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==Notable stage appearances==
==Notable stage appearances==

===As actor===
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Revision as of 12:03, 7 November 2023

John Gaden
Gaden at the 2012 AACTA Awards
Born (1941-11-13) 13 November 1941 (age 83)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Occupation(s)Actor, director
Years active1960–present

John Stuart Gaden AO (born 13 November 1941) is an Australian actor and director known particularly for his stage career, although he has also made some film and television appearances.

Career

John Gaden was born in Sydney where his father owned a successful legal practice, Gadens. He attended Cranbrook School, Sydney, where he performed in various school plays. After school he studied arts and law at the University of Sydney. After appearing with the Sydney University Dramatic Society, he decided to pursue a theatrical career in lieu of a legal one.[1]

His professional career started in the early 1960s.[1] In 1970 he appeared in a production of Hadrian the Seventh in Perth, directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie, and with fellow actors Arthur Dignam and Judy Nunn.[1][2] Guthrie was impressed enough with Gaden to recommend him to Robin Lovejoy, who cast him in a production of The Crucible, which resulted in a positive review from The Sydney Morning Herald's theatre critic Harry Kippax, which in turn led to a three-year contract with the Old Tote Theatre Company (the precursor of the Sydney Theatre Company).[1] He has also recorded audiobooks of British children's series Fireman Sam and Australian children's series Magic Mountain.

He performed many roles with Sydney's Nimrod Theatre Company in the 1970s. For three years he was associate director of the Sydney Theatre Company with Richard Wherrett, during which time he directed and co-directed the notable production of The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby.[1]

From 1986 to 1989 Gaden was artistic director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia, based in Adelaide.[1][3] In Adelaide he co-directed various productions with Gale Edwards. He has also appeared with the Belvoir St Theatre and the Queensland Theatre Company.

Gaden had a strong connection with novelist and playwright Patrick White. He performed in a 1980 ABC TV adaptation of White's play Big Toys, a 1985 production of his play Signal Driver: A Morality Play for the Times and the film of White's novel The Eye of the Storm.[4] As Artistic Director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia, Gaden commissioned White's final play, Shepherd on the Rocks (1987) and played the lead role in the premiere production, alongside Geoffrey Rush and Kerry Walker.[5]

Awards

John Gaden was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 1986 Australia Day Honours for his services to the performing arts.[6] He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) at the 2018 Australia Day Honours.[7]

He was won two Helpmann Awards for Best Male Actor in a Play: in 2001, for Yasmina Reza's The Unexpected Man, and in 2007, for The Lost Echo. In 2005 he won a Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play for Michael Frayn's Democracy.

Personal

He is divorced, and has a son and three grandchildren. He lives alone.[1]

Notable stage appearances

As actor

Year Title Role Type
1967 King Lear
1970 Hadrian the Seventh Perth
1972 How Could You Believe Me When I Said I'd Be Your Valet When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life? Old Tote Theatre Company[8][9]
1977 Big Toys Ritchie Old Tote Theatre Company
1982 Amadeus Salieri Theatre Royal, Sydney with Sydney Theatre Company[10]
1985 Signal Driver: A Morality Play for the Times
1987 Shepherd on the Rocks Lead role State Theatre Company of South Australia
1988 King Lear
1991-92 The Wizard of Oz Professor Marvel / The Wizard State Theatre, Melbourne with RSC [11]
1992 Death and the Maiden Gerardo
1998 Cloudstreet
2000 The Unexpected Man Parsky
2001 No Man's Land Queensland Theatre Company & Sydney Theatre Company
2002 Copenhagen
2003 Waiting for Godot Vladimir Belvoir St Theatre[12]
2005 Democracy
2006 The Lost Echo Tiresias
2009 King Lear
2013 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
The War of the Roses STC
The Trial
The Wild Duck
The Seagull
Kold Komfort Kaffee
Pericles
Henry IV Bell Shakespeare

As crew

Year Title Role Type
The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby Director / Co-director Sydney Theatre Company

[13] Source= AusStage

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2023 The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race Dr Holliday Featured film
2016 The Death and Life of Otto Bloom Charles Reiner Mockumentary film
2011 The Eye of the Storm[14] Arnold Wyburd Feature film
2004 Right Here Right Now Judge Doyle
2003 Excursion Narrator Short film
2001 WillFull Bill Feature film
1998 A Little Bit of Soul Dr. Sommerville Feature film
1997 Thank God He Met Lizzie Dr O'Hara Feature film
1996 Children of the Revolution Professor C.W. Wilke Feature film
1995 Mushrooms Reverend Braningan
1995 Dad and Dave: On Our Selection Reverend McFarlane Feature film
1994 Muriel's Wedding Doctor Feature film
1984 Conferenceville Ian Selfridge TV movie
1980 Big Toys Ritchie TV movie
1978 The Tichborne Affair TV movie
1977 The FJ Holden Waiter Feature film
1976 Mad Dog Morgan Extra Feature film
1976 Caddie Solicitor Feature film
1976 God Knows Why, But It Works Defence Counsel
1975 I'm Here, Darlings! TV movie
1973 The Affray at Fogg's Humpy Frank Gardiner Short film
1973 The Taming of the Shrew TV movie

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2022 Bump Kenny 2 episodes
2021–22 Fisk[15] Anthony Fisk 7 episodes
2022 Significant Others Pastor 1 episode
2020 Operation Buffalo Swanny 3 episodes
2010–18 Rake[16] Governor General 2 episodes
2013 A Place to Call Home Dr. Stewart 1 episode
2012 Underbelly Merv Grogan 2 episodes
1994 Halifax f.p. Toser's Solicitor 1 episode
1985 Mother and Son Funeral Assistant 1 episode
1980 Players in the Gallery TV miniseries
1979 A Place in the World Warwick Lacey TV miniseries, 1 episode
1977 Beyond Reasonable Doubt Defence 1 episode
1976 Luke's Kingdom D'arcy 1 episode
1975 The Explorers Performer 1 episode
1975 Homicide George McKenna 1 episode
1975 Matlock Police Walter Anderson 1 episode
1975 Behind the Legend S.T. Gill 1 episode
1974 Flash Nick from Jindavick Sergeant Carson 1 episode
1968 Contrabandits Crowe 1 episode

Audiobooks

Year Title Role
Fireman Sam Narrator
Magic Mountain Narrator

John Gaden on IMDb

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Jo Litson (9 July 2011). "Taking risks keeps Gaden the centre of attention". The Australian. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  2. ^ judynunn.com Archived 27 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 April 2015
  3. ^ Daniel Meyer-Dinkgrafe, ed., Who's Who in Contemporary World Theatre. Retrieved 2 April 2015
  4. ^ Yeo, Samuel. "People and pets". Patrick White Catalogue. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  5. ^ Yeo, Samuel. "Shepherd on the Rocks". Patrick White Catalogue. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  6. ^ It's an Honour. Retrieved 2 April 2015
  7. ^ "GADEN, John Stuart". It's an Honour. Australian Government. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  8. ^ Tait, Peta (2021). Body Show/s: Australian viewings of live performance. p. 128-129.
  9. ^ Jones, Margaret (16 October 1972). "Who says that vaudeville is dead?". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 10.
  10. ^ "Amadeus". www.ausstage.edu.au. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  11. ^ "The Wizard of Oz – The Musical" (Melbourne 1991), AusStage, accessed June 4, 2018
  12. ^ "Belvoir St. Theatre - Past Shows: "Waiting for Godot"". Belvoir.com.au. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  13. ^ "John Gaden". AusStage.
  14. ^ https://tvtonight.com.au/2012/05/airdate-movie-the-eye-of-the-storm.html
  15. ^ https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/09/returning-fisk.html
  16. ^ https://tvtonight.com.au/2018/07/returning-rake-4.html