Bruno Lawrence
Encyclopedia
Bruno Lawrence was a New Zealand
musician
and actor
.
Initially notable as founder of 1970s musical and theatrical "Blerta
", he had well-regarded roles in several major films, and starred on the 1990s Australian satirical TV series Frontline
.
, West Sussex
, England
, his family migrated to New Zealand in 1946, settling in New Plymouth
before moving to Wellington
in 1948. He spent most of his life in New Zealand but also worked extensively in Australia
. Bruno was a renowned jazz
and rock drummer, playing drums in many bands, including Max Merritt & The Meteors
, Quincy Conserve, Blerta
, and The Crocodiles
. His last recording was with Bernie McGann
, Larry Gales
and Jonathan Crayford
on "Jazz at the St. James
" in 1989.
In the 1970s, Lawrence founded Blerta ("Bruno Lawrence's Electric Revelation and Travelling Apparition"), a musical and theatrical co-operative active. There he performed with many of those he would work with later as an actor, including future film director Geoff Murphy
and actor Ian Watkin.
Lawrence gradually moved into TV and film, and by the late 1980s had become one of the most famous actors on his own soil. His films included feature drama Smash Palace
(1981). Also that year he starred in the film Race for the Yankee Zephyr
, Geoff Murphy
's end of the world tale, The Quiet Earth
(1985), Utu
(1983), about the land wars of the 1860s, a cameo role in Murphy's Goodbye Pork Pie
(1981), and Heart of the Stag (1984). He was a constant and much loved feature in almost every film made in New Zealand
from 1981 to 1985.
Lawrence's last and, in Australia at least, best-known screen role was as the devious, golf-loving TV producer Brian Thompson in 1990s Australian satirical TV series Frontline
. In 1995 during the filming of Australian feature Così
, which was scheduled to be his next role, Lawrence was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer
and died in Wellington
, New Zealand
the same year.
A biography Bruno: The Bruno Lawrence Story by Roger Booth, a television documentary Numero Bruno (2000, directed by Steve La Hood), and a film documentary Blerta Revisited (2001, directed by Geoff Murphy
) cover his life and work.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and 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...
.
Initially notable as founder of 1970s musical and theatrical "Blerta
Blerta
Blerta , was a New Zealand musical and theatrical co-operative active in the 1970s....
", he had well-regarded roles in several major films, and starred on the 1990s Australian satirical TV series Frontline
Frontline (Australian TV series)
Frontline is an Australian comedy television series which satirised Australian television current affairs programmes and reporting. It ran for three series of 13 half-hour episodes and was broadcast on ABC TV in 1994, 1995 and 1997.-Production:...
.
Biography
Born David Charles Lawrence in WorthingWorthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, his family migrated to New Zealand in 1946, settling in New Plymouth
New Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
before moving to Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
in 1948. He spent most of his life in New Zealand but also worked extensively in Australia
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...
. Bruno was a renowned jazz
Jazz drumming
Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz-rock fusion and 1980s-era latin jazz...
and rock drummer, playing drums in many bands, including Max Merritt & The Meteors
Max Merritt
Max Merritt is a New Zealand-born singer-songwriter and guitarist who is renowned as an interpreter of soul music and R&B...
, Quincy Conserve, Blerta
Blerta
Blerta , was a New Zealand musical and theatrical co-operative active in the 1970s....
, and The Crocodiles
The Crocodiles
The Crocodiles was a New Zealand pop band formed in 1979 with lead singer Jenny Morris, who went on to commercial success as a solo artist in Australia; and later included drummer Barton Price who subsequently joined Sardine v and then Models...
. His last recording was with Bernie McGann
Bernie McGann
Bernie McGann is an Australian jazz alto saxophone player. He began his career in the late 1950s and is still active as a performer, composer and recording artist.- Biography :...
, Larry Gales
Larry Gales
Lawrence Bernard "Larry" Gales was an American jazz double-bassist.Gales began playing bass at age 11, and attended the Manhattan School of Music in the late 1950s. In that decade and the beginning of the next he worked with J.C. Heard, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Johnny Griffin, Herbie Mann, Junior...
and Jonathan Crayford
Jonathan Crayford
Jonathan Crayford is a composer/multi instrumentalist.Jonathan studied classical piano and learned jazz by ear...
on "Jazz at the St. James
St. James Theatre, Auckland
The St James Theatre is a heritage stage theatre and cinema located on Queen Street in Auckland, New Zealand. Built in 1928, it was a replacement for the older Fuller's Opera house and was originally designed for vaudeville acts...
" in 1989.
In the 1970s, Lawrence founded Blerta ("Bruno Lawrence's Electric Revelation and Travelling Apparition"), a musical and theatrical co-operative active. There he performed with many of those he would work with later as an actor, including future film director Geoff Murphy
Geoff Murphy
Geoff Murphy is a successful New Zealand filmmaker best known for his work during the renaissance of New Zealand cinema that began in the last half of the 1970s....
and actor Ian Watkin.
Lawrence gradually moved into TV and film, and by the late 1980s had become one of the most famous actors on his own soil. His films included feature drama Smash Palace
Smash Palace
Smash Palace is a New Zealand feature film, released in 1981. It was directed by Roger Donaldson and starred Bruno Lawrence, Anna Jemison, Greer Robson and Keith Aberdein. The film has an R16 rating.-Critical review:...
(1981). Also that year he starred in the film Race for the Yankee Zephyr
Race for the Yankee Zephyr
Race for the Yankee Zephyr is a 1981 New Zealand supense-action-thriller film directed by David Hemmings and starring Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, George Peppard and Donald Pleasence.-Plot:...
, Geoff Murphy
Geoff Murphy
Geoff Murphy is a successful New Zealand filmmaker best known for his work during the renaissance of New Zealand cinema that began in the last half of the 1970s....
's end of the world tale, The Quiet Earth
The Quiet Earth (film)
The Quiet Earth is a 1985 New Zealand science fiction post-apocalyptic film directed by Geoff Murphy and starring Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge and Pete Smith as three survivors of a cataclysmic disaster. It is loosely based on the 1981 science fiction novel of the same name by Craig Harrison...
(1985), Utu
Utu (film)
Utu is a 1983 New Zealand movie directed by Geoff Murphy. It starred Anzac Wallace. Utu was reputed to have one of the largest budgets for a New Zealand film at the time...
(1983), about the land wars of the 1860s, a cameo role in Murphy's Goodbye Pork Pie
Goodbye Pork Pie
Goodbye Pork Pie is a 1981 New Zealand film directed by Geoff Murphy and written by Geoff Murphy and Ian Mune. The film is considered to be one of New Zealand's most popular films, and has been described as Easy Rider meets the Keystone Kops....
(1981), and Heart of the Stag (1984). He was a constant and much loved feature in almost every film made in New Zealand
Cinema of New Zealand
New Zealand cinema, can refer to films made by New Zealand-based production companies in New Zealand. However, it may also refer to films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries...
from 1981 to 1985.
Lawrence's last and, in Australia at least, best-known screen role was as the devious, golf-loving TV producer Brian Thompson in 1990s Australian satirical TV series Frontline
Frontline (Australian TV series)
Frontline is an Australian comedy television series which satirised Australian television current affairs programmes and reporting. It ran for three series of 13 half-hour episodes and was broadcast on ABC TV in 1994, 1995 and 1997.-Production:...
. In 1995 during the filming of Australian feature Così
Così
Così is a play by Australian playwright Louis Nowra which was first performed in 1992. Set in a Melbourne mental hospital in 1971, Così is semi-autobiographical.- Plot summary:Lewis is always desperate for work as he states "I need the money"...
, which was scheduled to be his next role, Lawrence was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
and died in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
the same year.
A biography Bruno: The Bruno Lawrence Story by Roger Booth, a television documentary Numero Bruno (2000, directed by Steve La Hood), and a film documentary Blerta Revisited (2001, directed by Geoff Murphy
Geoff Murphy
Geoff Murphy is a successful New Zealand filmmaker best known for his work during the renaissance of New Zealand cinema that began in the last half of the 1970s....
) cover his life and work.
External links
- Bruno Lawrence on australianscreen online
- Bruno Lawrence on nz onscreen