Kyle Shilling Biography – Kyle Shilling Wiki

Kyle Shilling is an Australian actor, dancer and musician. He is best known for his role as Mali Hudson on Channel Seven’s Home and Away. He was the first Indigenous actor to portray a main character in the soap which has been on air since 1988.

Kyle joined the H&A cast in early 2023, landing the role of surfer guy Mali who arrived in the chaotic town of Summer Bay as the friend of River Boy, Dean Thompson. Mali quickly became a favourite among fans as he settled into town and even went on to run the local surfboard shop.

Kyle is from the Widjabul clan of the Bandjalung Nation, and grew up in Taree and Pottsville in New South Wales, Australia. He graduated with a Diploma in Professional Dance Performance from the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) Dance College, Australia’s leading arts training organisation providing nationally accredited qualifications specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth.

After graduating from NAISDA, Kyle started dancing with Bangarra Dance Theatre in its production of lore. After Bangarra, he acted as the lead in a performance piece with Zeal Theatre. He also worked in Alice Springs for Alice Springs Can Dance, teaching dance at 10 primary schools across the region.

Kyle was the main actor in a short film called Hoax by Must Go Faster Films, which won an award at the Brisbane Short Film Festival and was selected for the Toronto Short Film Festival. He also had a lead role in the award-winning play, Man With The Iron Neck, a production that explores the pervasive issue of suicide in Indigenous communities.

Kyle Shilling Age

Home and Away actor Kyle Shilling was born in November 1994. He grew up in Taree and Pottsville in New South Wales, Australia.

Kyle Shilling Parents

Kyle Shilling was born to a white mother and an Aboriginal father. He was raised by his step-father after his biological father left the family when Kyle and his twin brother Jesse were young. His parents were supportive when he decided to leave home to study dance at the age of 17.

The Home and Away actor was thrilled to have his parents in the audience when he was performing on Dancing With The Stars. “I had a sense of pride, seeing my mum there, all dressed up, looking beautiful, and my dad in something other than three-quarter board shorts and a singlet!”

Kyle Shilling Family

Kyle Shilling is the eldest of five, including siblings Jesse Shilling and Perry Langham. He has a twin brother called Jesse Shilling. Kyle and Jesse are the only Aboriginal people in the family. That could explain why some people think he was adopted into the family.

“My twin brother and I are the only Aboriginal people in my family,” he told Coast Beat. “My father was Aboriginal but he left when I was little, and my mum is white. It’s a confusing family! We’d always been encouraged to research our culture, and traced our bloodline to the Widjubal clan inside the Bundjalung nation around Lismore. We also found out that we’re part South Sea Islander and that our great-grandmother was a sugar cane slave brought over from the islands.”

Kyle Shilling’s twin brother, Jesse Shilling, was a contestant on The Chase. Jesse and his partner Ashanti have a son. When asked by host Larry Emdur what he was hoping to do with the money, he shared the sentimental reason he was competing on the game show.

“With my son, he’s got a Māori background as well, from his mother, she’s Aboriginal and Māori. So we want a bit of money for a house, and also take him over to New Zealand so he can meet some of his family over there,” he replied.

Kyle Shilling Dancing with the Stars

Kyle Shilling is a contestant on the 2025 season of Dancing with the Stars Australia. He was paired with professional dancer Lily Cornish. He is also the first Aboriginal contestant to compete in Dancing with the Stars.

On 21 July 2025, Kyle took to the dance floor, performing a jive with his dance partner Lily Cornish to Elton John’s ‘I’m Still Standing’. The judges praised Kyle for his stellar performance and awarded him 40 points, making him the first contestant this season to receive a perfect score.

Kyle Shilling Partner

Kyle Shilling is not married in real life. His character of Mali Hudson on Home and Away was in a relationship with Rose Delaney, played by actor Kirsty Marillier. He was partnered with pro dancer Lily Cornish on the 2025 season of Dancing with the Stars Australia.

Hair Loss

In 2023, Kyle Shilling opened up about his alopecia diagnosis after Home and Away fans complained about his beard. Some fans even suggested that the hair loss was as a result of chemotherapy.

“For all those Home and Away fans complaining about my beard line,” he began on his Instagram stories at the time. “Not too long ago, I was diagnosed with alopecia on the beard region, mainly my neck. Alopecia is a hair loss disease that can be caused by stress.”

“The makeup team and Home and Away do the best they can to help cover this ‘insecurity’ I now have. It should grow back eventually, but for now it is what it is.”

Kyle Shilling Tattoos

Kyle Shilling has several tattoos on his chest and abdomen. He has his rap stage name “BLACX” tattooed on his abdomen. The tattoos are real.

Instagram

Kyle Shilling’s Instagram handle is @blacx_13_kyleshilling.