Drew Forsythe

Drew Forsythe (born 23 August 1949) is an Australian actor, singer, writer, and comedian. He has appeared on film, stage, and television, as well as in satirical sketch comedy television programs.

Early life

Born in New South Wales to newsagent parents, Forsythe attended Atherton Primary School, far north Queensland. . He caught the acting bug when The Young Elizabethan Players performed Hamlet (featuring Kirrily Nolan as Ophelia) at his Charters Towers high school.

Career

Theatre The title roles of the heroic Tonino and the foolish Zanetto in the Nick Enright/Terence Clarke musical, The Venetian Twins, were written for Forsythe. He originated these dual roles for Nimrod Theatre Company in the first Sydney Theatre Company season in 1979, and subsequently in two revivals.

Playwright David Williamson wrote Flatfoot for Forsythe, in which he played eleven different characters and a parrot.

Other stage appearances include the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas H.M.S. Pinafore and The Mikado for Essgee Entertainment, receiving a Melbourne Green Room Award as Ko-Ko in The Mikado in 1995.

Film Forsythe appeared in the films Stone, Caddie, Newsfront, Annie's Coming Out, Ginger Meggs, Burke & Wills, Travelling North and Billy's Holiday. He featured as the narrator in the film Ned, which was written and directed by and starred his son, Abe Forsythe.

He received the 1976 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, for his role in Caddie.

Television Forsythe has featured in television roles on The Miraculous Mellops, The Dingo Principle and Hotel Bordemer. He has also made guest appearances on a number of popular television series, including Cop Shop, A Country Practice, G.P., BackBerner, All Saints, and Packed to the Rafters.

He provided the anonymous, uncredited voice of David Tench, an animated host on Network Ten's short-lived comedy talk show David Tench Tonight. Likewise, he also voiced several characters on the Australian award-winning animated series I Got a Rocket, as well as characters on Fairy Tale Police Department and The Adventures of Blinky Bill.

Radio Forsythe is credited with singing the theme song for the ABC's long-running Sunday morning radio program, Australia All Over, hosted by Ian McNamara. For more than thirty years, when over 2 million listeners spanning every corner of Australia tune in from 5.30 am on Sunday mornings to listen to 'Macca' they are greeted by Forsythe singing - "Macca on a Sunday Morning".

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Type 1973 The Taming of the Shrew Teleplay 1973 How Could You Believe Me When I Said I'd Be Your Valet When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life? Teleplay 1974 Stone Fred Feature film 1974 Essington TV movie 1975 They Don't Clap Losers Priest TV movie 1976 Caddie Sonny Feature film 1976 Deathcheaters Battle Scene Director Feature film 1978 Newsfront Bruce Feature film 1979 The Hero Auditionee Short film 1981 Around the World with Dot Danny the Swagman (live) / Santa Claus (voice) Animated TV film 1981 Doctors and Nurses Katz Feature film 1982 Ginger Meggs Tiger Kelly Feature film 1983 Dot and the Bunny Koala (voice) Animated TV film 1984 Annie's Coming Out David Lewis Feature film 1985 Burke & Wills William Brahe Feature film 1986 The Movers John TV movie 1987 Travelling North Martin Feature film 1989 Minnamurra (aka Outback or Wrangler) Henry Iverson Feature film 1993 The Nostradamus Kid 'General Booth Enters Heaven' Strolling Player Feature film 1995 Billy's Holiday Sid Banks Feature film 1996 The Mikado Ko-Ko TV movie 1997 H.M.S. Pinafore The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter K.C.B. TV movie 2002 Six Days Straight Arthur Short film 2003 Ned Narrator Feature film 2006 The Last Chip Pit Boss Trevor Short film

Television Year Title Role Type 1974 Three Men of the City Ken Styles TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1974 Behind the Legend Ted Baxter TV series, 1 episode 1975 The Company Men Ken Elliott TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1976 The Emigrants Peter TV miniseries, 1 episode 1981 Cop Shop Sid Moody / Murray Paxton TV series, 4 episodes 1984 Breakout Host Documentary 1984-91 A Country Practice Noel Lewis / Phil Pratt TV series, 3 episodes 1985 Runaway Island Bloat TV series, 2 episodes 1986 Land of Hope Old Frank Quinn TV miniseries 1986 Whose Baby? Bill Morrison TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1987 The Dingo Principle Various characters TV series 1989-93 G.P. Leon Winters TV series, 3 episodes 1990 The Party Machine Various characters TV series, 3 episodes 1991-92 The Miraculous Mellops Ralph TV series, 26 episodes 1994 Three Men and a Baby Grand Various characters TV series 1998 Driven Crazy Sidney Drayton Mousechap TV series, season 1, episode 12: "Mousechap" 2001-05 Fairy Tale Police Department Chief Horace White (voice) Animated TV series, 26 episodes 2002 BackBerner Martin TV series, 1 episode 2002-07 All Saints Ray McCarthy / Dale Caulder TV series, 3 episodes 2004 The Adventures of Blinky Bill Voice Animated TV series, season 3 2005 Hotel Bordemer TV series, 19 episodes 2006 Staines Down Drains Dr Drain TV series, 2 episodes 2006-07 David Tench Tonight David Tench (voice) TV series 2006-07 I Got a Rocket! Ma Ducky / Biffo Ducky / Scuds Ducky / Captain O'Cheese / Pirate (voices) Animated TV series, 23 episodes 2007 Chandon Pictures Graham Tucker TV series, 1 episode 2008 Packed to the Rafters Fred Mackie TV series, 1 episode 2011 At Home with Julia Bob Katter TV series, 1 episode 2012 Devil’s Dust Bob Carr Animated TV series, 2 episodes

As writer Year Title Role Type 1987 The Dingo Principle Writer TV series 1990 The Party Machine Writer TV series, 3 episodes 1994 Three Men and a Baby Grand Writer TV series 1996 The Mikado Additional material TV movie 1997 H.M.S. Pinafore Additional material TV movie

Stage

As actor Year Title Role Type 1968 The Room Mr Kidd Production course graduation play at Jane Street Theatre 1968 Hippolytus Servant Jane Street Theatre 1968 Dark of the Moon Preacher / Haggler Jane Street Theatre 1969 Lock Up Your Daughters Justic Squeezum NIDA Theatre 1969 Miss Jairus Jairus University of NSW, Old Tote Theatre 1969 The Crucible Reverend Samuel Paris University of NSW with Old Tote Theatre 1970 This Story of Yours University of NSW Parade Theatre with Old Tote Theatre 1970 Major Barbara Canberra Theatre & University of NSW Parade Theatre with Old Tote Theatre 1970 The Hostage University of NSW Parade Theatre with Old Tote Theatre 1970 Biggles Ginger Nimrod Theatre Company 1971 King Oedipus Chorus Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Octagon Theatre, Perth & University of Adelaide 1971 The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui University of NSW Parade Theatre & Canberra Theatre Centre with Old Tote Theatre 1971 The Dutch Courtesan University of NSW Parade Theatre with Old Tote Theatre 1971 The National Health or Nurse Norton's Affair University of NSW Parade Theatre with Old Tote Theatre 1971 Lasseter University of NSW Parade Theatre with Old Tote Theatre 1972 Tartuffe University of NSW Parade Theatre with Old Tote Theatre 1972 Julius Caesar University of NSW 1972 Forget-Me-Not Lane University of NSW Parade Theatre with Old Tote Theatre 1972 How Could You Believe Me When I Said I'd Be Your Valet When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life? University of NSW Parade Theatre & Canberra Theatre Centre with Old Tote Theatre 1973 'Tis Pity She's a Whore University of NSW Parade Theatre with Old Tote Theatre 1973 King Richard II Sydney Opera House 1973 The Threepenny Opera Sydney Opera House 1973 What If You Died Tomorrow? Sydney Opera House & Elizabethan Theatre 1973 Arsenic and Old Lace Mortimer Old Tote Theatre 1974 The Seagull Kosta Nimrod Theatre Company 1974 The Bacchoi Nimrod Theatre Company 1974 What If You Died Tomorrow? Comedy Theatre, London 1975 Much Ado About Nothing Dogberry Nimrod Theatre Company 1976 All Good Men Stables Theatre 1976 The Speakers Harry / Policeman / Doctor / Davies Drug-pusher Nimrod Theatre Company 1976 Are You Now or Have You Ever Been Larry Parks / Tony Kraber / Elliott Sullivan / Marc Lawrence Nimrod Theatre Company 1976 The Shoemaker's Holiday Ralph Damport Sydney Opera House 1976 A Toast to Melba GB Shaw / Duke of Orleans / Wedekind / Sir Thomas Beecham University of NSW Parade Theatre with Old Tote Theatre 1977 The Magistrate Cis Farringdon Sydney Opera House 1977 Twelfth Night Sir Andrew Aguecheek Nimrod Theatre Company 1977 Much Ado About Nothing Dogberry Nimrod Theatre Company 1977 Any Fool Can Peter Wilkins Bondi Pavilion 1978 The Comedy of Errors Dromio of Syracuse Nimrod Theatre Company 1978 Henry IV Bardoplh Nimrod Theatre Company 1978-79 The Club Danny Canberra Theatre, Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane, Theatre Royal, Sydney, Orange Civic Theatre, Dapto Leagues Club & St George Leagues Club 1978 Gone with Hardy Stanley Jefferson Nimrod Theatre Company 1979 Incompletions Herb ABC Radio, Sydney 1979 Romeo and Juliet Mercutio Octagon Theatre, Perth & Nimrod Theatre Company 1979 The Life of Galileo Doge of Venice / Thin Monk / Andrea Sarti Nimrod Theatre Company 1979 The Venetian Twins Tonino / Zanetto Sydney Opera House with Nimrod Theatre Company & STC 1980 The Club Danny The Old Vic Theatre, London 1980 The Two Gentlemen of Verona - Open Rehearsal Proteus / Thurio / Antonio Seymour Centre 1981 Three Sisters Nikolai Lvovich / Baron Tusenbach Nimrod Theatre Company 1981 The Venetian Twins Tonino / Zanetto Seymour Centre, Canberra Theatre Centre, Festival Theatre, Adelaide, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne & Geelong 1982 Amadeus Mozart Theatre Royal, Sydney with STC 1984 The Servant of Two Masters The Servant Nimrod Theatre Company for Festival of Sydney 1985 Shorts at the Wharf: Late Arrivals / Perfect Mismatch / The Bourgeois Wedding Derelict / Husband Wharf Theatre with STC 1986 Hedda Gabler Tesman Wharf Theatre with STC 1987 Emerald City Mike Playhouse Adelaide, Canberra Theatre Centre & Sydney Opera House 1988 Big and Little The Man / Male Research Assistant / Bernard Sydney Opera House with STC 1989 Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The King Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Lyric Theatre Brisbane & Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne for Essgee Entertainment 1990 The Venetian Twins Tonino / Zanetto Suncorp Theatre, Brisbane 1990 Love Letters Sydney Opera House, University of Sydney & Playhouse, Melbourne 1990 Big River The King Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney 1991 Three Men and a Baby Grand Comedian Tilbury Hotel, Playhouse Newcastle, Fairfax Studio Melbourne & Space Theatre, Adelaide 1992 The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus Wharf Theatre with STC 1996 The Pirates of Penzance Major-General Stanley New Zealand with Essgee Entertainment 1995 The Mikado Ko-Ko Australian national tour with Essgee Entertainment 1997 H.M.S. Pinafore Sir Joseph Porter Australian national tour with Essgee Entertainment 1998 The Merry Widow Njegus Lyric Theatre, Brisbane with Essgee Entertainment 1998-99 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Senex Australian national tour with Essgee Entertainment 1999 The Imaginary Invalid Ensemble Theatre 2000 The Unofficial Visitors Guide to Australia Wharf Theatre with STC 2001 The Best Bits of That Broad and Those Men Glen Street Theatre 2001 Wharf Revue Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide with STC 2002 Wharf Revue: The Year of Living Comfortably Wharf Theatre & Riverside Theatres Parramatta with STC 2002 Volpone Sydney Opera House 2002 Wharf Revue: Much Revue About Nothing Wharf Theatre with STC 2003 The Way of the World Sydney Opera House with STC 2004 Harbour STC 2004 The Republic of Myopia Dr Furtwangler Roslyn Packer Theatre with STC 2004-05 Flatfoot Titus Maccius Plautus playing various characters (including Pyrgopolynices, Palaestrio and Pleusicles) Australian national tour 2004 Light on the Hill Belvoir Street Theatre 2004 Wharf Revue: Fast and Loose Glen Street Theatre with STC 2005 Broken Valley Belvoir Street Theatre 2005 Navigating Flinders Ensemble Theatre 2005 The Give and Take Sydney Opera House with STC 2005 Wharf Revue: Stuff All Happens Australian national tour 2006 Kookaburra Launch Concert Singer Lyric Theatre, Sydney with Kookaburra - the National Musical Theatre Company 2006 Wharf Revue: Best We Forget Wharf Theatre with STC 2007-08 Wharf Revue: Beware of the Dogma Alexander Downer STC 2008 Wharf Revue: Revue Sans Frontieres Banquet Room, Adelaide with STC 2008 Wharf Revue: Waiting for Garnaut Casula Powerhouse & Wharf Theatre with STC 2009 The 39 Steps Clown 2 Australian national tour & Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong 2009-10 Wharf Revue: Pennies from Kevin Nick Xenophon & various characters Australian national tour with STC 2010 Wharf Revue: Not Quite Out of the Woods Wharf Theatre with STC 2010 L'Amphi Parnasso The Song Company Carnival of the Humans with Australian Chamber Orchestra 2013 Mrs. Warren's Profession The Fool Riverside Theatres, Parramatta, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wharf Theatre with STC 2014 Strictly Ballroom the Musical Doug Hastings Sydney Lyric Theatre 2015-20 Wharf Revue: Celebrating 15 Years Malcolm Turnbull & various characters Australian national tour & online with STC 2016 Wharf Revue: Back to Bite You Wharf Theatre with STC 2016 Wharf Revue 2016 Theatre Royal, Hobart, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Dame Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, IMB Theatre, Wollongong with STC 2017 Wharf Revue: The Patriotic Rag Pauline Hanson & various characters Canberra Theatre Centre & Wharf Theatre with STC 2018 Wharf Revue: Deja Revue Queen Elizabeth, Pauline Hanson, Vladimir Putin & various characters IMB Theatre, Wollongong with STC 2020 Wharf Revue: Good Night and Good Luck Pauline Hanson & various characters Roslyn Packer Theatre, Majestic Cinemas, Sydney & Riverside Theatres Parramatta with STC 2022 Wharf Revue: Looking for Albanese Anthony Albanese, Pauline Hanson, 'The Mad Katter' & various characters Canberra Theatre Centre & Seymour Centre with STC 2022 Wharf Revue: Can of Worms Canberra Theatre Centre & Seymour Centre with STC 2023 Wharf Revue: Pride in Prejudice Dunstan Playhouse & The Round, Melbourne

As writer Year Title Role Type 2000 Wharf Revue: The End of the Wharf as We Know It Writer Wharf Theatre with STC 2000 Wharf Revue: Sunday in Iraq with George: A Shock 'n' Awe-full Show Writer Wharf Theatre with STC 2001 Wharf Revue: Free Petrol! Writer Wharf Theatre with STC 2001 Wharf Revue: Free Petrol Too Writer Wharf Theatre with STC 2002 Wharf Revue: Much Revue About Nothing Creator / writer Wharf Theatre with STC 2004 The Republic of Myopia Creator / writer Roslyn Packer Theatre with STC 2005 Concert for Tax Relief Writer Wharf Theatre with STC 2006-08 Wharf Revue: Revue Sans Frontieres Writer Lennox Theatre, Parramatta & Wharf Theatre with STC 2007-08 Wharf Revue: Beware of the Dogma Creator / writer STC 2008 Wharf Revue: Waiting for Garnaut Creator / writer Casula Powerhouse & Wharf Theatre with STC 2009-10 Wharf Revue: Pennies from Kevin Creator / writer Australian national tour with STC 2010 Wharf Revue: Not Quite Out of the Woods Creator / writer Wharf Theatre with STC 2011-12 Wharf Revue: Debt Defying Acts Creator / writer Australian national tour with STC 2013 Wharf Revue: Whoops! Creator / writer Dame Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Riverside Theatres Parramatta, Casula Powerhouse, Glen Street Theatre, Canberra Theatre Centre & Wharf Theatre, with STC 2014 Wharf Revue: Open for Business Creator / writer Dame Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Riverside Theatres Parramatta, Casula Powerhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre, Glen Street Theatre & Wharf Theatre with STC 2015-20 Wharf Revue: Celebrating 15 Years Creator / writer Australian national tour & online with STC 2016 Wharf Revue: Back to Bite You Creator / writer Wharf Theatre with STC 2017 Wharf Revue: The Patriotic Rag Creator / writer Canberra Theatre Centre & Wharf Theatre with STC 2018 Wharf Revue: Deja Revue Creator / writer IMB Theatre, Wollongong with STC 2019 Wharf Revue: Unr-Dact-D Creator / writer Roslyn Packer Theatre with STC 2020 Wharf Revue: Good Night and Good Luck Creator / co-director Roslyn Packer Theatre, Majestic Cinemas, Sydney & Riverside Theatres Parramatta with STC 2022 Wharf Revue: Looking for Albanese Creator / writer Canberra Theatre Centre & Seymour Centre with STC 1987 Whose Baby Penguin Awards Best Actor in a Mini-Series

Personal life

Forsythe's son, Abe Forsythe, is an actor and director.