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Graeme Blundell

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Graeme Blundell
Blundell at the 2015 Helpmann Awards
Born (1945-08-07) 7 August 1945 (age 79)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • producer
  • writer
  • biographer
Years active1963–present

Graeme Blundell (born 7 August 1945) is an Australian actor, director, producer, writer, playwright, lyricist and biographer.[1]

Early life

Blundell was born on 7 April 1945 in Melbourne; he grew up in the suburb of Clifton Hill. He was educated at Merrilands College and Coburg High School, where he served as a Prefect. He then studied arts at the University of Melbourne, where he resided at Ormond College and became involved in student theatre. He has a younger brother, Dennis, and two younger sisters, Margaret and Kathryn.[2]

Career

In his early years, Blundell worked at La Mama Theatre, the Pram Factory, Hoopla, the Playbox Theatre Company, and the Melbourne Theatre Company. He directed and acted in the premiere performance of Jack Hibberd's play Dimboola at La Mama. His first television appearance was as an uncredited extra in the debut episode of Homicide (1964). He is best known as playing the title character in the 1973 sex-comedy film Alvin Purple and its 1974 sequel, Alvin Rides Again.[3][4]

He has written extensively in The Australian newspaper as well as writing biographies of Brett Whiteley (Brett Whiteley: An Unauthorised Life, 1996, with his then wife Margot Hilton), and Graham Kennedy.[5]

From March 2011, Blundell hosted Sunday Night at the Movies with Graeme Blundell on Foxtel's Fox Classics channel.[citation needed]

On 29 January 2015, Margaret Pomeranz signed with Foxtel to present a new film and television program on Foxtel Arts, along with Graeme Blundell, a series called Screen.[6][7] The series was renewed in 2018.[8] As of 2021, Blundell continues to appear in Screen, and past episodes are uploaded to YouTube.[9] He is also TV writer for The Australian newspaper.[10]

Personal life

Blundell has been married to playwright Kerry Dwyer,[11] author Margot Hilton,[2] and journalist Susan Kurosawa.[12]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Type
1965 Watt’s Last Voyage Short film
1966 The Garden of Eden in Winter Short film
1968 The Girl-Friends Short film
1969 Two Thousand Weeks Journalist (uncredited)
1970 The Naked Bunyip Himself Documentary Film
Brake Fluid Short film
1971 Carson’s Watermelons Short film
Stork Westy Feature film
1973 Alvin Purple Alvin Purple Feature film
1974 Alvin Rides Again Alvin Purple / Balls McGee Feature film
Three Old Friends Ron Short film
1976 Mad Dog Morgan Italian Jack
The Sentimental Bloke The Bloke
Don's Party Simon
1978 Weekend of Shadows Bernie
1979 The Odd Angry Shot Dawson
Kostas John
1980 Going Home Jim TV movie
1981 Pacific Banana Martin
Doctors and Nurses Mr X
1982 The Best of Friends Tom
1983 Midnite Spares Sidebottom
1984 Melvin, Son of Alvin Alvin Purple
1985 From Opera with Love Self TV movie
1986 Australian Dream Geoffrey Stubbs
1987 Those Dear Departed Dr. Howie Feature film (aka Ghosts Can Do It!)
The Year My Voice Broke Nils Olson Feature film
1992 The Distant Home Dr Chambers Short film
1993 Joh's Jury Nicholas Cowdery TV movie
1994 Gino Larry Stone
1996 Idiot Box Detective Eric Feature film
1999 Looking for Alibrandi Ron Bishop Feature film
2000 The Love of Lionel's Life Stan TV movie
2002 Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones Ruwee Naberrie Feature film (scenes deleted)
2005 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith Ruwee Naberrie Feature film
2009 In Her Skin Ivan

Television

Year Title Role Type
1964-77 Homicide John Clark / George Jackson / Duncan / Jason Nash / Tony Guest / Mick Thompson / Freddy Hall / Hazy TV series, 12 episodes
1969-73 Division 4 Reg White / John Wilson / Alec Mason / Tom Blackett / Jimmy Richard / Ray Cooper / Roy Brown / Jerry Fletcher TV series, 11 episodes
1972 A Time for Love Adam TV series, 1 episode
1973 Ryan Slade / Flip Mitchell TV series, 2 episodes
1974 Matlock Police Jim Andrews TV series, 1 episode
Marion Drunk Miniseries, 1 episode
Behind the Legend Ray Parer TV series, 1 episode
The Box Don Cook TV series, 162 episodes
1976 Power Without Glory Snoopy Tanner Miniseries, 3 episodes
Alvin Purple Alvin Purple TV series, 13 episodes
1978-82 Cop Shop Various characters TV series, 14 episodes
1980 Young Ramsay Bob O’Hara TV series, 1 episode
Lawson's Mates TV series, 1 episode
Spring & Fall Garth TV series, 1 episode
Water Under the Bridge Ralph Miniseries, 1 episode
1982-84 Kingswood Country Warren Florin / Doug C. Horse TV series, 2 episodes
1983-84 A Country Practice Antony York / Hilton Mercer TV series, 4 episodes
1984 Brass Monkeys Noddy TV series
1987 Vietnam Miles TV series, 2 episodes
1988 Richmond Hill Mick Fryer TV series
1989 Rafferty's Rules Bill Wiley TV series, 1 episode
1992 G.P. Dr Peter Swift TV series, 1 episode
1996 Naked: Stories of Men Hughie TV series, 1 episode
1996-97 Fire Snr. Station Officer Druce TV series, 35 episodes
Medivac Harry Edwards TV series, 35 episodes
1998 Murder Call Morgan Mason TV series, season 2, episode 9: Deadfall
2001 All Saints Peter Hurst TV series, 1 episode
Pizza Judge TV series, 1 episode
2002 The Secret Life of Us Alex’s Dad TV series, 1 episode
2003 Ocean Star Clive ‘Swampy’ Marsh TV series, 10 episodes
Marking Time Ralph Dave Miniseries
2004 Through My Eyes Rex Kuchel Miniseries, 2 episodes
2007 Chandon Pictures John TV series, 1 episode
2008 The Hollowmen Geoff TV series, 3 episodes
2009 East West 101 Shock Jock TV series, 2 episodes
2011 Underbelly Jack Long TV series, 2 episodes
Sunday Night at the Movies Host TV series
2011-12 Laid Graham McVie TV series, 12 episodes
2015-2021 Screen Co-presenter (alongside Margaret Pomeranz) TV series
2018 Saturday Night at the Movies Host TV series

Theatre

Year Title Role Type
1969 Dimboola Mutton La Mama Theatre (premiere performance)
Also director

Writing

  • Brett Whiteley: An Unauthorised Life, with Margot Hilton (Macmillan, 1996)
  • King: The Life and Comedy of Graham Kennedy (Pan Macmillan, 2003)
  • Australian Theatre: Backstage with Graeme Blundell (edited) (Oxford University Press, 1997)
  • The Naked Truth: A Life in Parts (Hachette Australia, 2008)
  • The Australian newspaper - TV writer

References

  1. ^ "Graeme Blundell". AusStage.
  2. ^ a b "Graeme Blundell". Talking Heads. 29 June 2009. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  3. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (24 October 2014). "Alvin Purple rewatched – the raunchy heart of 1970s Ozploitation films". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  4. ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 August 2019). "Australian Movie Stars". Filmink.
  5. ^ Hilton, Margot; Blundell, Graeme (1996). Whiteley: An Unauthorised Life. Macmillan.
  6. ^ Koziol, Michael (29 January 2015). "Margaret Pomeranz to join Foxtel". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  7. ^ "Foxtel signs Margaret Pomeranz". IF Magazine. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Screen returns to Foxtel Arts in March". Ryno's TV. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  9. ^ Screen on Foxtel Arts's channel on YouTube
  10. ^ Blundell, Graeme (5 February 2021). "Aftertaste: big fish bombs in a small pond". The Australian. Review.
  11. ^ "The Naked Truth: A Life in Paris". 10 October 2008.
  12. ^ Sullivan, Jane (20 October 2007). "Across a crowded room ..." The Age. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
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