Career
As a teenager, Bancks trained at Sydney"s Q Theatre before landing a series regular role on Home and Away. After leaving Home and Away, he spent four years in London writing, researching and presenting television for I, British Broadcasting Corporation, Channel Four and Cable. He presented shows like Don"t Try This at Home, Sussed, and The Travel Channel
In 1999, Tristan left London to return to Australia to appear in Ivan Senator"s short drama Dust as well as Beneath Clouds and Remote Area Nurse.
Since his return, Tristan has made a number of short films as writer and director, including adaptations of two award-winning stories - Sarah Armstrong"s The Long Wet and John Campbell"s The New Boots.
Another film, Soar, screened at the London Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand and Melbourne International Film Festival. His latest short film Every Day at School, was funded by Business School and Film Australia for their Change the World in Five Minutes campaign.
lieutenant aims to inspire primary school classes all over the country to spend the first five minutes of every day changing the world in some small way. Foreign the past few years, he has been writing full-time.
This include his 2009 release of Mac Slater Coolhunter 2: I Heart New York, which is the follow-up to The Rules of Cool.
His other "09 releases are the Nitboy books - Bug Out and Lift Office. His first Young Adult novel, lieutenant"s Year Life, co-written by former Home and Away actress and author Tempany Deckert, was released in June 2009. Tristan has also written eight short novels in Macmillan"s Kids Incorporated. series, about kids setting up their own businesses and ventures.
Tristan"s sister, Kerryn Johnston, is a newsreader for WIN Television in Wollongong.
Remote Area Nurse (2006).. as Grub
Beneath Clouds (2006).. as Grub
Dust (2002).. as Dean
Home and Away (1992–1994).. as Tug O"Neale.