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John Gregg (actor)

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John Gregg
Born
John David Gregg

(1939-01-12)January 12, 1939
Died29 May 2021(2021-05-29) (aged 82)
NationalityAustralian
Occupationactor

John Gregg (12 January 1939 – 29 May 2021) was an Australian actor, who worked steadily over six decades.

Early life

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Gregg was born on a dairy farm in Campbell Town, a remote rural district in southern Tasmania. In his early years he milked cows and ploughed fields for neighbouring farms, and was interested in Aussie Rules football, cricket and rowing.

Gregg auditioned for NIDA at the age of 18, and started studying with its first intake of students in 1959, alongside Robyn Nevin, Elspeth Ballantyne, Elaine Cusack, Teddy Hodgeman and Peter Couchman.[1]

Career

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After graduating from NIDA, Gregg was chosen to work with the Elizabethan Theatre Trust. He appeared in The Merchant of Venice with the John Alden Shakespeare Company in 1961.

From the 1960s, Gregg worked with the newly formed ABC drama department on television series including Contrabandits, Delta and The Oracle, while continuing to work in theatre.

In the early 1970s, Gregg headed to London to work successfully in theatre and then television. One of his most notable roles was as Lycett in Doctor Who. On his return to Australia he continued to work both on stage and screen.[2]

Other television appearances included: Grass Roots, Special Branch, Armchair Thriller, Bodyline, Heatwave, Bootleg, Captain James Cook, Done Away with It, and was a featured player in Frederic Raphael's semi-autobiographical miniseries The Glittering Prizes for the BBC.[3]

Gregg was Chair of the Actors Benevolent Fund (ABF) for six years from 2013, having joined the Committee in 2008. He passed the position on to Bruce Spence in 2019 upon his retirement.[4]

Personal life

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Gregg met his future wife Jane Seldon on the set of David Hare's 1991 production of Racing Demon at Sydney Theatre Company, where Jane Seldon was working as Wardrobe Mistress. He had four children, Sophie Gregg (who is also an actor), Alice, Ben and Sam, and eight grandchildren, as well as two stepsons and step-grandchildren through his marriage to Jane.[5]

Death

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Gregg died on 29 May 2021, aged 82.(1861)

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1982 Heatwave Philip Lawson Feature film
1985 Burke & Wills Alfred Erwin Feature film
1985 Bootleg T. C. Brown Feature film
1987 Travelling North Jim Feature film
1988 Two Brothers Running Nelson Feature film
1991 Deadly Minister Feature film
1994 Ebbtide Chalmers Feature film
1996 Turning April Attorney-General Feature film
2001 To End All Wars Camp Doctor Coates Feature film
2002 Black and White Rohan Rivett Feature film
2008 The View from Greenhaven Tobe Feature film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1965 Tartuffe Oleante TV play
1966 Done Away with It TV play
1967 Contrabandits TV series
1969 Delta Mallow TV series
Special Branch TV series
1975 Doctor Who Lycett TV series, Story arc: The Ark in Space
Armchair Thriller TV series
1979 The Oracle Steve Black TV series
1984 Bodyline Percy Fender TV miniseries
1984 Special Squad Golodkin TV series
1985 Captain James Cook Joseph Banks TV miniseries
1989 This Man... This Woman Joe Laurence TV series
Grass Roots Morgan Bartok TV series

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Theatre

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Year Title Role Notes
1959 Our Town UNSW
1959 Julius Caesar Citizens, soldiers, messengers, senators etc Elizabethan Theatre
1959 The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Orderly / Lieutenant Stephen Maryk (second cast) UNSW
1960 The Beautiful People Owen Webster UNSW
1960 The Green Pastures Adam / Third Gambler / Head Magician / Hezdrel The New Auditorium, Kensington
1960 Love's Labour's Lost Lord Dumaine UNSW
1961 Othello Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Elizabethan Theatre, Cremorne Orpheum
1961 The Merchant of Venice Shylock Palace Theatre, Sydney, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Elizabethan Theatre, Cremorne Orpheum with John Alden Shakespeare Company
1961 Macbeth Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Elizabethan Theatre, Cremorne Orpheum
1963 Hamlet UNSW Old Tote Theatre
1963 Camelot Sir Sagramore Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide
1965 Pinocchio Fox Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
1966 Chips with Everything Independent Theatre
1966 The Knack Russell Street Theatre
1967 The Servant of Two Masters Russell Street Theatre
1967 Incident at Vichy Russell Street Theatre
1967 The Right Honourable Gentleman Russell Street Theatre, Canberra Theatre
1967 A Flea in Her Ear Camille Chandebise Canberra Theatre, Russell Street Theatre, University of Melbourne
1968 The Crucible Russell Street Theatre, Canberra Theatre, Tasmania
1968 The Magistrate Russell Street Theatre, Canberra Theatre, Mildura Arts Centre, Broken Hill, King's Theatre Mt Gambier, Adelaide Teachers College
1969 Hamlet Hamlet University of Sydney
1970 The Prince and the Firebird UNSW Parade Theatre
1970 What the Butler Saw Russell Street Theatre
1971 So What About Love? Dicky Playhouse Theatre, Perth
1971 Long Day's Journey into Night Edmund Royal National Theatre
1972 Jumpers Jumper The Old Vic, National Theatre, Lyttelton, Royal Court Theatre
1972 The Great Exhibition Jerry Hampstead Theatre
1972–73 Macbeth Caithness Royal National Theatre, The Old Vic
1973 The Cherry Orchard Extra Royal National Theatre, The Old Vic
1973 The Bacchae Extra Royal National Theatre, The Old Vic
1973 Measure for Measure Escalus , Harlow Playhouse, The Old Vic, Royal National Theatre
1974 Next of Kin Timothy Hayes

The Alexandra, Birmingham, The Old Vic with Royal National Theatre

1974 The Marriage of Figaro Double-Main The Old Vic
1975 Don's Party Royal Court Theatre
1976 While the Sun Shines Earl of Harpenden Theatre Royal, Windsor with Windsor Theatre Company
1980 Much Ado About Nothing Don Pedro Regent's Park Open Air Theatre with New Shakespeare Company
1980 A Midsummer Night's Dream Theseus, Duke of Athens Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, The Tilt Yard, Arundel with New Shakespeare Company
The Threepenny Opera STCSA
1980–81 Celluloid Heroes Mike Fontaine Nimrod Upstairs, Theatre Royal, Sydney for Festival of Sydney
1982 Piaf: The Songs and the Story Princess Theatre, Melbourne
1982 The Importance of Being Earnest John Worthing JP Marian Street Theatre, Newcastle Civic Theatre
1983 The Perfectionist SGIO Theatre, Brisbane
1984 Medea Jason Melbourne Arts Centre
1985 Sons of Cain Rex Harding Theatre Royal, Sydney, Playhouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Theatre Company
1986 Pygmalion Phillip Street Theatre
1988 My Fair Lady Colonel Pickering Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney with Victoria State Opera
1989 Passion Play Sydney Opera House
1990 Henceforward... Marian Street Theatre
1991 Racing Demon Wharf Studio Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
1993 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Mr Gatch / TV Compere University of Sydney, Lyric Theatre Sydney, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth
1994 Underwear, Perfume and Crash Helmet Lionel Malthouse Theatre
1995 Honour George Malthouse Theatre
1996 Coriolanus Cominius Melbourne Athenaeum, Sydney Opera House, Canberra Theatre
2003 These People Wharf 2 Theatre
2004–05 Flatfoot Crassus Dives Australian national tour
2008 Renaissance Leonardo Da Vinci Old Fitzroy Theatre
2008 The Happy Prince The Statue Newcastle Civic Theatre, Seymour Centre

[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ "Farewell John Gregg".
  2. ^ "Farewell John Gregg".
  3. ^ Vale: John Gregg
  4. ^ "Farewell John Gregg".
  5. ^ "Farewell John Gregg".
  6. ^ "Farewell John Gregg".
  7. ^ "AusStage".
  8. ^ "Farewell John Gregg".
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