Alan Hopgood
Encyclopedia
Alan Hopgood is an Australia
n actor
and writer
.
He is a graduate of the University of Melbourne
. Hopgood's first very successful play was And the Big Men Fly
in 1963. It was adapted for TV by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
in 1973. In 1966 he produced Private Yuk Objects, which he claims was the first play anywhere in the world on the subject of the Vietnam War
.
Hopgood has also written a number of film and television screenplays, including the hit comedy feature film Alvin Purple
, which was the most commercially successful Australian film of the early 1970s.
Hopgood was an actor with the Melbourne Theatre Company
for ten years and was an early "soap
" star in Bellbird
, in which he played a long-running role as the town doctor. He has also performed in the later soaps, Prisoner
and Neighbours
.
As an actor, his cinema credits include My Brilliant Career
, The Blue Lagoon
, Roadgames
, Evil Angels and The Man from Snowy River II.
He contracted prostate cancer
and his book on the experience Surviving Prostate Cancer – One Man's Journey was widely praised. He often tours giving humorous talks on men's health.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
He is a graduate of the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. Hopgood's first very successful play was And the Big Men Fly
And The Big Men Fly
And the Big Men Fly is an Australian-based play by Alan Hopgood, written in 1963. Its primary subject is about the old Australian rules football team, the Crows.- Plot summary :...
in 1963. It was adapted for TV by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
in 1973. In 1966 he produced Private Yuk Objects, which he claims was the first play anywhere in the world on the subject of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Hopgood has also written a number of film and television screenplays, including the hit comedy feature film Alvin Purple
Alvin Purple
Alvin Purple was a 1973 Australian comedy film starring Graeme Blundell, written by Alan Hopgood and directed by Tim Burstall.It received largely negative reviews from local film critics. Despite this it was a major hit with Australian audiences...
, which was the most commercially successful Australian film of the early 1970s.
Hopgood was an actor with the Melbourne Theatre Company
Melbourne Theatre Company
The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne. Founded in 1953, it is the oldest professional theatre company in Australia, and has its own theatre, The MTC Theatre – which houses the 500-seat Sumner Theatre and the 150-seat Lawler Studio – located in Melbourne's Arts...
for ten years and was an early "soap
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
" star in Bellbird
Bellbird (TV series)
Bellbird was an Australian soap opera set in a small Victorian rural township. The series was produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at its Ripponlea TV studios in Elsternwick, Melbourne, Victoria. The series was produced between 28 August 1967 and December 1977...
, in which he played a long-running role as the town doctor. He has also performed in the later soaps, Prisoner
Prisoner (TV series)
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
and Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
.
As an actor, his cinema credits include My Brilliant Career
My Brilliant Career (film)
My Brilliant Career is a 1979 Australian drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong and based on the book of the same name by Miles Franklin....
, The Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon (1980 film)
The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 American romance and adventure film directed by Randal Kleiser. The screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart was based on the novel The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The film stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins...
, Roadgames
Roadgames
Roadgames is a 1981 Australian film directed by Richard Franklin. The film stars Stacy Keach as a truck driver, and Jamie Lee Curtis as a hitchhiker.-Synopsis:...
, Evil Angels and The Man from Snowy River II.
He contracted prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
and his book on the experience Surviving Prostate Cancer – One Man's Journey was widely praised. He often tours giving humorous talks on men's health.