Mark Furze
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| Mark Furze | |
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 Mark Furze |
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| Born | Mark Furze May 7, 1986 Orange, New South Wales,  Australia |
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Mark Furze (born 7 May 1986) is an Australian actor who is best known for his role as Eric "Ric" Dalby on the popular soap opera Home and Away. Mark has been playing Ric since late 2004.
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[edit] Career
Furze has starred in several productions by the Orange Theatre Company, including Oliver!, where he played the lead role at the age of ten.[1] His first TV role was in the children's television program Outriders[1] and also in a film called "Balmain Boys". At the age of 15 Furze had found himself an agent and landed a role in Water Rats.[1] He was a contestant on It Takes Two, a celebrity singing challenge, and was partnered with Rachael Beck. They managed to come 3rd. He was listed in the annual Cleo's Most Eligible Bachelors list in 2006, but failed to win. In free time he likes skateboarding and playing soccer.[1] Apart from acting Furze is also interested in music, being involved in two bands, one a heavy metal band and the other a punk band.[1] It has been confirmed that Furze will be participating in Soapstar Superstar in the new year. He was also seen in the video clip of Guy Sebastian's single 'Elevator Love' in 2006 playing guitar. He has also been in the movie 'Jessica' as the son of the main character.
[edit] Soapstar Superstar
Furze has been confirmed as a contestant on the UK TV show Soapstar Superstar.[2] The new series commenced airing on 5 January 2007.
The fourth performance of the series was Supreme by Robbie Williams. Judge comments were somewhat mixed. Cowey though that Mark was "onto a sticky wicket" with his song as people would compare it to Robbie Williams' version. Michael said Mark has a great voice and a great look, but agreed with Cowey that the song need Williams' showmanship to pull it off. Martine told Mark that he sang the song better than she thought he would, and told him that he "looked gorgeous". Billy commented to Mark that his performance was "great" and "the competition is in your hands".
The fifth performance was Tom Jones's It's Not Unusual. Cowey commented that the performance was "mega", Martine said Mark had taken the competition to a whole new level. Billy said that Mark reminded him of young Elvis Presley, and that the future was bright for Mark. Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi was Mark's sixth song of the series, Judges Billy Sammeth and Chris Cowey said that the performance was on par with Bon Jovi's and that they would be proud of that performance. Michael felt that the key was too low, but that overall the performance was good.
On the seventh night of the competition Mark was given Luck Be a Lady, from the musical Guys and Dolls to sing. All of the judges agreed that this genre is not Mark's forte, but said his performance was good. Mark's next performance was Jamiroquai's Canned Heat, a song which he chose himself. Martine said there are loads of good looking guys, singers and actors, but if you put them all together you get Mark Furze. Guest judge David Gest said Mark was simply great. Billy said Mark looks like a pop star. Cowey told Mark that if he continued with his past form then he would be in the final. After the end of the performances on the seventh show the judges told the remaining contestant that they would be singing three songs and would also need to learn a dance routine for one of the songs.
The three songs Mark had to perform were Kiss from a Rose by Seal, Billy Joel's Tell Her About It, and I Can Make You Feel Good by Shalamar. The judges comment varied but on the whole the comments were really positive, but they did comment that Mark's dancing could have been better, Billy Sammeth told him that he knows Mark can dance, as he did when he performed It's Not Unusual.
During the series Mark was rumoured to be dating fellow contestant, Hollyoaks: In the City star Gemma Atkinson, although both have denied these rumours.
Furze finished third in the competition, after being beaten for a place in the final by Emmerdale's Hayley Tamaddon and Coronation Street's Antony Cotton.
[edit] Trivia
- Dolly Magazine's March issue stated that one of the reasons Furze was given his role in Home and Away was because of his chest hair, and the fact that producers are experimenting with a different body type to contrast the current, generally smooth and youthful teenage cast.[citation needed]
