Jamie Durie
Encyclopedia
Jamie Durie is an Australia
n landscaper and television personality. Formerly a prominent personality for the Nine Network
, Durie has hosted a variety of programs for them, mostly "lifestyle" shows, such as Backyard Blitz
, Renovation Rescue
and The Block
.
Jamie previously was the host of the Seven Network
's The Outdoor Room
and the U.S. PBS series The Victory Garden.
, an oceanside suburb of Sydney
, Australia
, to a White Australian
father and a Sri Lanka
n born mother. Durie performed as a stripper for the all-male group Manpower Australia in the early 1990s. Durie appeared in a nude photo shoot with then fiancée Terasa Livingstone
in the December 1998 issue of Black And White
magazine.
Durie is a passionate humanitarian and is the ambassador for Plan Australia
. A television special was screened with Durie in this role as he visited families in Uganda
affected by HIV
.
Durie has also become an ardent horticulturist, starting his own award-winning landscape company, PATIO.
. He also hosted the multi-million dollar Nine program Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice
and was involved with many other Nine programs.
In November 2006 it was announced on Oprah
that Durie would become the show's new landscaper. During that first show he and designer Nate Berkus
helped a woman and her family "freshen up" their home for an upcoming sale, due to the family suffering from financial problems and medical issues.
On 17 January 2007 the Nine Network
parted company with Durie. Nationwide newspapers reported that Durie asked for a pay rise of $2 million, which Nine declined to give. The next day it was announced that Durie would move to the Seven Network
. In an interview with Today Tonight
Durie stated that he had declined Channel Nine's offer of $2 million, not the other way round. He resigned and came to Seven because the network was moving in a direction which he thought was right.
At Seven Durie appeared in the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars
, where he was eliminated seventh from a field of ten. His much publicised lifestyle show for Seven, Australia's Best Backyards, went to air on 29 July 2007. Another project for Seven, The Outdoor Room
, was broadcast in 2008.
In September 2007, Durie started hosting the American public television series, The Victory Garden, which airs on PBS. He hosted the 32nd season, which was the first season to air in high definition (upconverted from standard definition) on PBS HD.
Beginning January 1, 2010, Durie began hosting The Outdoor Room
on HGTV
(formerly Home and Garden Television) for U.S. audiences, and Durie has opened a studio with assistants in Los Angeles, California, which is the metropolitan area where most of his projects are located. He had previously been an occasional presenter for HGTV before being given a series of his own.
Durie is also planning a new show to air on channel nine called "Top Design", to air later in the year.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n landscaper and television personality. Formerly a prominent personality for the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, Durie has hosted a variety of programs for them, mostly "lifestyle" shows, such as Backyard Blitz
Backyard Blitz
Backyard Blitz was an Logie Award winning Australian lifestyle and DIY television program that aired on the Nine Network between 2000 through to 2007 before its cancellation...
, Renovation Rescue
Renovation Rescue
Renovation Rescue is an Australian TV show capitalising on Australia's love affair with home renovation. It's the same idea of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, but with a few differences:# The renovation only takes two days, not a full week....
and The Block
The Block
-Places:231 North Vandeventer Saint Louis MO, 63108.Australia* The Block , the first Aboriginal land handbackUnited States* The Block at Orange, an open-air shopping and entertainment mall located in Southern California...
.
Jamie previously was the host of the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
's The Outdoor Room
The Outdoor Room
The Outdoor Room was an Australian television program, hosted by Jamie Durie, that aired on the Seven Network in late 2008. Repeats are currently broadcast on 7Two....
and the U.S. PBS series The Victory Garden.
Early life
Jamie was born in ManlyManly, New South Wales
Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...
, an oceanside suburb of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, to a White Australian
White Australian
White Australian or Caucasian Australian is an umbrella term used to describe a very broad ethnic group in Australia. It can refer to white people born in Australia, usually of Northern European ancestry, but often includes non-European Caucasians, in addition to some other ethnic groups.The...
father and a Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n born mother. Durie performed as a stripper for the all-male group Manpower Australia in the early 1990s. Durie appeared in a nude photo shoot with then fiancée Terasa Livingstone
Terasa Livingstone
Terasa Livingstone is an Australian theatre, film and television actress.-Career:She began her career as a roving reporter for Agro's Cartoon Connection on the Seven Network, eventually taking over the role of co-host from Ann-Maree Biggar in 1996. She also served as a reporter for Seven's The...
in the December 1998 issue of Black And White
Black+White
Black+White was a bimonthly Australian magazine published by Studio Magazines that debuted in the summer of 1992. For a period it was also known as Black+White magazine....
magazine.
Durie is a passionate humanitarian and is the ambassador for Plan Australia
Plan (aid organisation)
Plan is a global children’s charity which operates in 48 countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas. It is made up of 21 national organisations responsible for raising funds and awareness in their respective countries...
. A television special was screened with Durie in this role as he visited families in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
affected by HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
.
Durie has also become an ardent horticulturist, starting his own award-winning landscape company, PATIO.
Television career
Durie hosted a variety of programs on Channel Nine, including those mentioned above, before his move to Channel SevenSeven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
. He also hosted the multi-million dollar Nine program Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice
Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice
Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice is an Australian reality television series which was based on the original British version, Dancing on Ice. The series premiered on the Nine Network on Tuesday, 11 July 2006 at , and involved celebrities ice dancing on a specially constructed ice rink located in...
and was involved with many other Nine programs.
In November 2006 it was announced on Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
that Durie would become the show's new landscaper. During that first show he and designer Nate Berkus
Nate Berkus
Nathan Jay "Nate" Berkus is an American interior designer and daytime television host. He runs the Chicago interior design firm Nate Berkus Associates and has been a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, offering design advice to viewers. May 25, 2010, was his last day on The Oprah Winfrey Show...
helped a woman and her family "freshen up" their home for an upcoming sale, due to the family suffering from financial problems and medical issues.
On 17 January 2007 the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
parted company with Durie. Nationwide newspapers reported that Durie asked for a pay rise of $2 million, which Nine declined to give. The next day it was announced that Durie would move to the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
. In an interview with Today Tonight
Today Tonight
Today Tonight is a controversial Australian News and Current Affairs program, produced by the Seven Network and shown weeknightly at in direct competition with rival Nine Network program A Current Affair....
Durie stated that he had declined Channel Nine's offer of $2 million, not the other way round. He resigned and came to Seven because the network was moving in a direction which he thought was right.
At Seven Durie appeared in the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (Australian TV series)
Dancing with the Stars is a Logie Award-winning, Australian light entertainment reality show airing on the Seven Network and filmed live from the HSV-7 studios in Melbourne...
, where he was eliminated seventh from a field of ten. His much publicised lifestyle show for Seven, Australia's Best Backyards, went to air on 29 July 2007. Another project for Seven, The Outdoor Room
The Outdoor Room
The Outdoor Room was an Australian television program, hosted by Jamie Durie, that aired on the Seven Network in late 2008. Repeats are currently broadcast on 7Two....
, was broadcast in 2008.
In September 2007, Durie started hosting the American public television series, The Victory Garden, which airs on PBS. He hosted the 32nd season, which was the first season to air in high definition (upconverted from standard definition) on PBS HD.
Beginning January 1, 2010, Durie began hosting The Outdoor Room
The Outdoor Room
The Outdoor Room was an Australian television program, hosted by Jamie Durie, that aired on the Seven Network in late 2008. Repeats are currently broadcast on 7Two....
on HGTV
HGTV
HGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...
(formerly Home and Garden Television) for U.S. audiences, and Durie has opened a studio with assistants in Los Angeles, California, which is the metropolitan area where most of his projects are located. He had previously been an occasional presenter for HGTV before being given a series of his own.
Durie is also planning a new show to air on channel nine called "Top Design", to air later in the year.
Awards
Durie has won, and been nominated, for several Logies since beginning his hosting career in 2000. They are:- 2000: Won the 'Most Popular New Talent - Male' (for his role in Backyard Blitz)
- 2003-05: Nominated in the 'Most Popular TV Presenter (for his role in Backyard Blitz)