Terry McDermott

Terry McDermott (1928 – 14 December 2018) was an Australian stage, radio and television actor known for his roles in the series Homicide and Bellbird.

Early life McDermott was born in Sydney, Australia and his family later moved to Adelaide.

Career McDermott's began his career performing in the theatre, appearing in plays for the Adelaide Repertory Theatre and University Theatre Guild.

In Sydney, McDermott was a regular in the ABC radio serial Blue Hills, and also appeared in revues at Phillip Street Theatre. In 1963, McDermott founded Sydney's Q Theatre alongside fellow performers Doreen Warburton, Ben Gabriel, Edward Hepple, Robert McDarra and Walter Sullivan. They contributed five pounds each to establish the company, enabling them to launch the Q Theatre Group’s Lunch Hour Theatre at the AMP Theatrette.

It was in television however, that McDermott made his breakthrough, playing the role of Detective Sergeant Frank Bronson, one of three main characters, in the Crawford Productions police series Homicide from its 1964 debut until 1966. He left the show due to a disagreement over contracts and concerns about performing his own stunts. His character was one of the first detectives killed off by an unknown Gerard Kennedy playing a Ronald Ryan-type escapee in Episode 58 entitled "Vendetta".

After a 1966 return to the stage as Bill Sikes in Oliver! and a 12 month stint in the stage production Man of La Mancha, McDermott joined the cast of the rural soap opera Bellbird as Max Pearson in 1969, remaining with the series until 1973. McDermott and fellow cast member Gary Gray produced Country Town, a feature film based on the series, with their newly formed company AVARGO ('have a go').

He had further television roles in Adventures of the Seaspray, Skippy, Division 4, Matlock Police, Bluey, Young Ramsay, Whiplash, The Sullivans, Skyways, Prisoner, Barrier Reef, Anzacs, Neighbours and Cop Shop. He also made a guest appearance in the Australian-filmed late-1980s reboot of Mission: Impossible, reuniting him with American actor Peter Graves, with whom he had worked on Whiplash 30 years earlier.

McDermott also continued to work extensively in theatre, in both plays and musicals. He toured nationally with J. C. Williamson's productions of Cactus Flower, The Amorous Prawn, The Constant Wife and Man of La Mancha. He was also involved numerous productions with Melbourne Theatre Company including London Assurance, The Doctor's Dilemma, Desire Under the Elms, The Play's the Thing, Freeway, Cyrano de Bergerac, Shindig, The Misanthrope and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He was also in a revival of Guys and Dolls and performed in the comedy Flexitime, which toured Australia for almost two years.

Personal life McDermott met his wife, teacher Nathalie Kavanagh in 1956, who was working on a production of The Glass Menagerie that he was performing in. They were married the same year. The couple had five children – Amanda, Bernadette, Guy, Michael and Tara. They lived between Sydney and Adelaide, before eventually settling in Upwey, an outer eastern of Melbourne. The family were churchgoers, attending Catholic Church of St Thomas More in Belgrave.

McDermott was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in his late 70s and died from the disease on 14 December 2018, at the age of 90. At the time of his passing, he had 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1963 Prelude to Harvest James Ruse TV movie 1963 Cruise of the Magi Short film 1966 Ashes to Ashes Tregembo TV movie 1966 Antigone Chorus member TV movie 1967 A Ride on the Big Dipper Clive Denning TV movie 1971 Country Town Max Pearson Feature film 1973 Squeaker's Mate Doctor Short film 1977 The Mango Tree Somers Feature film 1978 The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith M.P. Feature film 1979 Dimboola Darcy Feature film 1984 Niel Lynne Rob Lynne Feature film 1986 A Single Life Judge TV movie 1989 Against the Innocent Senator / Journalist Feature film

Television Year Title Role Notes 1957 The Adventures of Long John Silver Man in tavern TV series, 1 episode 1960–1961 Whiplash Jack Sheridan / Tom / Slyter TV series, 3 episodes 1962–1964 Consider Your Verdict Detective Sgt Bronson / William Draper TV series, 3 episodes 1963 Tribunal Walter Schwieger TV series, 1 episode 1964–1973 Homicide Detective Sergeant Frank Bronson / Lew Church TV series, 60 episodes 1966–1967 Australian Playhouse Detective Hilton / Ben Peters / Detective / Alan Byers TV series, 4 episodes 1967 Adventures of the Seaspray TV series, 1 episode 1968 Skippy Hilton TV series, 1 episode 1969–1973 Bellbird Max Pearson TV series, 836 episodes 1971 Barrier Reef Commander Finch TV series, 1 episode 1971–1974 Matlock Police Thomas / Hank Turner / Neil King TV series, 3 episodes 1972 Boney Jim Oliver TV series, 1 episode 1973 Ryan Matt TV series, 1 episode 1973–1974 Division 4 Snr Sgt Clive Benson / Duff TV series, 2 episodes 1974 Marion Mr Smith TV miniseries, 3 episodes 1976–1981 Cop Shop Jacob Friedman / Jim Faulkner / Dr Murdoch / Sgt Alec McEwan / Harvey Miller TV series, 11 episodes 1977 Bluey Inspector Bill Dermott TV series, 1 episode 1977 Young Ramsay Mr Eastwood TV series, 1 episode 1977 The Sullivans Mr Logan TV series, 4 episodes 1979 Skyways Fred Manning / Captain Gardner TV series, 3 episodes 1980–1985 Prisoner Brian Williams / Father Lennon / Mr Gardiner TV series, 4 episodes 1981 Holiday Island Max Costello TV series, 1 episode 1983–1984 Carson's Law Mr Ernie Watson / Robson TV series, 2 episodes 1984 Special Squad Inspector TV series, episode 13: "Jacko" 1985 Anzacs Colonel TV miniseries, 1 episode 1989–1992 Tanamera – Lion of Singapore Fire Chief TV miniseries, 7 episodes 1990 Mission: Impossible Mayor TV series, 1 episode 1990 Col'n Carpenter Terrence Berry TV series, 1 episode 1990 Neighbours John Bryce TV series, 6 episodes 1994 Time Trax John Barnett TV series, 1 episode

Theatre Year Title Role Notes 1951 First Series Short Plays, 1951 season Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre 1951 Family Honour Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre 1952 Flowers for the Living Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre 1952 The Life and Death of King John English Herald Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre 1952 The Brontes Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre 1953 Fireworks in the Morning Josef Hoksa University of Adelaide 1954 Traveller Without Baggage University of Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre 1954 The Circle Edward Lutton University of Adelaide 1955; 1956 Happy Returns Phillip Street Theatre, Sydney 1955 Nightmare Abbey Genesian Theatre, Sydney 1956 The Glass Menagerie The Gentleman Caller Genesian Theatre, Sydney 1956 The Family Reunion Genesian Theatre, Sydney 1956 The Proposal Genesian Theatre, Sydney 1958 Titus Andronicus Independent Theatre, Sydney 1959 A Midsummer Night's Dream Independent Theatre, Sydney, Theatre Royal, Adelaide 1959 The Merchant of Venice The Prince of Morocco Theatre Royal, Adelaide, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson's 1959 King Lear Duke of Albany Theatre Royal, Adelaide, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson's 1959 The Winter’s Tale Polixenes Theatre Royal, Adelaide, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson's 1964 George AMP Theatrette, Sydney with Q Theatre Company 1966 Oliver! Bill Sikes Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Canberra Theatre with J. C. Williamson's 1966 Cactus Flower Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson's 1967 Luv St Martins Theatre, Melbourne 1967 Man of la Mancha The Innkeeper Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne with J. C. Williamson's 1973 The Play's the Thing St Martins Theatre, Melbourne, Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1974 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Big Daddy St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1974 The Doctor's Dilemma St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1974 The Misanthrope Philinte St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1974 London Assurance St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1975 Shindig! Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1975 Much Ado About Nothing Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1975 The Freeway Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1976 Man of La Mancha The Innkeeper Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Newcastle Civic Theatre with J. C. Williamson's 1977 Desire Under the Elms Ephraim Cabot Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1978 The Ship's Whistle Pram Factory, Melbourne with Australian Performing Group 1979 Flexitime The Boss WA, VIC, SA & TAS tour 1982 Minna Von Barnhelm The Landlord Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1982–1983 Last of the Red Hot Lovers Barney Cashman, Director Melbourne Athenaeum 1985 Footrot Flats - The Musical Cooch / Major Australian tour with John Manford & Associates 1985 Cyrano de Bergerac Carbon de Castel-Jaloux Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC 1986; 1987 Guys and Dolls Lt. Brannigan Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Opera Theatre, Adelaide with National Theatre of Great Britain 1990 The Night Visitor Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Workers Theatre 1994; 1995 Me and My Girl Charles, The Butler Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, Princess Theatre, Melbourne, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney 1995 Tresno Musician Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne 1995 Halter of This World Roar 2 Studio, Melbourne 1996 Anne of Green Gables Rippon Lea, Melbourne with Performing Arts Projects 2003 Hello, Last Page of My Life La Mama, Melbourne with Performing Arts Projects & Fly on the Wall Theatre