Next person biography:
Born and educated in England, this individual left their homeland in 1956 to serve in the Canadian Army, rising to the rank of Provost Sergeant. After five years of military service, they relocated to New Zealand in 1961 with the intention of joining the New Zealand Army, but a motorcycle accident derailed those plans.
Undeterred, they turned their attention to the performing arts, beginning their career in amateur theatre in 1962. This led to involvement in radio drama, television, and commercial voice work. They made their professional debut in 1964 with the Downstage production of "Oh What a Lovely War," followed by a national tour of the Royal Shakespeare Company's "The Comedy of Errors."
Their early career was marked by a series of roles in radio drama, commercial voice work, and singing folk songs in coffee bars. In 1967, they returned to Auckland to play the title role in "Henry V" at the Central Theatre, and went on to appear in five more productions before joining the original company at the Mercury Theatre, where they remained based for 20 years.
During their time at the Mercury Theatre, they appeared in approximately 120 productions, interspersed with various other projects. These included performing at the New Zealand pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, a New Zealand Arts Council-sponsored study trip to London in 1980, and a tour of "Evita" as Peron.
In the 1980s, they appeared in the TV mini-series "Jack Holborn" for ZDF TV in Munich, filmed in Yugoslavia, and toured "Evita" as Peron in Brisbane, Honolulu, Auckland, and Wellington. They also appeared in "Chess" as Molokov on a New Zealand tour and in Melbourne in 1997, and in Ken Hill's production of "Phantom" as Mephistopheles and the Persian Prince on a New Zealand tour in 1994.
In the late 1990s, they appeared in Hal Prince's production of "Showboat" in Sydney, playing the roles of Vallon and understudying Captain Andy. They also appeared in Bryce Courtenay's TV mini-series "The Potato Factory" as Sir Jasper Waterlow on Channel 7 in Sydney in 1998, and in "Lord of the Rings" as Barliman Butterbur in 1999.
In the 2000s, they appeared in "Oliver" as Mr. Bumble at the Court Theatre in Christchurch in 2005 and 2006, and in "Power Rangers" as Spencer and the voice of Benglo in 2006 and 2007. They have also continued to work in television and film, including winning the Best Actor award at the Richmond Rd Short Film Festival in 2006 for their role in "Together."
In their personal life, they are divorced and have two children. They are an active Freemason, having served as Master of their Lodge twice, and hold various other Masonic and chivalric orders, including the Knights Templar, the Order of the Secret Monitor, the Order of St. Lazarus, and the Order of St. Stanislas.
