In 1986, he played the title role in "Malcolm", about a shy mechanical genius, for which he was awarded the 1986 AFI Award for Best Actor. Friels was also nominated for the Best Actor award the following year, for his role in "Ground Zero", but did not win: the film received mixed reviews, with one describing him as "a proficient enough actor, but...miscast". Friels later won another AFI Award in 1995 for his starring role in the 1994 "Halifax f.p." telemovie "Hard Corps". Friels has played a wide range of other roles. He was a megalomaniac corporate executive in the 1990 feature film "Darkman".