Home and Away's Ric star's new career as he looks unrecognisable 16 years after leaving soap
Home and Away star Mark Furze is best known for his role on the Australian soap, where he played Eric 'Ric' Dalby for four years before his departure in 2008. Fans will remember Ric as a bully in Summer Bay, quickly gaining a reputation as a violent character with little respect for authority.
However, the actor - who is now 38 - looks completely different as he approaches the 17th anniversary of his Home and Away exit. Since leaving the soap in July 2008, Mark has switched careers - entering the music scene and setting up a rock band called Falcon Road.
When asked about his biggest memory of filming Home And Away, he told Australia's New Idea: "Palm Beach life! Having the privilege of being in front of the camera with some wonderful creative people in a place like that!"
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After leaving Summer Bay, he appeared in TV series Underbelly: The Golden Mile and Aussie film A Heartbeat Away.
However, he's now focused on his music career, with his Instagram bio reading: "Musician/band STONE LOVE" and "Vocals/Guitar." He also joined band Shotgun Alley in 2011 and recently released his own album, titled Stone Love.
Mark, who was a contestant on The Voice Australia in 2020 under the mentorship of Kelly Rowland, didn't make it past the semi-finals. He met his wife, model and singer Laural Barrett, while filming a music video in 2011. Laural, who won the Miss New Zealand beauty pageant in 2007, tied the knot with Mark in Las Vegas in 2015. The couple welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Soma, in January 2022.
Ric first turned up in Summer Bay in 2004 and was known for his violent behaviour – he even got involved in a bare-knuckle boxing plot, compared to Brad Pitt's 1999 film Fight Club, and faced a murder charge for a crime he didn't commit. Mark was initially drawn to the part as he'd never played a 'bad guy' before, and was asked to screen test with Home And Away stalwart Ray Meagher, who still plays Alf Stewart, and Matilda Hunter, who played Indiana Evans.
And despite Ric eventually becoming one of the good guys, his temper remained a key part of his character, with him regularly getting involved in fights. But in 2008, Ric moved to Perth with his on-off girlfriend Matilda, and Mark was written out of the soap.
