Home and Away’s Mark Furze: Playing Ric Dalby, marriage to Miss Universe star and career change
From soap stardom to showing off his musical talents on The Voice Australia, the Ric Dalby actor was one of Home and Away’s heartthrobs before departing the popular show
Mark Furze went from being Summer Bay’s bay boy to having the voice of an angel after leaving Home and Away.
He was one of people’s favourite characters in the soap, playing Ric Dalby, the grandson of Alf Stewart.
w old is Mark and where is he from?
Mark was born on 7 May 1986, making him 38 years old. He is originally from Orange in New South Wales, Australia.
Soap stardom
Mark started acting in several productions by the Orange Theatre Company, with him landing the lead role in Oliver! at only 10 years old.
His TV debut came when he starred in a n’s television program called Outriders, which was followed up with an appearance in the film Balmain Boys.
Only four years after his big theatre role, he joined the cast of Water Rats and later played the role of the main character’s son in a movie named Jessica.
Mark is best known for his role in Home and Away in which he played the role of Ric Dalby. The character started out as a bully and a hot-head, but over the course of his storylines, he became one of Summer Bay’s good guys, who could be known to throw a punch.
His time on the soap was filled with incredibly dramatic moments, from being charged with murder for a crime he didn’t commit, getting involved in an illegal bare-knuckle boxing plot and the revelation that he was Alf Stewart’s grandson.
Ric’s personal life was also a centre of his ups-and-downs on the show, with him dating Cassie Turner, played by Sharni Vinson, Belle Taylor played by Jessica Tovey and his best friend Matilda Hunter played by Indiana Evans – whom his character ended up with.
Mark left Home and Away in 2008 and began focusing on a different career path – singing.
He took part in It Takes Two, a celebrity singing challenge, where he came third with partner Rachael Beck.
The actor was also a contestant on the 2007 UK TV show Soapstar Superstar. He came third again behind Emmerdale’s Hayley Tamaddon and Coronation Street’s Antony Cotton.
He returned to acting and appeared in the short film ‘Count Me In’ and an interactive short film shot on location at beaches around New Zealand.
He later acted in the series 2010 Underbelly: The Golden Mile, the Australian feature film A Heartbeat Away and an American thriller called Strays.
Focusing on his music career, he was part of several rock bands, including Falcon Road and Shotgun Alley, who released three albums. He was also seen playing bass guitar in Guy Sebastian’s single ‘Elevator Love’.
In 2020, he did a blind audition for The Voice Australia singing ‘Blow’ by Ed Sheeran. He was chosen by Kelly Rowland and made it all the way to the semi-finals.
Long-time love story
Mark is married to Laural Barrett, who won Miss New Zealand in 2007 and starred in the Miss Universe that same year.
The couple first met in 2011 while on the set of New Zealand rock group ShotgunAlley’s music video for the song Eventually.
They welcomed their first child together in January 2022 and they named her So
