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Max Gillies

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Max Gillies
Born
Maxwell Irvine Gillies

(1941-11-16) 16 November 1941 (age 83)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
NationalityAustralian
EducationFrankston Teachers College, Monash University, University of Melbourne (Melbourne Teachers College)
Occupation(s)Actor, theatre founder, associate producer
Years active1962−present

Maxwell Irvine Gillies AM (born 16 November 1941) is an Australian actor and a founding member of the 1970s experimental theatre company, the Australian Performing Group.

Early life and education

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Gillies studied art teaching at Frankston Teachers College and featured in the theatre productions School for Scandal and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll with Kerry Dwyer in 1964. He graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1966. He then studied secondary teaching at the Melbourne Teachers' College, now part of the University of Melbourne.

Career

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Max Gillies was a member of the Australian Performing Group (APG) in the 1970s. The group was officially formed in 1970 and then set up a theatre in a former pram factory in Drummond Street, Carlton. Here, and in other venues throughout Melbourne and other parts of Australia, the ensemble presented alternative, experimental, avant-garde and radical plays, musical comedies, vaudeville, stage shows, street theatre and circus acts, using comedy, drama, music and dance. In the many APG productions in which he appeared, Gillies became renowned for his prodigious talent as an actor and comedian. Those plays included "The Hills Family Show", "Dimboola" and "A Stretch of the Imagination".

In 1984–85, Gillies hosted The Gillies Report on ABC Television. This was followed in 1986 by Gillies Republic and in 1992 by Gillies and Company. He was known for his ability to dress up and parody a wide range of political figures, both on television and in live solo theatrical performances (i.e. The Big Con and Your Dreaming: The Prime Minister’s Cultural Convention). In July 2008 he resurrected his caricatures of Australia's former prime ministers in a live production of No Country for Old PMs: An Evening with Max Gillies at the Noosa Longweekend festival.[1]

Gillies stated in an interview with The Courier-Mail that he and co-writer Guy Rundle were watching the then prime minister, Kevin Rudd, for a possible new caricature in a new production being developed. "I'm watching him closely" he said.[2]

Personal life

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He is married to publisher Louise Adler, and they have two adult children.

Accolades

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Honours

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Gillies became a member of the Order of Australia on New Year's Day 1990 for his services to the performing arts.[3] In 1997, he was recognised with a Distinguished Alumni Award from Monash University and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2015.[4]

Awards

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Year Organisation Award Result
1977 Theatre Australia Awards Actor of the Year for A Stretch of the Imagination Won
1985 Mo Awards Specialty Act of the Year Won

Caricatures

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Gillies, through his television programs or theatre performances, has caricatured the following people:

Filmography

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Film

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Year Film Role Notes
1971 Stork Uncle Jack
1971 The Girl on the Roof Freddy Short film
1973 Libido Gerry Segment: The Family Man
1973 Dalmas Rojack
1974 The Cars That Ate Paris Metcalfe
1974 Applause Please Various characters Short film
1975 The Firm Man Managing director
1975 The True Story of Eskimo Nell Deadeye Dick
1975 The Great Macarthy Stan
1975 Pure Shit Dr. Harry Wolf
1976 The Trespassers Publisher
1979 Dimboola Vivian Worcester-Jones
1980 A Wild Ass of a Man James Muldoon TV movie
1982 A Shifting Dreaming William 'Nugget' Morton Documentary film
1985 The Coca-Cola Kid Frank Hunter
1988 As Time Goes By Joe Bogart – The Alien
1990 A Stretch of the Imagination Monk O'Neill TV movie
1991 A Woman's Tale Billy's Son-in-Law
1996 Lust and Revenge Art Critic
2003 The Ball John Howard, Prime Minister Short film
2006 Wil The Therapist

Television

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Year Film Role Notes
1974 This Love Affair Harry TV series – 2 episodes
1974 Flash Nick from Jindavick Inspector Hare/Mayor of Dubbo/Gerry the Fireman TV series – 3 episodes
1975 Homicide Lennie TV series – 1 episode
1975 Tandarra Dr. Roland Clancy Miniseries – 1 episode
1977 Bluey John Clancy TV series – 1 episode
1980 Lawson's Mates TV series – 1 episode
1980 Spring & Fall Charlie TV series – 1 episode
1978–1981 Tickled Pink Willeke/Uncle/Bill TV series – 4 episodes
1983 Home Barney Children's TV series – 2 episodes
1984–1985 The Gillies Report Various characters Sketch show – 14 episodes
1986 The Gillies Republic Various characters Sketch show – 6 episodes
1992 Gillies and Company Various characters Sketch show
1995 Blue Heelers Bill Foster TV series – 1 episode
2000 All Saints Ian Benson TV series – 1 episode
2003 Welcher & Welcher Larry Sitcom – 1 episode
2012 House Husbands Noel TV series – 1 episode
2020 Bloom Archbishop Gibson TV series – 3 episodes

Theatre

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Year Film Role Notes
1962 The School for Scandal University of Melbourne
1964 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Barney University of Melbourne
1964 Love’s Best Doctor Union Theatre
1964 Endgame Union Theatre
1970 The Hero Rises Up
1970 Knuckle APG at Pram Factory
1970–1971 Marvellous Melbourne APG at Pram Factory
1971 The Feet of Daniel Mannix Mr Greensleeves APG at Pram Factory
1972 He Can Swagger Sitting Down George Wallace APG at Pram Factory
1973 Dimboola Bayonet APG at Pram Factory
1973 The Dumb Waiter Gus APG at Pram Factory
1973 The Dragon Lady’s Revenge APG at Pram Factory
1974 Housey
1974 River Jordan APG at Pram Factory
1974 The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria APG at Pram Factory
1974 On Yer Marx Groucho Marx APG at Pram Factory
1974 Who APG at Pram Factory
1975 Smoking is a Health Hazard Ivan Ivanovich Nyukhin APG at Pram Factory
1975 Bedfellows Paul Cummins APG at Pram Factory
1975 The Money Show APG at Carlton Festival
1975 The Department Robbie Marian Street Theatre
1975–1977 The Hills Family Show Fitzroy Hills APG at Pram Factory
1976 Yours for the Masking APG at Pram Factory
1976 A Toast to Melba Oscar Wilde, Buffalo Bill, Pietro Cecchi & Truth Editor APG at National Theatre & Adelaide Festival
1976 A Stretch of the Imagination Monk O’Neill APG at Pram Factory
1976 Knuckle APG at Pram Factory
1978 The Ship’s Whistle APG at Pram Factory
1979 Beware of Imitations Sir Wilfred McLuckie APG at Pram Factory
1979 Marsupials MTC at Russell Street Theatre
1979–1980 Traitors APG at Nimrod
1980 Clouds Nimrod
1980–1981 Scanlan Professor Scanlan Universal Theatre, Nimrod & La Boite
1980–1981 Smoking is a Health Hazard Ivan Ivanovich Nyukhin Phillip Street Theatre & Universal Theatre
1981 Squirts Various characters including Malcolm Fraser STCSA at Universal Theatre & Playhouse
1982 A Night with the Right Various characters Nimrod
1982 Welcome to the Bright World Nimrod
1983 Accidental Death of an Anarchist Athenaeum Theatre
1987 A Chorus of Disapproval Dafydd MTC
1987–1988 The Department Robbie Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust at Seymour Centre
1990 Allo Allo René State Theatre & Her Majesty's Theatre
1990–1991 A Stretch of the Imagination Monk O’Neill MTC at Russell Street Theatre
1992 Fiddler on the Roof Tevye Opera Australia
1993 In Two Minds Theatre Royal
1993 The Beaux’ Stratagem Foigard MTC
1993 Scrooge, The Musical The Ghost of Christmas Present Princess Theatre
1994 The Sisters Rosensweig Mervyn Kant MTC
1995 Three Birds Alighting on a Field
1995 Lady Windermere's Fan Lord Augustus Lorton MTC
1996 Gillies Live at the Club Republic Various characters Civic Theatre
1996 Little Shop of Horrors Enmore Theatre
1996 Competitive Tenderness Brian Playbox
1997 After the Ball Ron Macrae QTC at Suncorp Theatre
1997 Run for Your Wife Civic Theatre
1998 Misalliance John Tarleton MTC
1998 The Club Ted Parker MTC
1998 Noises Off Civic Theatre
1999 Happy Days - The Arena Mega Musical Howard Cunningham Paul Dainty
1999 The Merry Widow Miko Zeta Essgee Entertainment at Sydney Lyric
2000 A Couple of Blaguards Ensemble Theatre
2000 Your Dreaming: The Prime Minister’s Cultural Convention Poets, Pontificanfs & Ex-Patriots Playbox (A Centenary of Federation Event)
2003 The Dock Brief Wilfred Morgenhall Ensemble Theatre
2003–2004 Last of the Red Hot Lovers Barney Hit Productions at Q Theatre
2004 What the Butler Saw Dr Rance Belvoir St Theatre
2003, 2006 Babes in the Wood Tía Avarice Merlyn Theatre
2004–2005 The Big Con Various characters ANZ Pavilion Arts Centre
2005 Love Letters Andrew Makepeace Ladd III Parade Theatre, NIDA
2005–2006 A Couple of Blaguards Malachy McCourt York Theatre
2006 A Hard God
2007 Dimboola Malthouse Theatre
2007, 2008 Heroes Henri QTC at Cremorne Theatre
2008 No Country for Old PMs: An Evening with Max Gillies Himself Noosa Longweekend Festival
2009 The Man from Mukinupin Eek Perkins MTC / Company B
2009–2010 Godzone Various characters MTC at Sumner Theatre
2011 Much Ado About Nothing Dogberry STC
2012 The Seed Brian Maloney MTC
2013 The Haunting of David Gartrell David Gartrell Straightjacket Productions
2014–2015 Once Were Leaders: An Evening with Max Gillies Various characters Wander Productions
2018 Krapp's Last Tape Krapp Fortyfivedownstairs
2019 Senior Moments Various characters Return Fire Productions
2021–2023 Mono: A Three-Person One-Man Show Various characters Bunbury Productions

References

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  1. ^ NicolaK (10 June 2008). "Max Gillies to appear at Noosa Longweekend". Sunshine Coast Daily. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  2. ^ Lund, Michael (31 May 2008). "YouTube gives Max Gillies plenty of hits". The Courier Mail. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008.
  3. ^ "Award Extract". AUSTRALIAN HONOURS SEARCH FACILITY. Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Honorary doctorate to veteran entertainer". Monash University. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
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