Bartlett pursued an acting career in Australia for several years, including a role in the series
headLand. In 1993, he played con man Luke Foster in
Neighbours. In 2000, he relocated to the U.S. His first big break there came a few years later when he was cast as a guest star in the
HBO series
Sex and the City. He also played
D.K.,
John Crichton's best friend, in four episodes of the
Sci-Fi Channel series
Farscape. In 2006, he joined
Hugh Jackman in the Australian touring company production of Jackman's
Broadway hit
The Boy From Oz. From March 2007 until the show's cancellation in September 2009, Bartlett was a cast member on the
CBS daytime soap opera
Guiding Light, where he played
Cyrus Foley. He starred as Dominic "Dom" Basaluzzo in the
HBO comedy-drama series
Looking from 2014 to 2015, and then reprised his role in the series finale television film,
Looking: The Movie in 2016. In 2017, he portrayed a recurring role in the musical drama series
Nashville. Bartlett assumed the central role of Michael 'Mouse' Tolliver in the
Netflix revival of
Tales of the City. In 2021, Bartlett starred in
The White Lotus as Armond, the luxury resort manager and a recovering
drug addict who has been "clean" for five years. Bartlett got the role through a self tape audition. For his portrayal, Bartlett received nominations at the
Screen Actors Guild Awards and
Independent Spirit Awards and won at the
AACTA Awards,
Critics' Choice Television Awards, and
Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2023, Bartlett appeared in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series
The Last of Us, portraying
Frank in the episode "
Long, Long Time". At the time of its airing, the episode received universal acclaim and was widely considered to be the best of the show's first season. Bartlett will appear in the upcoming Netflix limited series adaptation
All the Sinners Bleed, based on the
S. A. Cosby novel of the
same name. ==Other activities==