Michael Hamish Budd is a renowned Australian film actor, director, and producer who has collaborated with renowned actors who hold prestigious awards such as the Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and ACCTA Awards.
In 2023, Eliza Godman painted a portrait of Michael Budd, titled "Remembering," for the Archibald Prize. The portrait features Budd sitting in a director's chair with his grandmother looking over his shoulder. Godman is a winner of the AFI Best Costume Design award for her work on Baz Luhrmann's film Australia, and Budd met her on the set of a commercial.
Michael Budd is best known for his role as Esmael alongside Henry Cavill and Sigourney Weaver in The Cold Light of Day, a film that also starred Bruce Willis. He got his first break in a motion picture when he was asked to body double and stand-in for Laurence Fishburne on Matrix 2/3 for over 200 shoot days.
As the director and producer of Ruby's Choice, Michael Budd received widespread coverage and international press. The film starred two-time Golden Globe winner Jane Seymour O.B.E. and Jacqueline McKenzie.
On September 24, 2023, Michael Budd won two significant awards at the Burbank International Film Festival (BIFF) for Ruby's Choice, including Best Foreign Film and Best Feature Film. The prestigious event was attended by a star-studded audience and coincided with the honoring of the legendary filmmaker Tim Burton.
Michael Budd's film Ruby's Choice premiered at the 37th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on March 7, 2022, and was nominated for Best International Feature Film.
Michael Budd grew up in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and became fascinated with acting and filmmaking styles. He studied in London and was mentored by a second-generation Meisner tutor. He has worked on stage productions of Chekhov, Shakespeare, and Mamet.
Michael Budd has directed, produced, and starred in several films, including "Love of My Life," a Horror/Thriller that premiered at the 2013 Mt. Hood Independent Film Festival and won Best Horror/Thriller. The film was later sold on V.O.D. release to 100 million homes across the U.S.A. and to many countries in Europe.
Michael Budd has also completed "Life of the Party," which had its American premiere at the Arena Cinelounge in Hollywood, CA, and had its screenplay picked up by the Oscars Foundation to be displayed in the Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for the permanent Core Collection.
Michael Budd is set to direct, produce, and star in the Sci-Fi film "Enter Sanctum," due to release in 2023, and is proving himself to be one of Australia's leading independent filmmakers.
