Gordon Chater
Encyclopedia
Gordon Chater was a comedian and actor.
Chater attended Cambridge University
to study to become a doctor but did not finish his degree. While at Cambridge he took part in many student revues.
He arrived in Australia following World War II. He first came to prominence in Australia as a stage and radio actor, and was a cast member of the 1963 Sydney season of Chekhov's
The Cherry Orchard
, the debut production by the Old Tote Theatre Company
, the precursor to the Sydney Theatre Company
.
Chater became a national TV star when he was cast with Carol Raye
and Barry Creyton
in the Australian satirical television series The Mavis Bramston Show
, for which he won the 1966 Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television
. He cemented his popularity with the title role in the popular sitcom My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?
, playing the elderly live-in father of a young married couple, played by John Meillon
and Judi Farr
. He appeared in many other television comedy series. His fellow actors included Ray Barrett
and Charles "Bud" Tingwell, among others.
Gordon Chater later worked in the United States, including appearing on Broadway.
In the 1970s Chater was particularly associated with the play The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin
by Steve J. Spears
, the stage role for which he became best known. The play broke new ground in Australian theatre with its shocking opening scene (in which Chater walked onstage naked) and its discussion of paedophilia.
Chater attended Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
to study to become a doctor but did not finish his degree. While at Cambridge he took part in many student revues.
He arrived in Australia following World War II. He first came to prominence in Australia as a stage and radio actor, and was a cast member of the 1963 Sydney season of Chekhov's
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
, the debut production by the Old Tote Theatre Company
Old Tote Theatre Company
The Old Tote Theatre Company began as the standing acting and theatre company of Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art and was the precursor to the Sydney Theatre Company.. It was one of the leading Australian theatre companies of the period.The Old Tote began in a converted tin shed on...
, the precursor to the Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company
The Sydney Theatre Company is one of Australia's best-known theatre companies operating from The Wharf Theatre near The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Sydney Theatre and the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre....
.
Chater became a national TV star when he was cast with Carol Raye
Carol Raye
Carol Raye is an Australian-based theatre and television actress and comedienne.Trained as a ballet dancer, Raye was discovered by choreographer Freddie Carpenter at age 16. She played lead roles in many musicals and television programs in the UK...
and Barry Creyton
Barry Creyton
Barry Creyton is an Australian actor and playwright.Creyton began his professional career in radio and revue in Melbourne, in Australia and became well-known in Sydney starring in and writing popular comedy-melodramas at the Music Hall theatre-restaurant in Neutral Bay...
in the Australian satirical television series The Mavis Bramston Show
The Mavis Bramston Show
The Mavis Bramston Show was a popular and award-winning Australian TV satirical sketch comedy series of the mid-1960s.-Introduction:The tremendous impact that The Mavis Bramston Show had in Australia in the mid-1960s was heightened because of its unique place in the history of the Australian TV...
, for which he won the 1966 Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television
Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television
The Gold Logie Award has been awarded annually to the Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the TV Week Logie Awards since 1960...
. He cemented his popularity with the title role in the popular sitcom My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?
My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?
My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? was a popular Australian situation comedy series produced by ATN7 from 1966 to 1968.The situation involved a young couple, Wally and Rita Stiller , living in Balmain with Rita's father Dominic McGooley . Also in the regular cast was Stewart Ginn, and later Noeline...
, playing the elderly live-in father of a young married couple, played by John Meillon
John Meillon
John Meillon was an Australian actor, most widely known outside Australia for his role as Walter Reilly in the films "Crocodile" Dundee and "Crocodile" Dundee II. He also voiced Victoria Bitter beer commercials until his death.-Biography:Meillon was born in Mosman, Sydney...
and Judi Farr
Judi Farr
Judi Farr is an Australian theatre, film and television actor best known for several situation comedy roles on Australian television.She first became known for her role of Rita in the situation comedy My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?...
. He appeared in many other television comedy series. His fellow actors included Ray Barrett
Ray Barrett
Raymond Charles "Ray" Barrett was an Australian actor. He was one of the more popular leading men on British television in the 1960s, where he was best known for his appearances in The Troubleshooters . Back in Australia he was a leading man in many TV series over the years.-Biography:Barrett was...
and Charles "Bud" Tingwell, among others.
Stage roles in Australia
Amongst work in many other shows, Chater appeared in:- the The Rocky Horror ShowThe Rocky Horror ShowThe Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
in BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in 1988 - The STCSTC- Education :* S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia, a private school in Sri Lanka* South Texas College* South Thames College* Sha Tin College, Hong Kong* Saint Theresa's College, Philippines- Organizations :* Scarborough Town Centre* Space Transport Corporation...
production of "The Importance of Being EarnestThe Importance of Being EarnestThe Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
" as both "Lane" and "Merriman" in 1990. - Lady Bracknell's Confinement at the Playhouse, in Melbourne in 1993.
Gordon Chater later worked in the United States, including appearing on Broadway.
In the 1970s Chater was particularly associated with the play The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin
The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin
The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin is a "one-hander" play by Australian playwright, author and singer Steve J. Spears . It premiered at the Nimrod Theatre in Sydney, Australia in 1976, and has been cited as a high point of the career of highly respected Australian actor Gordon Chater.-The play:A...
by Steve J. Spears
Steve J. Spears
Steve J. Spears was an Australian playwright, actor, writer and singer. His most famous work was The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin...
, the stage role for which he became best known. The play broke new ground in Australian theatre with its shocking opening scene (in which Chater walked onstage naked) and its discussion of paedophilia.
Awards
- Winner of the Macquarie Award in 1952 for Comedy Performance on Radio
- Winner of the Gold LogieGold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian TelevisionThe Gold Logie Award has been awarded annually to the Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the TV Week Logie Awards since 1960...
in 1966 for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television (The Mavis Bramston ShowThe Mavis Bramston ShowThe Mavis Bramston Show was a popular and award-winning Australian TV satirical sketch comedy series of the mid-1960s.-Introduction:The tremendous impact that The Mavis Bramston Show had in Australia in the mid-1960s was heightened because of its unique place in the history of the Australian TV...
)
External links
- Gordon Chater – Stage acting credits
- "The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia — Theatre . Film . Radio . Television — Volume 1" — Ann Atkinson, Linsay Knight, Margaret McPhee — Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd., 1996
- "The Australian Film and Television Companion" — compiled by Tony Harrison — Simon & Schuster Australia, 1994
- "The Importance of Being Earnest" — (information and photo): http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=12571, http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=14306, http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=13283, http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an24750278, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104490/
- Gordon Chater – at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
- Gordon Chater Dies aged 77 – Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
- My Name's McGooley – What's Yours? – Classic Australian Television
- The Mavis Bramston Show
- The History of The Mavis Bramston Show
- Tributes 1999 – Gordon Chater – Mark Juddery Tributes