Gino Esposito
Encyclopedia
Gino Esposito is a fictional character
from the Australian soap opera Neighbours
, played by Shane McNamara
. The character made his first on-screen appearance on 11 August 2000 and was originally played by Claude Stevens. Gino was the owner of the A Good Hair Day, salon, which both Lyn Scully
and Janelle Timmins
were employed at. He was also involved in community theatre.
(Ian Smith
), the writers decided to tweak the "standard love triangle story" with Lou Carpenter
(Tom Oliver
) becoming jealous of the duo. Harold and Gino get along very well and share a love of musicals. Of this, Peter Mattessi of The Age
said "The tension this created between Lou and Harold ("same-sex platonic life-partners", according to Toadie) was a wonderful storytelling twist, and the innuendo made Gino's sexuality clear to those in the know, yet avoided the questions from younger viewers which would jeopardise the G rating."
(Janet Andrewartha
), who had been managing it for the previous owner. Gino and Lyn were rivals and Lyn began dressing younger as she knew that Gino favoured young, pretty hair stylists. Gino put Lyn on a month's trial to see if she could juggle her family and her commitments to the salon. Lyn quit after Gino started taking her regular clients away from her. Lyn decides to branch out on her own and take Gino's clients with her. When Gino finds out about her plans, he threatens to blacken Lyn's name around the town. Lyn tells Gino that she knows his real name is Ray Murphy. Gino is shocked and does not want his reputation ruined, so he accepts Lyn's resignation. Gino's business suffers without Lyn and he tells her that he made a mistake in mistreating her. Lyn then agrees to come back.
Gino becomes involved in the Erinsborough Amateur Players and asks Joe Scully
(Shane Connor
) to build him some sets. Both men clash with their different ideas, but eventually come to respect each other. Gino also becomes a wedding planner and Susan Kennedy
(Jackie Woodburne
) asks him for his help with her second wedding to Karl
(Alan Fletcher). Gino's plans are too much for Susan and Karl and when they go to reject them, Gino tells them that his commitments to the Erinsborough Players' mean he cannot commit to the planning the wedding. When Gino falls out with his boyfriend, Aaron (Stewart Adam), Gino discovers that Harold Bishop has a room to rent. Gino and Harold bond over their love of musicals and vegetarian food and Harold invites Gino to move in. Gino later makes up with Aaron and moves back in with him. However, Gino arrives back at Harold's within a few hours of leaving as he and Aaron had fallen out again. Harold tries to get rid of Gino and when he cooks lots of meat and eats a sausage, although it was vegetarian, in front of him, Gino leaves and goes back to Aaron.
Gino asks Joe if he could be godfather to his and Lyn's son, Oscar. Gino explains that he will never have kids of his own and his nieces and nephews live too far away. Joe agrees to give it some thought. On the day of Oscar's christening, Joe discovers that Gino has decorated the church and he asks him to be Oscar's fourth godparent. Gino comes between Harold and Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) when he and Lou start spending a lot of time together. Harold becomes jealous when Gino and Lou and two girls from the salon go away together and Gino and Lou begin partying with each other. However, both Lou and Harold support Gino when Boyd Hoyland
(Kyal Marsh
) accuses Gino of trying to come onto him. Gino is left shaken by the incident. He eventually put the incident behind him when Boyd apologises. Gino writes a play about a country boy who arrives in the city dreaming of stardom and he casts Ned Parker
(Daniel O'Connor) in the lead role. On the morning of the opening night, Gino injures his back and Karl takes over his duties. Karl also fills in for Ned, after he injures his knee. Following the opening night, no more tickets were sold and Gino's play finished. A few weeks later, Gino announces that he is going to take his baby paegents on tour around Australia and he sells the salon to Steve Parker
(Steve Bastoni
).
said that "at times, Gino has also shown astonishing depth. Like when he was fighting to become godfather to Lyn's baby son Oscar". They said that the situation was something "a lot of gay men can relate to" as Gino explained that he was unlikely to have a child of his own. The newspaper added "We went beyond the froth with him and it was quite moving". Of the character of Gino and his relationship with Harold Bishop, David Knox said "Gino eventually ended up sharing house with Harold, frequently watching musicals on DVD together but never speaking about the love that dare not speak its name..."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Australian soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, played by Shane McNamara
Shane McNamara
Shane McNamara is an Australian television and film actor who is best known for his many appearances in the recurring role of Gino Esposito in the Australian soap opera Neighbours....
. The character made his first on-screen appearance on 11 August 2000 and was originally played by Claude Stevens. Gino was the owner of the A Good Hair Day, salon, which both Lyn Scully
Lyn Scully
Lynette "Lyn" Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Janet Andrewartha. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 21 October 1999, along with her family and remained a prominent feature within the show until late 2006...
and Janelle Timmins
Janelle Timmins
Janelle Beryl Steiger is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Nell Feeney. She made her first on-screen appearance on 11 November 2004...
were employed at. He was also involved in community theatre.
Character development
In 1995, Neighbours introduced a storyline about the bullying of gay teacher, Andrew Watson (Christopher Uhlman). It was a turning point for the show, but it took another five years before another gay male character was introduced. Gino made his first appearance in 2000. He was a hairdresser who owned the local hair salon and spoke about his flatmate Aaron often. It was later revealed that Aaron was his partner. Neighbours script producer, Luke Devenish said of the character, "He is a [gay] stereotype, and we don't have a problem with that as he is not a negative stereotype, he is a comic charter and it is for a laugh – in the Mr Humphries [of Are You Being Served] kind of tradition". David Knox of TV Tonight called Gino an "incidental gay male character." When Gino moves in with Harold BishopHarold Bishop
Harold Bishop is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ian Smith. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 January 1987. Smith was offered a role by Neighbours creator and executive producer Reg Watson...
(Ian Smith
Ian Smith (actor)
Ian Smith is an Australian soap opera character actor and television screenwriter, best known today for his long-running role as the caring, kindly coffee shop owner Harold Bishop in the soap opera Neighbours....
), the writers decided to tweak the "standard love triangle story" with Lou Carpenter
Lou Carpenter
Louis "Lou" Carpenter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Tom Oliver. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 March 1988. Lou appeared for a brief time, before leaving and later returning in January 1992 as a regular cast member. He is the longest...
(Tom Oliver
Tom Oliver
Tom Oliver is an English television, film and theatre actor best known today for playing the role of Lou Carpenter in the Australian soap opera Neighbours.-Career:...
) becoming jealous of the duo. Harold and Gino get along very well and share a love of musicals. Of this, Peter Mattessi of The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
said "The tension this created between Lou and Harold ("same-sex platonic life-partners", according to Toadie) was a wonderful storytelling twist, and the innuendo made Gino's sexuality clear to those in the know, yet avoided the questions from younger viewers which would jeopardise the G rating."
Storylines
Gino Esposito was born Ray Murphy, but he decided to change his name when he became a hairdresser. Gino formed a reputation as a top hairdresser and he decided to open his own hair salon. He bought the A Good Hair Day salon in the Lassiter's Complex in 2001, which concerned Lyn ScullyLyn Scully
Lynette "Lyn" Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Janet Andrewartha. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 21 October 1999, along with her family and remained a prominent feature within the show until late 2006...
(Janet Andrewartha
Janet Andrewartha
Janet Andrewartha is an Australian actress. She is famous for playing on-going roles in two popular Australian soap operas: that of Reb Kean in Prisoner and Lyn Scully in Neighbours.-Biography:...
), who had been managing it for the previous owner. Gino and Lyn were rivals and Lyn began dressing younger as she knew that Gino favoured young, pretty hair stylists. Gino put Lyn on a month's trial to see if she could juggle her family and her commitments to the salon. Lyn quit after Gino started taking her regular clients away from her. Lyn decides to branch out on her own and take Gino's clients with her. When Gino finds out about her plans, he threatens to blacken Lyn's name around the town. Lyn tells Gino that she knows his real name is Ray Murphy. Gino is shocked and does not want his reputation ruined, so he accepts Lyn's resignation. Gino's business suffers without Lyn and he tells her that he made a mistake in mistreating her. Lyn then agrees to come back.
Gino becomes involved in the Erinsborough Amateur Players and asks Joe Scully
Joe Scully
Joe Scully is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Shane Connor. He made his first on-screen appearance on 20 October 1999, along with his family.-Casting:...
(Shane Connor
Shane Connor
Shane Connor is an Australian actor, who has had extensive experience in both stage and film productions.-Background:Shane Connor graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in the early 1980s...
) to build him some sets. Both men clash with their different ideas, but eventually come to respect each other. Gino also becomes a wedding planner and Susan Kennedy
Susan Kennedy
Susan Kennedy , is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Jackie Woodburne. The character and her family were created by storyliners in an attempt to bring the show back to its roots. Susan made her first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1994 along...
(Jackie Woodburne
Jackie Woodburne
Jackie Woodburne is a Northern Irish-born Australian actress.-Personal life:Woodburne was born in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Her father was a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. She has two older siblings: John and Stephen. At age three she emigrated with her family to...
) asks him for his help with her second wedding to Karl
Karl Kennedy
Karl Raymond Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Alan Fletcher. The character and his family were created by storyliners in an attempt to bring the show back to its roots. Karl made his first on-screen appearance on 20 September 1994 along with his...
(Alan Fletcher). Gino's plans are too much for Susan and Karl and when they go to reject them, Gino tells them that his commitments to the Erinsborough Players' mean he cannot commit to the planning the wedding. When Gino falls out with his boyfriend, Aaron (Stewart Adam), Gino discovers that Harold Bishop has a room to rent. Gino and Harold bond over their love of musicals and vegetarian food and Harold invites Gino to move in. Gino later makes up with Aaron and moves back in with him. However, Gino arrives back at Harold's within a few hours of leaving as he and Aaron had fallen out again. Harold tries to get rid of Gino and when he cooks lots of meat and eats a sausage, although it was vegetarian, in front of him, Gino leaves and goes back to Aaron.
Gino asks Joe if he could be godfather to his and Lyn's son, Oscar. Gino explains that he will never have kids of his own and his nieces and nephews live too far away. Joe agrees to give it some thought. On the day of Oscar's christening, Joe discovers that Gino has decorated the church and he asks him to be Oscar's fourth godparent. Gino comes between Harold and Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) when he and Lou start spending a lot of time together. Harold becomes jealous when Gino and Lou and two girls from the salon go away together and Gino and Lou begin partying with each other. However, both Lou and Harold support Gino when Boyd Hoyland
Boyd Hoyland
Boyd Hoyland is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Kyal Marsh. He made his first on-screen appearance on 5 June 2002...
(Kyal Marsh
Kyal Marsh
Kyal Reese Marsh is an Australian actor. He was born in Clare, South Australia. He moved to Melbourne with his family when he was one year old.-Acting & modelling career:...
) accuses Gino of trying to come onto him. Gino is left shaken by the incident. He eventually put the incident behind him when Boyd apologises. Gino writes a play about a country boy who arrives in the city dreaming of stardom and he casts Ned Parker
Ned Parker
Ned Parker is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Daniel O'Connor. He made his first appearance on-screen on 9 August 2005, arriving to see his brother, Stuart...
(Daniel O'Connor) in the lead role. On the morning of the opening night, Gino injures his back and Karl takes over his duties. Karl also fills in for Ned, after he injures his knee. Following the opening night, no more tickets were sold and Gino's play finished. A few weeks later, Gino announces that he is going to take his baby paegents on tour around Australia and he sells the salon to Steve Parker
Steve Parker
Steven "Steve" Parker is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Steve Bastoni. In 2007, Neighbours decided to return to focusing more on family dynamics and the characters of Steve and his family were created and introduced to help boost falling...
(Steve Bastoni
Steve Bastoni
Steve Bastoni is an Italian Australian actor. He is best known for his role in Police Rescue as Constable Yannis 'Angel' Angelopoulos and as Steve Parker in Neighbours.-Television:...
).
Reception
The Sydney Star ObserverSydney Star Observer
The Sydney Star Observer is a free weekly tabloid and online newspaper that caters to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The paper is owned and published by Gay & Lesbian Community Publishing Limited, a community-owned and oriented business...
said that "at times, Gino has also shown astonishing depth. Like when he was fighting to become godfather to Lyn's baby son Oscar". They said that the situation was something "a lot of gay men can relate to" as Gino explained that he was unlikely to have a child of his own. The newspaper added "We went beyond the froth with him and it was quite moving". Of the character of Gino and his relationship with Harold Bishop, David Knox said "Gino eventually ended up sharing house with Harold, frequently watching musicals on DVD together but never speaking about the love that dare not speak its name..."
External links
- Character profile at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...