Vernon Wells (actor)
Encyclopedia
Vernon George Wells is an Australian film and television actor who has built his career around action-type films, most often cast as a villain. He began appearing on Australian television shows in the mid-1970s, such as Homicide and Matlock Police
and All The Rivers Run
.
He is best known to international audiences for his role of "Wez", in the 1981 science fiction action film Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
. After Mad Max 2, Wells began appearing in Hollywood films, such as the military action film Commando
(1985) (as Bennett), which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger
, and the science fiction comedy Innerspace
(1987), which starred Martin Short
, Dennis Quaid
and Meg Ryan
. In the 2000s, Wells acted in the television series Power Rangers: Time Force
portraying the series' main villain 'Ransik'.
, Victoria, Australia, the son of Eva Maude (née Jackson) and Michael Wells.
Wells worked in a quarry, then as a salesman, and then in theatre and rock bands. In the 1970s, he was selected by casting agents to appear in a theatre play, and he started to appear in Australian TV commercials, print advertisements, local Australian TV shows such as Homicide and Matlock Police
and historical TV mini-series like Against The Wind
, Sara Dane and All The Rivers Run
.
His first cinema appearance was a minor role in Felicity (1979), a low budget, erotic fantasy film. Later Wells was cast as the homicidal biker "Wez", in the big budget Mad Max 2 (1981) filmed around Silverton
near Broken Hill in outback New South Wales, Australia. It is the role for which he is probably best known to international audiences, as Wells portrays a psychotic, post-apocalyptic gang leader who relentlessly pursues hero Max Rockatansky
(Mel Gibson
), before meeting a spectacular death at the film's finale.
Hollywood beckoned for Wells, and he spoofed his mad biker role in the popular 1985 teen comedy Weird Science
, written and directed by John Hughes
and produced by Joel Silver
. Wells so impressed Silver with his work in that film that he was immediately secured for the role of Bennett, who double-crosses Arnold Schwarzenegger
in Commando
(1985). When first approached for the role in Commando, Wells was in Australia working on the feature film, Fortress
based on the real life Faraday School kidnapping
, in a starring role opposite Rachel Ward
. Wells appeared as Roo Marcus in Last Man Standing (1987).
. The show was about a professor who accidentally enlarged three Sea Monkeys to human-size, and then had to deal with their comical ineptness in the world. In 1993, Wells starred in the science fiction film Fortress
with Christopher Lambert
(no connection to the previous movie of the same name).
Many of Wells' roles 1990s and 2000s portrayed villains, as in the films Circuitry Man (1990), Kick of Death (1997) and Starforce (2000), and Power Rangers: Time Force
(2001). In the Power Rangers episodes, he played the role of Ransik, a mutant crime lord from the year 3000 who travels back in time to take over the world. In 2002, he reprised this role for the Power Rangers Wild Force/Time Force two-part team-up episode "Reinforcements from the Future". Wells stars in the horror film Silent Night, Zombie Night.
Matlock Police
Matlock Police was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network between 1971 and 1975....
and All The Rivers Run
All the Rivers Run
All The Rivers Run is an Australian television miniseries from 1983 and 1989, starring Sigrid Thornton and John Waters. The miniseries is based on the Australian historical novel by Nancy Cato, first published in 1958. The film is marketed with the tagline A sweeping saga of one woman's struggle...
.
He is best known to international audiences for his role of "Wez", in the 1981 science fiction action film Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Mad Max 2 is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. The film is the second installment in the Mad Max film series, with Mel Gibson starring as Max Rockatansky...
. After Mad Max 2, Wells began appearing in Hollywood films, such as the military action film Commando
Commando (film)
Commando is a 1985 American action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vernon Wells, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke, Dan Hedaya and James Olson. It was directed by Mark L...
(1985) (as Bennett), which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, and the science fiction comedy Innerspace
Innerspace
Innerspace is a 1987 science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. The film was inspired by the classic 1966 science fiction film Fantastic Voyage. It stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Robert Picardo and...
(1987), which starred Martin Short
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
, Dennis Quaid
Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
and Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan
Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
. In the 2000s, Wells acted in the television series Power Rangers: Time Force
Power Rangers: Time Force
Power Rangers Time Force is the 2001 incarnation of the Power Rangers series, based on the Super Sentai series Mirai Sentai Timeranger, running for 40 half-hour episodes from February to November 2001. It was the 9th season of Power Rangers...
portraying the series' main villain 'Ransik'.
1970s and 1980s
Wells was born in RushworthRushworth, Victoria
Rushworth is a township in Victoria, Australia. It is located north of Melbourne and, at the 2006 census, had a population of 2066.-History:...
, Victoria, Australia, the son of Eva Maude (née Jackson) and Michael Wells.
Wells worked in a quarry, then as a salesman, and then in theatre and rock bands. In the 1970s, he was selected by casting agents to appear in a theatre play, and he started to appear in Australian TV commercials, print advertisements, local Australian TV shows such as Homicide and Matlock Police
Matlock Police
Matlock Police was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network between 1971 and 1975....
and historical TV mini-series like Against The Wind
Against the Wind (TV series)
Against the Wind was a 1978 Australian television mini-series.It is a historical drama portraying both the British rule of Ireland, and the development of New South Wales and Australia...
, Sara Dane and All The Rivers Run
All the Rivers Run
All The Rivers Run is an Australian television miniseries from 1983 and 1989, starring Sigrid Thornton and John Waters. The miniseries is based on the Australian historical novel by Nancy Cato, first published in 1958. The film is marketed with the tagline A sweeping saga of one woman's struggle...
.
His first cinema appearance was a minor role in Felicity (1979), a low budget, erotic fantasy film. Later Wells was cast as the homicidal biker "Wez", in the big budget Mad Max 2 (1981) filmed around Silverton
Silverton
Silverton has many uses:*Places:** United States*** Silverton, Colorado*** Silverton, New Jersey*** Silverton, Oregon*** Silverton, Ohio*** Silverton, Texas*** Silverton, Washington*** Silverton, Wyoming*** Silverton Township, Minnesota** Elsewhere...
near Broken Hill in outback New South Wales, Australia. It is the role for which he is probably best known to international audiences, as Wells portrays a psychotic, post-apocalyptic gang leader who relentlessly pursues hero Max Rockatansky
Max Rockatansky
"Mad" Max Rockatansky, sometimes referred to as The Road Warrior and The Man with No Name, is the main character from director George Miller's Mad Max franchise, appearing in the films Mad Max, Mad Max 2, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome...
(Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
), before meeting a spectacular death at the film's finale.
Hollywood beckoned for Wells, and he spoofed his mad biker role in the popular 1985 teen comedy Weird Science
Weird Science (film)
Weird Science is a 1985 American teen comedy film written and directed by John Hughes and starring Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and Kelly LeBrock...
, written and directed by John Hughes
John Hughes (film director)
John Wilden Hughes, Jr. was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He directed and scripted some of the most successful films of the 1980s and 1990s, including National Lampoon's Vacation, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful, Sixteen...
and produced by Joel Silver
Joel Silver
Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
. Wells so impressed Silver with his work in that film that he was immediately secured for the role of Bennett, who double-crosses Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
in Commando
Commando (film)
Commando is a 1985 American action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vernon Wells, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke, Dan Hedaya and James Olson. It was directed by Mark L...
(1985). When first approached for the role in Commando, Wells was in Australia working on the feature film, Fortress
Fortress (1986 film)
Fortress is a 1986 film directed by Arch Nicholson and written by Everett De Roche. It is based on Gabrielle Lord's novel of the same name, which was loosely based on the 1972 Faraday School Kidnapping....
based on the real life Faraday School kidnapping
Faraday School kidnapping
The Faraday School kidnapping occurred on 6 October 1972 at a one-teacher school in the village of Faraday in Victoria, Australia.- Incident :...
, in a starring role opposite Rachel Ward
Rachel Ward
Rachel Claire Ward, AM is a British actress, columnist, film director, and screenwriter who has primarily pursued her career in Australia.-Early life:...
. Wells appeared as Roo Marcus in Last Man Standing (1987).
1990s and 2000s
In 1992, Wells appeared in one of the few roles in which he is not cast as a villain, in the short-lived 1992 television comedy series The Amazing Live Sea MonkeysThe Amazing Live Sea Monkeys
The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys was a live-action television series that aired in 1992. The series aired 11 episodes before it was canceled. The show focuses on three Sea Monkeys—Dave , Bill and Aquarius —and their creator, The Professor...
. The show was about a professor who accidentally enlarged three Sea Monkeys to human-size, and then had to deal with their comical ineptness in the world. In 1993, Wells starred in the science fiction film Fortress
Fortress (1993 film)
Fortress is a 1993 science fiction film directed by Stuart Gordon and shot at Warner Brothers Movie World in Queensland, Australia. The story takes place in a dystopian future. The main character in the movie, John Henry Brennick and his wife Karen B...
with Christopher Lambert
Christopher Lambert
Christophe Guy Denis "Christopher" Lambert is an American-born French actor who has appeared in French, European and American productions. He is best known for his role as Connor MacLeod, or simply "The Highlander", from the movie and subsequent movie franchise series of the same name...
(no connection to the previous movie of the same name).
Many of Wells' roles 1990s and 2000s portrayed villains, as in the films Circuitry Man (1990), Kick of Death (1997) and Starforce (2000), and Power Rangers: Time Force
Power Rangers: Time Force
Power Rangers Time Force is the 2001 incarnation of the Power Rangers series, based on the Super Sentai series Mirai Sentai Timeranger, running for 40 half-hour episodes from February to November 2001. It was the 9th season of Power Rangers...
(2001). In the Power Rangers episodes, he played the role of Ransik, a mutant crime lord from the year 3000 who travels back in time to take over the world. In 2002, he reprised this role for the Power Rangers Wild Force/Time Force two-part team-up episode "Reinforcements from the Future". Wells stars in the horror film Silent Night, Zombie Night.
Filmography (partial)
- Mad Max 2 (1981)
- Weird ScienceWeird Science (film)Weird Science is a 1985 American teen comedy film written and directed by John Hughes and starring Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and Kelly LeBrock...
(1985) - CommandoCommando (film)Commando is a 1985 American action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vernon Wells, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke, Dan Hedaya and James Olson. It was directed by Mark L...
(1985) - FortressFortress (1986 film)Fortress is a 1986 film directed by Arch Nicholson and written by Everett De Roche. It is based on Gabrielle Lord's novel of the same name, which was loosely based on the 1972 Faraday School Kidnapping....
(1986) - InnerspaceInnerspaceInnerspace is a 1987 science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. The film was inspired by the classic 1966 science fiction film Fantastic Voyage. It stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Robert Picardo and...
(1987) - Last Man Standing (1987)
- American Eagle (1989)
- Circuitry Man (1990)
- The Shrimp on the BarbieThe Shrimp on the BarbieThe Shrimp on the Barbie is a 1990 comedy film directed by Michael Gottlieb and starring Cheech Marin. In Australia this movie was released as The Boyfriend From Hell...
(1990) - FortressFortress (1993 film)Fortress is a 1993 science fiction film directed by Stuart Gordon and shot at Warner Brothers Movie World in Queensland, Australia. The story takes place in a dystopian future. The main character in the movie, John Henry Brennick and his wife Karen B...
(1993) - UltimatumUltimatumAn ultimatum is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series of requests...
(1994) - Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II (1994)
- Manosaurus (1994)
- Space TruckersSpace TruckersSpace Truckers is a 1996 American comedy science-fiction film written and directed by Stuart Gordon. It was filmed at Ardmore Studios, County Wicklow, Ireland....
(1996) - Power Rangers: Time ForcePower Rangers: Time ForcePower Rangers Time Force is the 2001 incarnation of the Power Rangers series, based on the Super Sentai series Mirai Sentai Timeranger, running for 40 half-hour episodes from February to November 2001. It was the 9th season of Power Rangers...
(2001) - Beneath Loch Ness (2001)
- Curse of the Forty-NinerCurse of the Forty-NinerCurse of the Forty-Niner is a 2002 horror film directed by John Carl Buechler. It is known more commonly by its video title, Miner's Massacre.-Plot:...
(2003) - Looney Tunes: Back in ActionLooney Tunes: Back in ActionLooney Tunes: Back in Action is a 2003 American live action/animated adventure comedy film directed by Joe Dante and starring Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Timothy Dalton, and Steve Martin. The film is essentially a feature-length Looney Tunes cartoon, with all the wackiness and surrealism typical...
(2003) - Devil's Knight (2003)
- King of the AntsKing of the AntsKing of the Ants is a 2003 film from director Stuart Gordon. It is based on a novel by writer Charlie Higson, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. The film played at various festivals, but was not released wide theatrically due to its grim nature and content...
(2003) - ChastityChastityChastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....
(2005) - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2006)
- Tru LovedTru LovedTru Loved is a 2008 independent feature film written and directed by Stewart Wade.-Plot:Sixteen-year-old Tru has been raised in San Francisco by two lesbian mothers and two gay fathers...
(2007) - Green Street 2: Stand Your GroundGreen Street 2: Stand Your GroundGreen Street 2: Stand Your Ground is a sequel to the 2005 film Green Street directed by Lexi Alexander.-Plot:...
(2009) - The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie (2010)