[1][2] After making his TV debut in Crawfords police dramas Homicide and Matlock Police, he won a recurring role on Division 4 before joining World War II soap opera The Sullivans as oldest son John Sullivan.
[4] The role gained McFarlane a Sammy Award for best supporting actor in a TV series in 1977.
He acted in the TV series Spellbinder as Brian Reynolds, Paul's father and played Hugh Delaney in the miniseries The Alice.
[citation needed] In 2009 he portrayed prominent Australian anti-drugs campaigner and murder victim Donald Mackay in the series Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities.
[7] McFarlane had regular or leading roles in television series Love Child (2014), Devil's Playground and Glitch (both 2015).