Max Gillies
Encyclopedia
Max Gillies AM
(born 16 November 1941 in Melbourne) is an Australian actor.
Gillies was a founding member of the experimental theatre company, the Australian Performing Group, which was active throughout the 1970s.
In 1984 and 1985 he hosted the television program The Gillies Report
, on the ABC
. This was followed in 1986 by Gillies Republic and in 1992 by Gillies and Company. He was famous for being able to dress up and parody a wide range of political figures, both in these television series and in two live solo theatrical performances he delivered later – The Big Con, and You're Dreaming.
In July 2008 Gillies resurrected his caricatures of Australia's former Prime Ministers in a in a live production of No Country for Old PMs: An Evening with Max Gillies at the Noosa Long Weekend festival.
He said in an interview with The Courier-Mail
that he and co-writer Guy Rundle were also watching Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
for a possible new caricature in a new production being developed.
"I'm watching him closely," he said.
Gillies became a Member of the Order of Australia
in 1990.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 16 November 1941 in Melbourne) is an Australian actor.
Gillies was a founding member of the experimental theatre company, the Australian Performing Group, which was active throughout the 1970s.
In 1984 and 1985 he hosted the television program The Gillies Report
The Gillies Report
The Gillies Report was an Australian satirical television series that was broadcast on the ABC between 1984 and 1985. The program was notorious for sending up politicians and media personalities of the day such as Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Opposition Leader Andrew Peacock.The show starred Max...
, on the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
. This was followed in 1986 by Gillies Republic and in 1992 by Gillies and Company. He was famous for being able to dress up and parody a wide range of political figures, both in these television series and in two live solo theatrical performances he delivered later – The Big Con, and You're Dreaming.
In July 2008 Gillies resurrected his caricatures of Australia's former Prime Ministers in a in a live production of No Country for Old PMs: An Evening with Max Gillies at the Noosa Long Weekend festival.
He said in an interview with The Courier-Mail
The Courier-Mail
The Courier-Mail is a daily newspaper published in Brisbane, Australia. Owned by News Limited, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner northern suburbs, and it is printed at Murarrie, in Brisbane's...
that he and co-writer Guy Rundle were also watching Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
for a possible new caricature in a new production being developed.
"I'm watching him closely," he said.
Gillies became a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in 1990.
Caricatures
Max Gillies, through his television programmes or theatre performances, has caricatured these people:- Australian Prime Ministers: Robert MenziesRobert MenziesSir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
, William McMahonWilliam McMahonSir William "Billy" McMahon, GCMG, CH , was an Australian Liberal politician and the 20th Prime Minister of Australia...
, Gough WhitlamGough WhitlamEdward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
, Malcolm FraserMalcolm FraserJohn Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
, Robert Hawke, John HowardJohn HowardJohn Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
. - Other Australian politicians: Alexander DownerAlexander DownerAlexander John Gosse Downer is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, the longest-serving in Australian history...
, Amanda VanstoneAmanda VanstoneAmanda Eloise Vanstone is a former Australian politician and a former Ambassador to Italy. She was a Liberal Senator for South Australia from 1984 to 2007, and held several ministerial portfolios in the Howard Government. After her resignation from the Senate in 2007, she served as the Australian...
, Iain SinclairIain SinclairIain Sinclair FRSL is a British writer and filmmaker. Much of his work is rooted in London, most recently within the influences of psychogeography.-Life and work:...
, Philip RuddockPhilip RuddockPhilip Maxwell Ruddock is an Australian politician who is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the Division of Berowra, New South Wales, for the Liberal Party of Australia...
, Sir John Kerr, Don ChippDon ChippDonald Leslie Chipp, AO was an Australian politician, and the inaugural leader of the Australian Democrats.-Early life:...
, Andrew PeacockAndrew PeacockAndrew Sharp Peacock AC, GCL , is a former Australian Liberal politician. He was a minister in the Gorton, McMahon and Fraser governments, and was federal leader of the Liberal Party of Australia 1983–1985 and 1989–1990...
, Fred NileFred NileFrederick John "Fred" Nile is an Australian politician and clergyman. Nile has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 1981, except for a period in 2004 when he resigned to contest the Australian Senate at the 2004 federal election...
, Russ HinzeRuss HinzeThe Hon. Russell James "Russ" Hinze , born in Oxenford on the Gold Coast, was a Queensland politician in the 1970s and 1980s. He presided over an era of controversy that included the setting up of the Racing Development Fund, ministerial rezonings and the licensing of Jupiters Casino...
, Bob Santamaria, Gareth EvansGareth Evans (politician)Gareth John Evans, AO, QC , is a former Australian politician from 1978 to 1999 representing the Australian Labor Party, serving in a number of ministries including Attorney-General and Foreign Minister from 1983 to 1996 in the Hawke and Keating governments. He was president and chief executive...
. - Australian Premiers: Neville WranNeville WranNeville Kenneth Wran, AC, CNZM, QC was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. He was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and Chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986...
, Joh Bjelke-PetersenJoh Bjelke-PetersenSir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
. - Australian businessmen: Kerry PackerKerry PackerKerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
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, Geoffrey BlaineyGeoffrey BlaineyGeoffrey Norman Blainey AC , is a prominent Australian historian.Blainey was born in Melbourne and raised in a series of Victorian country towns before attending Wesley College and the University of Melbourne. While at university he was editor of Farrago, the newspaper of the University of...
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, Sir David Attenborough, Jonathon Shier, D.D. McNicoll, The Alien, in As Time Goes By (1988), an Australian science fiction movie.