Hugh Sheridan first made his name as an actor playing Ben on the family drama Packed to the Rafters. But for the Adelaide-born performer, his true love is music.
Music is a family affair for Sheridan. His father, Denis Sheridan, was a jazz musician, and the pair regularly performed together right up until Denis’s death in 2021. The younger Sheridan now counts a painting of the both of them as his most prized possession. Here, the actor and musician tells us about that deeply personal piece of art, as well as sharing the stories of two other important belongings.
What I’d save from my house in a fire
When my father passed away, my great friends Jo and Jordan, who are brothers and terrific artists based in downtown Los Angeles, surprised me with a painting of Dad and myself singing. It was such an incredible gift and a beautiful gesture.
Dad and I had been singing together since I was a baby. There are actually home videos of me crawling up to him on stage, he’d pick me up and I’d start trying to grab the mic before I could even talk! We were always close but became even closer when he was older – he was a best friend and we had a lot in common, including our love of music.
The painting is bright and colourful; Dad’s blue eyes really pop. Singing with Dad was always a beautifully emotional experience, so looking at the painting reminds me of that. The painting is currently hanging at my home in LA, where I get to look at it and remember those special moments.
My most useful object
My tuxedos. Some people go to work in a uniform and mine just happens to be a tux. I’ve always believed the saying that “fine feathers make a fine bird” and never is that truer than putting on a sharp tux, complete with a bow tie, before a gig – if you look the part, I think it’s safe to say everyone appreciates the effort. Another good one my dad used to say was “it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed”, and I have to agree.
I own a lot of tuxedos – more than I can count – but many of them are in storage or have been lost or damaged while on the road. But my favourites come from MJ Bale – they’re beautifully made, detailed to you and uniquely Australian. I always buy off the rack, as it’s easy to have them adjusted by a tailor afterwards. And I’m not above having a look in the Salvos for a second-hand designer number.
The item I most regret losing
A beautiful necklace I’d acquired about 20 years ago. It was on a long white gold chain, with two pendants from the second world war era – one was a Saint Christopher pendant, a symbol of protection and guidance, and the other was a little surfboard. I was told when I bought it that the necklace belonged to a fallen soldier and always wondered how he had passed, where he was from, and what surfing meant to him.
I bought the pendants in New York, my favourite city in the world. And then I had the chain made in Adelaide, where I was born, out of 32-carat white gold. It was a beautiful way to tie my two homes together. It was also a tangible representation of “making it”, as I grew up without money and worked hard to be able to afford the necklace.
The good thing about the expensive chain was that it was heavy, so I could easily swim in it without it coming off – or so I thought. I’d swum in it in many different bodies of water around the world but, one day, I jumped off a boat with friends in Sicily, and off it went. It’s now at the bottom of the ocean, along with all the treasures and jewellery of the Mediterranean.
Hugh Sheridan’s new album, Something Big, is out now
