Home and Away nostalgia is simply a part of the Australian zeitgeist, and the early 2000s was a particularly intriguing time for the iconic soapie.
As a part of the iconic Noughties lineup, which included Beau Ryan and Bec Hewitt, actor Mark Furze, 35, played the lovable but sometimes misunderstood teen Ric Dalby.
Mark started on the show in 2004, and his character went from a mischievous, bad-tempered teen to a thoughtful good guy.
Mark’s character became more of a good guy by the end of his character arch.
(Image: Seven)Mark’s character, fortunately, escaped a tragic end, like death or scandal, as he went on to live peacefully in Perth.
Despite leaving the show in 2008, the star, who received two Logie nominations in the Most Popular Actor category, has previously admitted he’d be open to returning to Summer Bay.
“As far as I know, Ric is still alive somewhere, so I’d never say never,” the star told TV WEEK last year.
“I had the best experience on that show and have made some incredible friendships,” Mark said.
He continued to reveal that he still catches up with former co-star Todd Lasance “all the time,” as well as Isabel Lucas and the “Hemsworth boys” from time to time.
“I spent nearly 10 years in LA, but I moved back to Sydney’s northern beaches a year ago, so I’m open to whatever work comes my way.”
“Home And Away was a very special time in my life,” Mark admitted.
During his soapie days, the actor won heartthrob status thanks to his clean-cut looks. Flash forward to 2021 and Mark is rocking a rugged beard and a totally bold head.
“Home And Away was a very special time in my life.”
(Image: Seven)These days, Mark is focused on music as much as he has retained an acting career.
He has recorded three albums and toured with the rock band Shotgun Alley.
Last year, the actor proved his vocal chops when he starred on The Voice Australia.
Mark landed himself on Australian pop royalty, Guy Sebastian‘s team, and he did pretty well on the show by making it into the semi-finals.
The actor-turned-singer admitted to feeling nervous about going on a reality show and broadcasting his talents.
“I do feel a bit vulnerable in putting myself out there on a reality TV show,” Mark told us at the time.
“I really had to think it over.”
But the performer was determined to break away from his Home And Away days and re-brand himself as a signer.
“I’m keen to reintroduce myself to Australia. Ric will always be a part of my life – I still get recognised as him – but I want to show off another side of myself.”
“I’m aware people will see me as the guy from Home And Away, but music is a huge part of who I am too,” Mark said.
Mark was on Guy Sebastian’s team on last year’s season of The Voice.
(Image: Instagram)Since his stint on the reality talent show, Mark has gone on to perform Bon Jovi covers with his band Stonelove around Australia.
As for his acting career, his big-ticket item since leaving Home And Away was his role in the Underbelly series.
He has also starred in a few short films, and his latest project was playing a character called Ruben on the series Harrow.
But in a merging act of talents, most recently Mark has been part of a musical production called Chess The Musical, and the project has travelled all around Australia over the past few months.
Interestingly, the singer has also had a hand in creating soundtracks for various projects.
In 2011 he contributed to the soundtrack for A Heartbeat Away, and in 2012, he worked on the video short called Rebel.
Mark has been determined to carve out a successful music career.
(Image: Instagram)Away from the stage, Mark is a doting husband to his gorgeous wife, Laural Furze. The pair have been together for ten years and tied the knot in 2015.
The couple posts loving pictures dedicated to one another all the time, and although they are typically private about their life together, last year, they opened up about going through a miscarriage.
“I wanted to share this because it doesn’t feel right just pretending this huge life event hasn’t happened to us. I want to respect it and be open about it,” Laurel explained in a powerful Instagram post.
“Women should feel more comfortable to talk about pregnancy loss and that’s another reason I felt compelled to share my story. I’m sure there’s a few of you reading this that have been through the same thing 💓 It sucks, but it’s nothing to feel ashamed about,” she added.
“I’ve had a wonderful support network around me and I couldn’t imagine doing this alone. Mark has been so incredibly wonderful to me this week, I feel so grateful to have a man like him by my side.”
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