George Whaley (actor)

George Whaley
Born(1934-06-19)19 June 1934
Died6 August 2019(2019-08-06) (aged 85)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • playwright
  • teacher
SpouseGeorgina (Georgie)

George Whaley (19 June 1934 – 6 August 2019)[1][2] was an Australian actor, director and writer, known for his work across theatre and film.

Early life

Whaley was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia on 19 June 1934.[3] He initially trained as an engineer, before studying acting with Eileen O’Keefe, who introduced him to the teachings of Stanislavski.[4]

Career

Acting

Whaley's first professional acting role was in John Osborne's Look Back in Anger in 1960. He went on to perform at Melbourne's Emerald Hill Theatre (which he opened with Wal Cherry in 1962). He performed (and directed) at all the major theatre companies including Melbourne Theatre Company, Nimrod Theatre Company, the Old Tote Theatre, the Griffin Theatre Company and the Belvoir Street Theatre. He notably played Galileo Galilei on stage in the 1980s and 1990s.[4]

He appeared in films such as Stork (1971), Alvin Purple (1973), Bliss (1985), The Crossing (1990), Turtle Beach (1992) and Daydream Believer (1992).

He also had guest roles in many television series including Consider Your Verdict, Homicide, Division 4, The Flying Doctors, Bodyline, A Country Practice, Mother and Son, All Saints. His last screen credit was an episode of miniseries The Gods of Wheat Street in 2014.[2]

Directing

Whaley directed many plays, including Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children, John Derum's adaptation of C.J. Dennis’ More than a Sentimental Bloke, David Williamson's The Perfectionist and Harold Pinter's Old Times.[5]

He co-founded Theatre ACT (Canberra), was founding Director of University Theatre at University of Melbourne, and Resident Director at Sydney's Old Tote Theatre.[6]

He was also a noted TV director. He wrote and directed the miniseries The Harp in the South and its sequel Poor Man's Orange, as well as the film Dad and Dave: On Our Selection. He directed the film Dancing, produced by David Elfick,[7] which was shown at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 1980.[8] He also directed children programs such as More Winners and Clowning Around.

Whaley undertook a tremendous amount of groundbreaking work with Indigenous actors, such as David Gulpilil, Jack Charles, Ivan Sen, Warwick Thornton and Erica Glynn.[4]

Whaley was responsible for discovering actor Geoffrey Rush, casting him in his first stage role, Waiting for Godot in 1979, and in his first film role, Dad and Dave: On Our Selection in 1995.[4]

He also worked as writer, adaptor, producer, fight director, set designer and designer.[6]

Teaching

Whaley taught as Head of Acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) from 1976 to 1981, where among other students, he taught Mel Gibson, Judy Davis, Colin Friels, Hugo Weaving, Philip Quast, Steve Bisley, Tom Burlinson, Linda Cropper, Penny Cook, Anne Tenney, Heather Mitchell and Di Smith.[9]

He joined Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in Sydney as a directing consultant in the mid-1990s, later becoming Head of Directing - a role he held until 2002.

In his later years, Whaley moved to Dorroughby, in the Northern Rivers, where he taught Acting for Stage and Screen at Lismore Conservatorium. He employed Stanislavski's Method in his teachings.[4]

Publications

Whaley penned a 2009 biography about British actor Leo McKern - Leo McKern: the Accidental Actor.[4]

Acting

Film

Year Title Role Type
1969 To Australia with Love Short film
1971 Stork Businessman Feature film
1971 The Hot Centre of the World Short film
1973 Alvin Purple Dr. McBurney Feature film
1985 Bliss Vance Feature film
1990 The Crossing Sid Feature film
1992 Turtle Beach (aka The Killing Beach) Bill Feature film
1992 Daydream Believer (aka The Girl Who Came Late) Mike Feature film
1997 Retro Sheilas in Space Aliens Are Tooling Our Sheilas Prime Minister Keating Short film
1997 The Tower The Minister TV movie
2001 Rubberman Accepts the Nobel Prize Announcer Short film
2002 Mimi Auctioneer Short film

Television

Year Title Role Type
1961 The Rivals Faulkland TV play
1963 Night Stop Eddy TV play
1963 A Piece of Ribbon TV play
1964 On Approval The Duke of Bristol TV play
1964 Barley Charlie TV series, 1 episode
1962-64 Consider Your Verdict Don Fraser / Stanley Naughton TV series, 3 episodes
1964 Corruption in the Palace of Justice TV play
1964 Luther TV play
1965 A Time to Speak John TV play
1965 Duet: The Face at the Club House Door and How Do You Spell Matrimony? TV play
1965 A Christmas Play TV play
1965 The Winds of Green Monday Welshman Jones TV play
1966 Jimmy Self TV series, 4 episodes
1966 Homicide Charles Steiner TV series, 1 episode
1966-67 Australian Playhouse Fenwick / Ralph Ellis TV series, 3 episodes
1967 Die Flederemaus TV play
1967 Hey You! Simpkins TV series, 2 episodes
1967 The Heat's On TV play
1967 Breakdown TV play
1972 A Time for Love TV series, 1 episode
1976 Matlock Police Emmanuel Bridger TV series, 1 episode
1981 Bellamy Lampani TV miniseries, 1 episode
Division 4 TV series
1988 Australians TV miniseries, 1 episode
1988 The Fremantle Conspiracy TV miniseries
1989 Rafferty's Rules Patrick I'Connor TV series, 1 episode
1990 The Flying Doctors Mingo McTaggart TV series, 1 episode
1984 Bodyline Lord Hawke TV miniseries
1991 Ring of Scorpio Julio TV miniseries, 4 episodes
1992 A Country Practice Gil Tyler TV series, 2 episodes
1992 Bligh Thomas Bowlder TV series, 1 episode
1993 G.P. G.J. Harrison TV series, 2 episodes
1993 Stark Australian politician TV miniseries
1994 Mother and Son Doctor TV series, 1 episode
2008 All Saints Bill Blight TV series
2009 Dirt Game Tim Royce TV miniseries
2014 The Gods of Wheat Street Magistrate TV miniseries, 2 episodes

Stage

Year Title Role Venue / Theatre Company
1960 Look Back in Anger
1968 The Crucible John Proctor
1981 Accidental Death of an Anarchist Nimrod Theatre Company
1983 Party Wall Nimrod Theatre Company

Radio

Year Title Role Type
1969 Burke's Company Radio play

Directing

Film

Year Title Role Type
1980 Dancing Director Film
1995 Dad and Dave: On Our Selection Writer / director Feature film

Television

Year Title Role Type
1987 The Harp in the South Writer / director TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1987 Poor Man's Orange Writer / director TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1988 Australians Director TV series, episode 8: "Jack Davey"
1990 More Winners Director TV series, episode 3: "Mr Edmund"
1991 Clowning Around Director TV miniseries
1993 Clowning Around 2 Director TV miniseries
1999 The Adventures of Sam Director Animated TV series

Stage

Year Title Venue / Theatre Company
1976 Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted Jane Street Theatre with National Institute of Dramatic Art
1977 The Hostage National Institute of Dramatic Art
1978 The Threepenny Opera National Institute of Dramatic Art
1979 On Our Selection Jane Street Theatre & Nimrod Theatre with National Institute of Dramatic Art
1979 Waiting for Godot Jane Street Theatre with National Institute of Dramatic Art
1980 The Women Pirates National Institute of Dramatic Art
Mother Courage and Her Children
More than a Sentimental Bloke
The Perfectionist
Old Times

Awards and nominations

Year Nominated work Award Result
1968 The Crucible Best Actor Won
1987 The Harp in the South AFI Award for Best Direction in a Miniseries Nominated
1988 Poor Man's Orange AFI Award for Best Achievenent in Direction in a Miniseries Nominated
1993 More Winners: Mr Edmund CableACE Award for Excellence International Children's Programming Special or Series Nominated
1995 Dad and Dave: On Our Seiection AFI Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated

Personal life

Whaley met his wife-to-be Georgina (Georgie) in 1960. They married in 1966, and had two sons, Michael and Matthew, and five grandchildren.[4]

Death

In his final years, George struggled with Parkinsons disease, and relocated to Feros Village in Bangalow, to receive medical care. He passed away in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, on 6 August 2019, aged 85.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Death Notice: George Whaley". The Age. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Vale George Whaley, esteemed director, actor and teacher". if.com.au. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  3. ^ "George Whaley". Austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Big voice silenced - George Whaley 1934-2019". The Echo.
  5. ^ "Vale George Whaley, esteemed director, actor and teacher". 7 August 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Vale George Whaley - the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)". 8 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Dancing [motion picture]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Dancing". Melbourne International Film Festival. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Vale George Whaley". NIDA. Retrieved 8 August 2019.

External sources