Home and Away star unrecognisable and has new career 15 years after soap exit

 Former Home and Away star Mark Furze is best known for his portrayal of Ric Dalby but swapped careers shortly after leaving the soap and now looks completely different

Home and Away star Mark Furze looks unrecognisable 15 years after he bid farewell to the Australian soap.

The actor, 37, is best known for his portrayal of Eric 'Rick' Dalby, who first arrived in Summer Bay in 2004 as the grandson of long-running character Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher).

Ric's use of violence was central to various plots throughout his turbulent time in the Bay and in one instance, the character even faced a murder charge for a crime he did not commit.

Despite eventually turning into one of the soap's good guys, Ric's violent temper remained a dominant feature throughout his run.

In 2008, Ric moved to Perth with on-off girlfriend Matilda Hunter (Indiana Evans).

Mark now looks completely different nearly two decades after making his soap debut.

After leaving the soap, he starred in TV series Underbelly: The Golden Mile in 2010 and also portrayed Damian in Aussie feature film A Heartbeat Away the following year.

However, he has since traded in acting in favour of music and formed the rock band Falcon Road.

The former soap star's Instagram bio says: "Musician/band STONE LOVE" followed by "Vocals/Guitar."

He also joined band Shotgun Alley in 2011, who released three albums, while Mark recently released his own album titled Stone Love.

Under the guidance of Kelly Rowland, Mark appeared on The Voice Australia in 2020, but was eliminated during the semi-finals.

The former actor met model and singer Laural Barrett on the set of ShotgunAlley's music video for Eventually in 2011.

The 36-year-old, who was crowned the champion of the Miss New Zealand beauty pageant in 2007, married the musician in Las Vegas in 2015.

The couple welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Soma, in January 2022.