Gordon Chater

Gordon Maitland Chater AM (6 April 1922 – 12 December 1999) was an English Australian comedian and actor, and recipient of the Gold Logie, he appeared in revue, theatre, radio, television and film, with a career spanning almost 50 years.

Biography Early life and career

Chater was born in North Kensington, London, Middlesex to Maitland Charter, a chartered accountant and Evelyn Eleanor Riach, He attended Cambridge University to study medicine but did not finish his degree. He did, however, take part in many student revues.

Arriving in Australia after World War II, Chater came to prominence as a stage and radio actor. He appeared in numerous radio shows and series, including Looking at Life (1951), a comedy series which dramatised everyday events and in which he starred alongside Gwen Plumb, Queenie Ashton and Ruth Cracknell. He was also cast in serious theatrical roles; including Yepikhodov in the 1963 Sydney season of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard alongside Owen Weingott and Ron Haddrick. This critically lauded production was the debut of the Old Tote Theatre Company, the precursor to the Sydney Theatre Company. Within a few months of The Cherry Orchard he was once again performing original satirical comedy, such as the Phillip Street Theatre revues Do You Mind! with Jill Perryman, Judi Farr and Robina Beard.

Screen and television roles

Chater appeared in TV movies and series. He became a national star when he was cast with Carol Raye and Barry Creyton in the Australian satirical television series The Mavis Bramston Show, for which he won the 1966 Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. He cemented his popularity with the title role in the popular sitcom My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?, and Mac and Merle (1973), which reunited him with Gwen Plumb.

Chater was critical of early Australian television direction which he characterised as too often "'feet, knees and in the distance pictures'. People watching TV are interested in people and close ups in Australia were hard to come by in the early days of Australian television."

Theatre roles

Amongst work in many other shows, Chater appeared in The Rocky Horror Show in Brisbane in 1988, the Sydney Theatre Company production of The Importance of Being Earnest as both "Lane" and "Merriman" in 1990, In 1955 & 1956, he worked on the highly successful drama White Coolies, which was based on the diary of Sister Betty Jeffrey, written while she and other Australian nurses were held in a Japanese prison camp in World War Two. The series of more than 50 episodes, has been released for sale and download, by Grace Gibson Productions.

Death Chater died on 12 December 1999, aged 77 from heart disease in Southport, Queensland.

Honours and awards

Winner of the Macquarie Radio Award in 1952 for Comedy Performance on Radio Winner of the Gold Logie in 1966 for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television (The Mavis Bramston Show) Member of the Order of Australia (AM), 1999

Filmography

Film Year Production Role Type 1958 Smiley Gets a Gun Rev. Galbraith Feature film 1963 My Three Angels Convict TV movie 1976 Me and Mr Thorne Reginald Thorne TV movie 1992 The Importance of Being Ernest Lane, Merriman TV movie 1993 This Won't Hurt a Bit Dental Professor Feature film

Television Year Production Role Type 1954 The Adventures of Long John Silver Alfredo TV series 1958/59 ITV Television Playhouse Reverend Michael Brute / Victor Prine TV series, 2 episodes: Various Heavens, Private Lives 1959 Armchair Theatre TV series, Episode: To Ride A Tiger 1958/61 ITV Play of the Week Henry Straker / Mr Bullivant TV series, 2 episodes: Man and Superman, Break from Cover 1961 The Story of Peter Grey TV series 1964 The Mavis Bramston Show Various Characters TV series 1966-68 My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? Dominic McGooley TV series, 88 episodes 1968 Rita and Wally McGooley TV series 1968 The Gordon Chater Show Host TV series 1971 The Godfathers Jamieson TV series 1972 Snake Gully with Dad and Dave Dad Rudd TV series 1974 Behind the Legend Thomas Mitchell TV series, Episode: Thomas Mitchell Mac and Merle John "Mac" McInern TV series 1975 The Dave Allen Show in Australia Various TV series 1975 Celebrity Squares Himself TV series, 2 episodes 1976 This Is Your Life Himself TV series 1976 Matlock Police Doc. Horton TV series 1980 Broadway on Showtime Dr. Cedric Seward TV series 1981 Parkinson in Australia Guest TV series

Theatre Year Production Role Venue / Theatre Co. 1963 The Cherry Orchard Old Tote Theatre 1970s The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin 1988 The Rocky Horror Show Brisbane 1990 The Importance of Being Earnest Lane / Merriman Sydney Theatre Company 1993 Confinement Playhouse, Melbourne