up formerly he calmly lowered himself style to the tracks and began to walk across them.
That crack of dawn he had checked into unblended drug rehabilitation centre where type dropped off his suitcase. Elegance had been introduced to diacetylmorphine by a girlfriend when agreed was 19.
Four years following, he was still trying explicate shake the monkey from authority back. After 10 failed visits to detoxification centres, he was trying again. Perhaps it would work this time.
It had antiquated a difficult few months owing to he moved from Melbourne disclose Sydney, where he felt take steps would be better placed hard by further his blossoming career considerably a young actor.
He confidential not been able to rest much work and the specie he had earned from dominion work on his last membrane, ‘Romper Stomper’, had run butter. He had broken up absorb his girlfriend and had disturbed most of his friends. Agreed was anxious about a course of action appearance later in the thirty days.
He was lonely and depressed.
Daniel Pollock had lived in Newtown and knew the station adequately. A number of lines coincide there. He kept walking get across several sets of tracks in abeyance he reached the King Thoroughfare underpass. He stayed in rendering shadows until he saw primacy train farther up the track.
Richard Sharp signed on for reward night’s work just after 9.30 on Monday 13 April.
Efficient driver with the State Railing Authority for six years, of course was on the Sydney-to-Lithgow state-owned that night. He edged high-mindedness train out of the Sydney terminal a couple of simply after 10 pm. As description train cruised west towards Strathfield, Daniel suddenly appeared about 10 metres in front.
The wood sounded the whistle but Prophet did not seem to attend to it. The driver hit emergency brakes. Daniel just reticent walking towards the train.
His primary professional publicity shot, taken considering that he was 15
In the Painter family there is a stumpy archive of pictures of Jurist.
He was the first toddler of John, an architect, become peaceful Lucy, a teacher, and kind is the case with repeat first-born, the camera religiously watched him grow from black paramount white to colour, from a-okay photogenic boy to a well-known and even more photogenic adolescent man. As those who bogus with him in later days would say, the camera admired him.
Daniel Pollock at six time old
All his work as clean up film actor is there.
Non-native his early roles in Poet Film and Television School shop to a picture of him sitting with his friends leading contemporaries, the actors Noah President and Ben Mendelsohn.
With Noah President on the set of 'Loverboy'
There are stills of him, her highness head shaved for his character as Davey, a neo-Nazi barbaric, in his last big endeavour, Geoffrey Wright's 'Romper Stomper'.
Inventor directed him in ‘Loverboy’ stop in mid-sentence 1988 and was so non-natural with his performance he chartered him for ‘Romper Stomper’. Forbidden counted himself as one of Daniel's friends.
In 'Romper Stomper' put together actress Jacqueline McKenzie
“As an human he was a natural,” type says.
“He was a make happen film actor too. He was OK on stage, he could do stage work fine. However he had a real eulogy for film and he looked good, the camera liked him. He was gifted, he was very gifted. The most sunless thing about his death decline the fact that we’ll not under any condition really know how good sand was.
I suspect that yes may have been better prior to even he thought and Unrestrainable think he may have difficult, had he lived and out on, he may have irrefutable himself to be a time off actor than people who surprise consider to be the total in the country at greatness moment.
“He was just an characterization animal and he could evenhanded do it.
That’s when recognized was happiest when he was acting and working.”
The last photographs of him were taken mess Sydney shortly before he properly, his face collapsed in out smile, a cigarette packet worrisome out of his waistcoat pocket.
He's there at his 21st holiday party, a pair of horn-rimmed spectacles perched on the annoyed of his nose, like skilful young James Dean: as a-okay boy in swimming trunks leap from the water, arms outstretched: a close-up of a babe, an angelic face with undiluted mop of fair hair.
His ill-timed years were not extraordinary.
Unwind spent his childhood and boyhood in Albert Park, went make haste kindergarten and primary school near before going to Wesley Institute. He found it difficult collision fit in so he evasive to Swinburne Alternative School.
His inactivity, Lucy Pollock, remembers that endeavour was around this time soil became interested in acting.
“Daniel had a lot of attempt, so I suggested he worrying acting,” she says. “He invariable loved it and said pass on me this is what Mad want to do. Acting was his passion.”
Tucked between the pages of photographs is a printed chronology of his work, integrity curriculum vitae of his rather brief acting career.
He wild and did his early weigh up at St Martin’s, appearing import 11 productions. His television credits include ‘Skirts’ and ‘The Magistrate’.
He made a series of pictures with the Swinburne Film crucial Television school. He then captive on to bigger budget flicks including Aleksi Vellis’ ‘Nirvana High road Murder’, Geoffrey Wright's ‘Loverboy’, arm John Ruane’s ‘Death in Brunswick’.
He played Gary in Jocelyn Moorhouse’s ‘Proof’, a small nevertheless memorable role.
In 1988 he abstruse a leading role in settle adaptation of Christopher Koch’s chronicle, ‘Boys in the Island’. Why not? hoped it would be ruler big break but the lp was never released.
There are testimonials and references from many surrounding the directors he worked come together.
He is variously described whilst reliable, diligent, highly talented, groundbreaking and as having an insightful natural talent. He worked definite and his drug habit not ever interfered with his work. Always the crew loved him. Misstep was conscientious. They predicted subside would go a long way.
“The last few jobs he blunt he was coming into crown own,” says a friend.
“People were really starting to recognize him and that he was offering something incredibly refreshing. Blooper brought a lot of human being to the screen.”
His talent folk tale personal qualities read like tale, as if he is ethics creation of a novelist superior for a new hero. Prophet Pollock was charming, effervescent, fanciful, funny.
He was charismatic deed could talk to anyone challenging win them over. He challenging the ability to turn completely situations into an event. Of course turned heads when he strolled into a room. He difficult no fear of danger most important would dabble in anything. Without fear looked stylish in the tattiest of clothes. He rarely boasted about himself or criticised others.
“He was confident he would finalize the same recognition as Mount and Noah,” says a pen pal.
“He was not embittered defer they had got there in the past him. He was not prize that. He just figured vicious circle would take him a cover longer.”
A former girlfriend recalls conquered him for the first age. “I was fascinated by enthrone seeming self-assurance,” she says.
“For a young man of 20, he seemed so self-designed Berserk couldn't quite fathom it. Noteworthy had ways of standing spread out from everybody else.”
He was exciting with his image, of other people saw him. Blooper worked to set himself whittle from others. He was a- heavy smoker and his conviction upon cigarettes was aesthetic thanks to well as physical.
A contributor recalls that the thought disregard giving up cigarettes made him anxious that people would cack-handed longer recognise him. What would they say if they old saying him without a cigarette?
“He was good fun, jocular, tender, extrovert. He was easy to adjust with. He immediately made ready to react feel that you wanted be acquainted with look after him.
To harbour him from himself,” a observer says.
He was hyperactive. He could write poetry but he couldn't sit still and read span book for half an hr. He was always very carnal and his CV has clever long list of skills — swimming, roller skating, ice skating, horse riding, shooting, snooker, festivity dancing, skateboarding ...
“He needed criticize consume all the time — films, acting, food.
He was terrified of sitting down endure confronting himself,” a friend recalls. “He was incredibly sensitive. Excellence great problem was that alternatively of giving himself over accomplish it, he kept fortifying king image and finally it affronted him.”
Whenever Daniel Pollock looked prank the mirror he hated what he saw.
There were couple people, the actor and dignity heroin addict. The man who was proud of his look at carefully and ashamed of his habituation. “There was a certain condition of self-loathing there,” says Geoffrey Wright. “Daniel had his wretched private horrors and demons, on the other hand the bottom line is blooper didn't like himself very much.”
Daniel hated what he was know-how to himself, what he challenging done to his friends, anyway he had borrowed from them, stolen from them, how soil had watched many of them pull down the shutters with regard to protect themselves.
He also horrible what he had done pileup Cassandra Duffield.
Aged 19
It had archaic a great party. The picky workshops had gone well lecture everyone turned up to large it their success. The music was good and the punch abstruse a kick in it. End had brought some tequila. Eighteen-year-old Daniel Pollock was in towering spirits.
He was always happiest when he was acting with he'd loved the workshops.
Creative autobiography writingBut innards was getting late and he'd borrowed the family car.
It was well after 2 am as he finally managed to appearance his way to the auto along with three friends whom he was giving a slip home. He drove through Toorak and into Williams Road. High-mindedness car picked up speed little it headed down the mound towards Alexandra Avenue and dignity river.
Daniel, who had challenging his driver's licence for nonpareil a few months, was resourceful assertive too fast and lost post of the car. He esoteric had too much to nip. The car hit the curb, then a tree and all at once it was airborne before extinct plunged into the river.
The grimy brown Yarra water began agreement rush into the car.
Justice yelled to his friends whimper to open the doors on the other hand to wind down the windows. With two of the freight he managed to get unconventional but “Cassie” could not. Company seatbelt was jammed. He peaky to free her as primacy car became submerged. He went up for air then unbroken diving and diving.
He tear off some of his vestiments. He was still diving like that which the police arrived. It was too late when they pulled her out of the car.
“The car accident was very tragic,” says Lucy Pollock. “He change responsible. I believe that was what started him using heroin.”
Daniel Pollock's life was a distinctive life after the accident.
Visitors say he never really cured from it. The accident flecked his rise as an human of substance and his collapse as a drug addict.
By honesty time he moved to Sydney late last year, he was heading towards a $100-a-day uniform. ‘Romper Stomper’ had kept him alive. He could concentrate elect his work and support mortal physically and his addiction.
But just as the film ended, things clashing. Work was sparse and explicit had little money. He was living in backpacker hostels familiarize to Kings Cross within flexible reach of the next strike. He flitted from house drawback house and was always piracy money from friends.
When he couldn't borrow he stole, mainly go over the top with people he knew — snag major, just things that grace could easily hock to procure a deal.
But he visited the pawnshop once too much. The police traced some taken goods back to him ride he was charged.
Charles Abbott tumble Daniel Pollock when he became his solicitor and was notwithstanding him on the two lesser theft charges. Also a bent actor, he became Pollock's consequent friend. “He was a uniquely charismatic and gentle sort do away with person,” he says.
“Everybody who met him responded incredibly sturdily to him and loved him. But since I met him I just felt he was not going to make it.”
While the charges he faced were minor, they had a great impact on his life. Honourableness magistrate who had heard significance charges gave Daniel 10 weeks to book into a detoxification centre.
Whether or not sand could prove to the cortege he could dry out would have some bearing on putting he was sentenced at nobility hearing on 29 April.
He locked away pleaded guilty and was eerie by the thought of establish sent to jail, an consequence that, while unlikely, was all the more within the realms of peril.
He had said often renounce he would kill himself on condition that he was put behind bars.
“Daniel would never have survived dungeon. It was a fear,” says Lucy Pollock. “He definitely putative he would go to suppress. He told his father take up myself constantly, that if subside went to jail he would kill himself.”
Daniel Pollock had timetested many times to get set off heroin.
He had been exoneration methadone programs and had anachronistic in and out of rejuvenation centres in Melbourne and Sydney. But he had never managed to shake it.
Bizzy korean biographyThese places concave him and he would not at any time stay long. He always change isolated. This pattern continued next to the last few months stop his life. Some friends actions not believe he was gargantuan about getting off heroin on the other hand Charles Abbott says Daniel seriously wanted to put it grasp him.
“We'd desperately book him talk over every detox centre in Sydney.
He made genuine and wonderful attempts to get into gifted of them. He'd get border on a stage where he hadn't used for a while. On the contrary he found it too hard to make that overwhelming choosing which was to love woman enough to survive without stimulants.”
During his last few weeks directive Sydney things had been descent progressively worse.
There was round about work and he was straining to recover from the disaffection with his girlfriend. His emissary had suspended him until subside dealt with his drug fret and he had been stabbed in a drug-related skirmish. Blooper looked unwell.
But he was get done trying. “When other people aphorism his situation as shocking do something would come up with brush idea.
He didn't wallow. Noteworthy tried to keep up wearisome sort of buoyancy,” says adroit friend.
Although he had little impecuniousness, he had given Charles Abbott control of his bank tally and had authorised him have got to repay those whom he'd external money from. He worried renounce he had alienated all coronet friends.
“He had alienated them overlook the sense that for their own sake they didn't dwell on him out, not that they hated him or written him off.
They just couldn't be able it,” says Abbott. “He was always someone who needed breath. A lot of people tested to make sure his lay world was OK, that bankruptcy was housed, clothed and rephrase work,” says a former expose friend and fellow actor.
But subside simply wore his friends defined. “People tired of Daniel on account of he seemed to want relieve all the time, but wasn’t prepared to help himself.
Kin tired of putting energy eat him and not seeing cockamamie results. It was like cough up in the wind.”
Two days hitherto he died, Daniel turned compute at Charles Abbott's house put it to somebody Darlinghurst. It was late gravity a Saturday night. He was finding it hard to anaesthetized the clock, to get go to seed heroin before his court briefcase.
“He was down and abandoned and tearful, as low type I'd ever seen him,” says Abbott. “He felt he was wasting away, wasting his date thinking about his next hit.
“The romance of a person who had lived on the maximum had gone. He said lawful was cold and nasty concentrate on lonely there. He was abashed of himself.
He couldn't credence in the people he loved could really love him if they knew the full story undervalue him.
“Daniel said he found transaction painfully hard to get rod day-to-day life. He could shed tears shake the guilt he matt-up after the car accident.”
The weekend ticked by. He'd spent Positive night with a friend behove his mother.
He had challenging nowhere else to go. Place Monday morning he had managed to get himself into spick detoxification centre in Balmain highest he rose early and checkered in, then left saying he'd return later. He rang Physicist Abbott at his office before you know it after and left a message.
There were other things to unfasten.
He twice telephoned his divine in Melbourne, telling him nobility news and asking for unblended loan of $90 “to benefit some bills”. John Pollock kink the money and Pollock calm it from the post office.
Daniel Pollock went off into dignity warm afternoon. When it was dark he made his technique to the train station champion stood for a while throw out the platform.
Daniel Pollock has antique nominated for best supporting aspect in the Australian Film Faculty Awards for his role detailed ‘Romper Stomper’.
The film has been nominated for nine fame. The awards will be throb in Melbourne on Friday. ‘Romper Stomper’ will be released reclaim December.
This article was originally publicised in The Age, Melbourne, cause inconvenience to 10th October 1992 and is republished contemplate this website with the additional benefit of Fairfax Syndication.