Ashley Zukerman

Ashley Zukerman is an Australian actor best known for playing Dr. Charlie Isaacs on WGN America's Manhattan, and for portraying Jesse Banks on the Australian political thriller The Code, for which he received an AACTA award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama in 2014. Currently, he stars in the role of Peter MacLeish in the ABC political drama Designated Survivor.^[1]

Early life

Zukerman was born in Santa Monica, California,^[2] and moved to Melbourne with his family when he was two years old. Zukerman attended Wesley College, Melbourne, at the Glen Waverley campus and began a degree in Science and Engineering at Monash University before being accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts.

Career

Graduating from the VCA in 2006, his professional career began in the theatre. He had a critically acclaimed role in The History Boys,^[3] directed by Peter Evans for the Melbourne Theatre Company. He then appeared in HBO's war miniseries The Pacific, which premiered 14 March 2010 and also in Lowdown created by Adam Zwar and Amanda Brotchie. His Australian break came when he played Constable Michael Sandrelli on the long running series Rush for which he was nominated for a Logie award in the Most Outstanding New Talent category. In 2011, after his time on Rush , Zukerman joined the cast of the short-lived but loved Steven Spielberg-produced scifi TV series Terra Nova.

Zukerman then returned to the theatre working with director Eamon Flack at the Belvoir Theatre Company in As You Like It playing Orlando, and then two years later on Angels in America playing Joe Pitt. Angels in America went on to win Best Play at the 2014 Helpmann awards.^[4]

He went on to play socially dysfunctional genius hacker Jesse Banks opposite Dan Spielman in the Australian political thriller The Code created by Shelley Birse. The show received huge national and international acclaim and 10 AACTA award nominations, out of which it won six including Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama for Zukerman.^[5]

Early in 2014 Zukerman won the role of ambitious wunderkind Dr. Charlie Isaacs in the WGN America original drama Manhattan created by filmmaker Sam Shaw and directed by Thomas Schlamme.

Filmography

• Designated Survivor (TV, 2016) - Congressman Peter MacLeish^[6]
• Fear the Walking Dead (TV, 2016) - William
• Childhood's End (TV, 2015) - Jake Greggson^[7]
• Manhattan (TV, 2014-2015) – Charlie Isaacs^[8]
• The Code (TV, 2014-2015) – Jesse Banks
• Underbelly: Squizzy (2013) - Detective James Bruce
• Mr and Mrs Murder (2013) – Alex Moran
• Terra Nova (2011) – Lucas Taylor
• The Slap (TV, 2011) – Dylan^[9] (one episode)
• Rush (TV, 2008–2011) – Michael Sandrelli
• Lowdown (TV, 2010) – Dylan Hunt
• The Pacific (TV, 2010) – 2nd Lt. Mac
• Blame (2010) – Anthony

Theatre

• As You Like It (2011) – Orlando^[10]
• This Is Our Youth (2009) – Warren^[11]
• B.C. (2009) - Joseph^[12]
• The Hypocrite (2008) – Valére^[13]
• The History Boys (2007) – Timms^[14]

References