| Jack Wilson | |||||||||||
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| Home and Away character | |||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Daniel Amalm | ||||||||||
| Duration | 1994–96, 2000 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 1 April 1994 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 16 June 2000 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Andrew Howie (1994) John Holmes (2000) | ||||||||||
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Jack Wilson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Daniel Amalm. He made his first appearance on 1 April 1994. Jack was introduced as a new foster child for the characters of Michael (Dennis Coard) and Pippa Ross (Debra Lawrence). Amalm auditioned for the role in the place of his friend, who could not attend. Many actors auditioned to play Jack, but Amalm was eventually cast. Jack is characterised as a "bad boy" and a "wild child" and Amalm enjoyed playing the role of the "baddie". Jack's storylines feature racial abuse, rebellious behaviour, joy riding and various romances. In 1996, Amalm quit the series to concentrate on a music career. The actor did not like the monotony that accompanied playing the same role, but he remained open minded about a future return. He did so in 2000, when Jack returned as part of episodes centred on foster sister Sally Fletcher (Kate Ritchie) wedding.
Jack has received mainly positive reviews from critics. Ian Hyland from the Sunday Mirror branded Jack a "rebel rouser", while a reporter from The Gold Coast Bulletin called him a "dumb but streetwise kid". The Sun-Herald's Scott Ellis noted that Amalm's portrayal transformed Jack into one of Australia's "best-loved bad boys". Amalm was nominated for the "Most Popular New Talent" award at the 1995 Logie Awards.