William McKenna is one of Australia’s most exciting young performers, with a growing body of work across television, theatre, and comedy.

On screen, he can be seen in Stan’s Thou Shalt Not Steal, Good Cop/Bad Cop, and Netflix’s acclaimed Heartbreak High (Series 3). In 2023, he starred as Ed Kennedy in Lingo Pictures’ adaptation of Markus Zusak’s The Messenger (ABC) and played Matthew, the nervous assistant to Catherine Tate’s queen, in the BBC comedy Queen of Oz. He is also known for his role as Ben Ripley in Nowhere Boys for Matchbox Pictures.

On stage, William gained widespread recognition as Scorpius Malfoy in the original Australian production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2018–2020). His performance earned him a Helpmann Award nomination for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role and the Green Room Award for Best Performance in a Theatre Production. More recently, he has appeared in Melbourne Theatre Company’s Bernhardt/Hamlet (2023) and Admissions opposite Kat Stewart (2022), as well as Milked at fortyfivedownstairs. He began 2025 starring as Ross in MTC’s The Removalists.

A gifted comedian and writer, William won the 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Class Clowns national competition and returned the following year to host the national final. He went on to perform his own seasons of live shows at MICF (2016–2017) and debuted his first solo comedy play Appellation in 2022, which earned him a nomination for Best Newcomer.

Awards & Nominations

CASTING GUILD OF AUSTRALIA Winner – Rising Star (2023)
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL Nominated –  Best Newcomer for ‘Appellation‘
GREEN ROOM AWARDS Winner – Performance in a Theatre Production for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2020)
HELPMANN AWARDS Nominated – Best Male Actor in a Supporting for in a Play for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2019)
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL Winner – Class Clowns National Final (2015)

Theatre

THE REMOVALISTS
Role: Ross. Dir. Anne-Louise Sarks, MTC 2025
MILKED
Role: Paul. Dir: Iain Sinclair, fortyfivedownstairs 2024
BERNHARDT/HAMLET
Role: Maurice. Dir. Anne-Louise Sarks, Melbourne Theatre Company 2023
ADMISSIONS
Role: Charlie Luther Mason. Dir: Gary Abrahams, Melbourne Theatre Company 2022
HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD
Role: Scorpius Malfoy. Dir: John Tiffany, Michael Cassel Group Pty Ltd 2018-2020

 Television

HEARTBREAK HIGH (Series 3)
Role: Seb | Dir: Various. Freemantle Media Australia / Netflix 2024
GOOD COP BAD COP
Role: Officer Sam Szczepkowksi. Dir: Various. Jungle Entertainment / Stan 2024
THOU SHALT NOT STEAL
Role: Young White Copper. Dir: Dylan River, Ludo Studio / Stan 2024
THE QUEEN OF OZ
Role: Matthew. Dir: Christian Van Vuuren, Lingo Pictures / ABC 2023
THE MESSENGER
Role: Ed Kennedy. Dir: Daniel Nettheim, Helena Brooks, Jennifer Leacey. Lingo Pictures / Screen Australia 2022
NOWHERE BOYS: BATTLE FOR NEGATIVE SPACE (Series 4)
Role: Ben. Dir: Various, Nowhere Boys 4 Productions Pty Ltd 2018
NOWHERE BOYS: TWO MOONS RISING (Series 3)
Role: Ben. Dir: Various, Matchbox Pictures / ABC 2016

Film

RIVER
Role: Marcus. Dir: Zane Borg, Pancake Originals 2024
THE UNREQUITED LOVE OF FARRAH BRUCE (Short)
Role: Luca. Dir. Daisy Anderson, Sarah Wormald 2022
HEART THROB (Short)
Role: Angelo. Dir. Greta Nash, GGG Films 2022
BREATHE (Short)
Role: Lead. Dir: Lesley Pinder, Hayley Surgenor 2021
SKATES (Short)
Role: Boy. Dir: Maddelin McKenna, Swinburne University 2017

Live Shows

APPELLATION
Stand Up – Solo Show. Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022
LOL SQUAD LIVE
Host / Performer. Dir: Wes Snelling, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2017
CLASS CLOWNS NATIONAL FINAL 2016
Host. Dir: Wes Snelling, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2016
LOL SQUAD LIVE
Writer / Performer. Dir: Wes Snelling, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2016
CLASS CLOWNS NATIONAL FINAL 2015
Writer/Performer & National Winner. Dir: Wes Snelling, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2015
POETRY SLAM
Stand Up. State Library – Poetry Australia 2015
HELP CONFERENCE
Stand Up. Ronald McDonald House Charities 2015