Former South Sydney Rabbitohs forward George Burgess has made a dramatic career shift, trading his boots for the box office as he prepares to feature in a new film.
Best known for his time with the South Sydney Rabbitohs between 2012 and 2019, Burgess has steadily built a resume in the entertainment industry since stepping away from rugby league.
The Englishman, however, has continued to keep his connection to the club through being mentored by Rabbitohs co-owner Russell Crowe.
He first ventured into acting in 2018 with his feature film debut in Locusts, before moving into theatre the following year, where he won the People's Choice Award for Not So Enchanted.
More recently, he secured a small role in the 2024 action thriller Land of Bad, starring Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth and Russell Crowe, and also appeared in Spartacus: House of Ashur.
Burgess is now set to star alongside Crowe in 'Beast', an MMA fighting drama that marks another major step in his acting career.
“One of four brothers and a twin, I was kind of the odd one out in terms of being creative,” Burgess explained to the Daily Telegraph.
“I used to draw and paint and sing, and did drama class when I was in school, and I first felt like I was at home there. I got the lead in the first school play that we ever did, and that was the start for me, being on stage in front of the rest of the school and playing this character. From then on, it was always in my brain. And things happen along the way – you become an awkward teenager, and you get embarrassed, you've got all the brothers that maybe shy you away from it … but when I felt like I could do it again, in my mid 20s, I started revisiting it, and I found a love for it again.
“And now we're here. So I'm not playing sports anymore, and I can do my dream. The fuse was lit very early in my life, long before sport was.
“Sport, for me, was never gonna be my thing. I was studying art and drama … and then my dad passed away when I was 15, and my brothers we decided that we were gonna try and play professionally together, to pay homage to his legacy. And that's what we did.”
A key figure in Burgess' transition has been Crowe, who is also a co-owner of the Rabbitohs and first met the forward through the club.
"He's been great – and separate from movies,” he says of their friendship.
“When I was 18, and he signed me at the Bunnies, he had no idea I wanted to be an actor at that time – but I did. And we've been friends ever since. I think I plucked up the courage to tell him I was gonna be an actor in my mid 20s and he wasn't too sure if I was joking or if I was serious, but hopefully now he can see that I'm putting in the work, and I've been doing it for many years and, hopefully, can continue some good work in the space.
“He's been like a father figure for me. I lost my dad when I was 15, and I met him three years later, so he kind of filled that older figure role for me"
With a growing list of credits and the backing of one of Australia's most established actors, Burgess' move from rugby league to film is quickly becoming more than just a post-career pursuit.
