McFarlane was born in
Albany, Western Australia. The family moved to Brisbane in the 1960s, often taking long trips to Adelaide where his grandparents lived. His father was a cattle drover and McFarlane accompanied him to far west Queensland, droving, when he was eleven. graduating in 1973, alongside actress
Tina Bursill.
Crawfords police dramas
Homicide and
Matlock Police, McFarlane won a recurring role on
Division 4, before joining
World War II soap opera
The Sullivans, as oldest son John Sullivan. He left the series after eighteen months and in the storyline John was reported missing in action – the writers left his final fate unresolved, in the hope McFarlane would return to the show. He returned to the role in the TV movie spinoff
The John Sullivan Story. The role gained McFarlane a
Sammy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series in 1977. In 1977, McFarlane appeared in the
Walt Disney family film
Harness Fever, as Teddy's older brother Doone Boyd. It was released in UK cinemas in 1977 and again in mid 1978, under the name
Born to Run. It wasn't released in Australia however, until 1979. The same year, it was split into two parts and shown on American television on
NBC’s The Wonderful World of Disney. From 1979 to 1983, McFarlane had a lead role opposite
Robert Coleby in action drama series
Patrol Boat, as Lieutenant David Keating. During this time, he also appeared alongside an all-star cast in the 1982
World War I miniseries
1915, as Robert Gillen. A big budget production, the series was sold to over 40 countries, creating a demand for Australian programming in the US. McFarlane took the lead role of Dr Tom Callaghan in the miniseries
The Flying Doctors in 1985, reprising the role in the ongoing series that followed. He left the series after 16 episodes, at the height of its popularity, but returned in the fifth season for a further 37 episodes, through to 1991. He also appeared in ''
Rafferty's Rules as Police Prosecutor Gibson in 1988. He appeared in a musical for the first time in 2010, in Fame – The Musical'' at the
Capitol Theatre, Sydney. In 2014, McFarlane had a supporting role as Jim Miller in period drama series
Love Child. He also had a recurring role, playing against type, as nefarious Dr Milson in post-war drama series
A Place to Call Home. That same year, McFarlane played paedophile priest Father Marco Andrassi in the
Foxtel miniseries ''
Devil's Playground'', alongside
Toni Collette and
Simon Burke. The series was devised as a sequel to the 1976
Fred Schepisi film of the same name, which also starred Burke. His portrayal earned him a win at the
ASTRA Awards for Most Outstanding Performance in a TV Drama and an
AACTA Award nomination for
Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama. The same year, he had a starring role in ABC's six-part supernatural drama series
Glitch, portraying Vic Eastley. In 2016, he followed this with a main role as corrupt politician Geoff Matthews in
Cleverman and regular parts in both
The Code as Neil, and eight-part crime series
Hyde & Seek as Stuart Flanagan. He then starred as Eric Whitley in ''
Newton's Law in 2017. 2023 saw McFarlane perform in a Sydney Theatre Company production of Hubris & Humiliation'' which earned him a win for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Mainstage Production at the
Sydney Theatre Awards. Most recently, McFarlane has starred in 2025 American miniseries
Spartacus: House of Ashur, portraying
Gabinius, a corrupt Roman senator. His most recent stage role, was as Charles Mallory in
David Williamson's The Social Ladder at Sydney’s
Ensemble Theatre from January to March 2026. ==Personal life==