Max Gillies
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.
Max Gillies | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 November 1941 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Actor, theatre founder |
| Years active | 1964−present |
Early life and education
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
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, You're Dreaming). 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 Long Weekend 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
He is married to publisher Louise Adler, and they have two adult children.
Honours
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]
Caricatures
Gillies, through his television programs or theatre performances, has caricatured the following people:
- Australian prime ministers: Robert Menzies, Harold Holt, William McMahon, Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, John Howard, Kevin Rudd.
- Other Australian politicians: Kim Beazley, Alexander Downer, Amanda Vanstone, Ian Sinclair, Philip Ruddock, Sir John Kerr, Don Chipp, Andrew Peacock, Fred Nile, Russ Hinze, Gareth Evans.
- Australian state premiers: Robert Askin, Henry Bolte, Neville Wran, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, John Bannon.
- Australian businessmen: Kerry Packer, Rupert Murdoch, Alan Bond, John Singleton, John Elliott.
- Australian writers: Phillip Adams, Bob Ellis, Geoffrey Blainey, Clive James, Thomas Keneally, Gerard Henderson, Bob Santamaria.
- Foreign leaders: Ronald Reagan, Pik Botha, F. W. de Klerk, Margaret Thatcher, Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Yasuhiro Nakasone, Mikhail Gorbachev, David Lange, Queen Elizabeth II, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Pope John Paul II.
- Other people: Tony Barber, Barry Crocker, David Attenborough, Jonathon Shier, Frank Sinatra, D. D. McNicoll, Arthur Daley (a main character from Minder)
References
- NicolaK (10 June 2008). "Max Gillies to appear at Noosa Longweekend". Sunshine Coast Daily. News Corp. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- Lund, Michael (31 May 2008). "YouTube gives Max Gillies plenty of hits". The Courier Mail. News Corp. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008.
- "Award Extract". AUSTRALIAN HONOURS SEARCH FACILITY. Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet . Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- "Honorary doctorate to veteran entertainer". Monash University. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
