Josh Lawson Siblings: A Closer Look at the Actor’s Family Tree
Actor Josh Lawson PHOTO/NBC
Josh Lawson is an Australian actor, writer, and director, born on July 22, 1981, in Brisbane, Queensland.
Raised in Brisbane, he attended St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace, before graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 2001 with a degree in Performing Arts (Acting).
Lawson further honed his craft by studying improvisation techniques in Los Angeles at renowned institutions like The Second City, The Groundlings, ACME Comedy Theatre, and I.O. West.
He is best known for roles such as Doug Guggenheim in the Showtime series House of Lies, Tate in Superstore, and Kano in the 2021 film Mortal Kombat.
Siblings
Josh comes from a family of five brothers, with two of his siblings, Ben Lawson and Jordan Lawson, having pursued careers in the public eye.
Ben Lawson, born on February 6, 1980, is the older brother and a well-known Australian actor.
He gained prominence for his role as Frazer Yeats on the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 2006 to 2008, earning a Logie Award nomination for Most Popular New Male Talent in 2007.
Ben has since built a successful career in American television, appearing in series like Designated Survivor, 13 Reasons Why, and Firefly Lane, as well as films such as No Strings Attached (2011) and Bombshell (2019), where he played Lachlan Murdoch alongside Josh’s portrayal of James Murdoch.
Raised in Brisbane, Ben also attended St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace, and studied at NIDA, following a similar path to his brother.
Their parents, Peter, a general practitioner, and Dianne, a former flight attendant and secretary, divorced when Ben was seven, and the brothers grew up in a close-knit family despite the split.
Jordan Lawson, Josh’s younger brother, is a musician and the bassist for the Brisbane-based band The Gallant.
Less is known about the other two brothers, Matt Lawson and an unnamed sibling, as they have not pursued public careers, and information about their personal or professional lives is scarce.
Career
Lawson’s career began in Australian television with minor roles in series like The Wayne Manifesto (1997) and Medivac (1996–1998).
After graduating from NIDA, he quickly gained traction with guest roles on popular Australian shows such as Blue Heelers and Home and Away, where he played Felix Walters in 2004.
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His comedic talents shone on the improvisational comedy program Thank God You’re Here and in roles on Sea Patrol and The Librarians.
Lawson also co-hosted Wipeout Australia in 2009 and was a regular guest co-host on the Australian radio comedy show Get This during 2006 and 2007.
His transition to American productions marked a significant turning point, with roles in the sitcom Romantically Challenged (2010) and the critically acclaimed House of Lies (2012–2016), where he played the sharp-witted Doug Guggenheim.
Lawson’s film career took off with his debut in the Australian comedy BoyTown (2006), followed by starring roles in Any Questions for Ben? (2012) and appearances in Hollywood films like The Campaign (2012) and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013).
As a writer and director, Lawson made his feature debut with The Little Death (2014), a sex comedy he also starred in, which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival and earned nominations at the AACTA Awards and the Australian Writers’ Guild Awards.
His short film The Eleven O’Clock (2016), which he wrote and starred in, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2018.
More recently, Lawson portrayed Kano in Mortal Kombat (2021) and appeared in St. Denis Medical (2024), continuing to balance acting with writing and directing projects like Long Story Short (2021) and the award-winning short After the Credits.
Accolades
Lawson’s short film The Eleven O’Clock earned a 2018 Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film and won Best Comedy at LA Shorts Fest, as well as Best Comedy Script in the 2006 Short and Sweet theatre competition.
His feature film The Little Death was nominated for six AACTA Awards, including Best Original Screenplay, and won the Audience Award for Narrative Spotlight at the SXSW Film Festival.
The film also received nominations at the Australian Writers’ Guild Awards and the Sao Paulo International Film Festival.
Lawson’s short film After the Credits secured Best Comedy at LA Shorts Fest, Best Narrative Short (Comedy) at the Fargo Film Festival, and Best Achievement in Screenplay at the St Kilda Film Festival, with an additional nomination for an AWGIE Award.
In 2017, Lawson won the AACTA Award for Best Short Fiction Film.
His play Shakespearlialism won the Naked Theatre Company’s Top Shorts playwriting competition in 2005 and was produced as a radio drama by ABC Radio’s Airwaves program.
Additionally, Lawson was shortlisted for the Phillip Parsons Award at Belvoir Theatre in Sydney for his playwriting and was recognized by GQ Australia as part of their 2008 Men of the Year list.