Ron Haddrick
Encyclopedia
Ronald Norman Haddrick MBE
(born 9 April 1929) is an Australian theatre, film and voice actor.
, Australia, the only son of Olive May (née Gibson) and Alexander Norman Haddrick.
. Later, Haddrick was invited to join the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (now the Royal Shakespeare Company
). Upon his return to Sydney, there followed roles with the Trust Players
, and when the Old Tote Theatre Company
formed, Ron played in over forty productions. Other stage work in the '70s and ‘80s included major roles for Sydney Theatre Company
, State Theatre Company of South Australia
and Queensland Theatre Company
in classics and new Australian plays including extensive seasons of the Nimrod Theatre Company
production of The Club
. Ron received Sydney Theatre Critics Circle Awards for his performances in Long Day's Journey into Night
and I'm Not Rappaport
. The ‘90s saw him in many roles for Marian Street Theatre and the STC including his King Lear
and his much loved Wacka Dawson in The One Day of The Year
. Haddrick has appeared in Australian-made television from Certain Women
to Farscape
and in numerous feature films. Haddrick also played on the "The Lost Islands
" playing the tyrant "Q", a 200 year old ruler . On radio, he has performed in hundreds of dramas, documentaries, special features and is frequently heard reading poetry for the ABC
.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(born 9 April 1929) is an Australian theatre, film and voice actor.
Early life
Haddrick was born in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Australia, the only son of Olive May (née Gibson) and Alexander Norman Haddrick.
Cricket
During the 1950s Haddrick represented South Australia on three occasions in the Sheffield Shield competition.Career
Haddrick first appeared on the stage in 1946 at the Adelaide Tivoli TheatreTivoli circuit
The Tivoli Circuit was a successful and popular Australian entertainment circuit which flourished from 1893 and the 1950s. The circuit suffered a catastrophic decline in popularity after the introduction of television in Australia in 1956, and the last Tivoli show was staged in 1966.-History:The...
. Later, Haddrick was invited to join the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (now the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
). Upon his return to Sydney, there followed roles with the Trust Players
Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust
The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust was set up in September 1954 under the guidance of H. C. ‘Nugget’ Coombs, Governor of the Commonwealth Bank, Sir Charles Moses General Manager, Australian Broadcasting Commission and John Douglas Pringle, Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. It aimed to...
, and when the Old Tote Theatre Company
Old Tote Theatre Company
The Old Tote Theatre Company began as the standing acting and theatre company of Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art and was the precursor to the Sydney Theatre Company.. It was one of the leading Australian theatre companies of the period.The Old Tote began in a converted tin shed on...
formed, Ron played in over forty productions. Other stage work in the '70s and ‘80s included major roles for Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company
The Sydney Theatre Company is one of Australia's best-known theatre companies operating from The Wharf Theatre near The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Sydney Theatre and the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre....
, State Theatre Company of South Australia
State Theatre Company of South Australia
The State Theatre Company of South Australia is South Australia's leading professional theatre company. It is based in the Dunstan Playhouse at the Adelaide Festival Centre. The current artistic director is Adam Cook...
and Queensland Theatre Company
Queensland Theatre Company
The Queensland Theatre Company was established in 1970 as the Royal Queensland Theatre Company. The Company is the state's flagship professional theatre company, headed up by multi-award winning playwright and director Wesley Enoch...
in classics and new Australian plays including extensive seasons of the Nimrod Theatre Company
Nimrod Theatre Company
The Nimrod Theatre Company, in Nimrod Street, Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia, was founded by in 1970 by John Bell, Richard Wherrett and Ken Horler, and gained a reputation for producing more "good new Australian drama" from 1970 to 1985 than any other Australian theatre company...
production of The Club
The Club (play)
The Club is a satirical play by Australian playwright David Williamson, that follows the fortunes of a football club over the course of a season. It explores the clashes between "human loyalty versus materialistic gain". It was inspired by the backroom dealings and antics of the Victorian Football...
. Ron received Sydney Theatre Critics Circle Awards for his performances in Long Day's Journey into Night
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Long Day's Journey Into Night is a 1956 drama in four acts written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play is widely considered to be his masterwork...
and I'm Not Rappaport
I'm Not Rappaport
I'm Not Rappaport is a play by Herb Gardner originally staged by Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1984. Its Broadway debut production, directed by Daniel Sullivan, starring Judd Hirsch, Cleavon Little, Jace Alexander, and Mercedes Ruehl, opened on November 19, 1985 at the Booth Theatre, where it ran...
. The ‘90s saw him in many roles for Marian Street Theatre and the STC including his King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
and his much loved Wacka Dawson in The One Day of The Year
Alan Seymour
Alan Seymour , is an Australian playwright and author. He was educated at Perth Modern School, leaving at 15 after failing to complete the Junior Certificate. He found work as a radio announcer in a commercial radio station 6PM. During his two years there he wrote a number of short radio plays that...
. Haddrick has appeared in Australian-made television from Certain Women
Certain Women
Certain Women was an Australian television soap opera created by prominent Australian TV dramatist Tony Morphett and produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 1973 and 1976....
to Farscape
Farscape
Farscape is an Australian-American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced originally for the Nine Network. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment...
and in numerous feature films. Haddrick also played on the "The Lost Islands
The Lost Islands
The Lost Islands is an Australian television series. It first aired in Australia on 1 January 1976, and was later screened around the world, including the UK, France, Italy , as well as Israel, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and the United States.-Plot:A hurricane nearly sinks the United World,...
" playing the tyrant "Q", a 200 year old ruler . On radio, he has performed in hundreds of dramas, documentaries, special features and is frequently heard reading poetry for the ABC
ABC Radio and Regional Content
ABC Radio and Regional Content is the division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for radio output and regional content.-Origins:...
.
Major theatre work
| Years | Title | Role | Theatre/Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | The Eagle Has Two Heads | Stanislaus | Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide Tivoli circuit The Tivoli Circuit was a successful and popular Australian entertainment circuit which flourished from 1893 and the 1950s. The circuit suffered a catastrophic decline in popularity after the introduction of television in Australia in 1956, and the last Tivoli show was staged in 1966.-History:The... |
| 1954 | Toad of Toad Hall Toad of Toad Hall Toad of Toad Hall is the first of several dramatisations of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. It was written by A. A. Milne, with incidental music by Harold Fraser-Simson.... |
Alfred | Prince's Theatre, London |
| 1954–59 | King John | Hubert | Shakespeare Memorial Theatre |
| Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a... |
King Tybalt | ||
| Twelfth Night | Antonio | ||
| Hamlet Hamlet The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601... |
Horatio | ||
| 1959 | Man and Superman Man and Superman Man and Superman is a four-act drama, written by George Bernard Shaw in 1903. The series was written in response to calls for Shaw to write a play based on the Don Juan theme. Man and Superman opened at The Royal Court Theatre in London on 23 May 1905, but with the omission of the 3rd Act... |
Johßn Tanner | Trust Players Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust was set up in September 1954 under the guidance of H. C. ‘Nugget’ Coombs, Governor of the Commonwealth Bank, Sir Charles Moses General Manager, Australian Broadcasting Commission and John Douglas Pringle, Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. It aimed to... |
| Long Day's Journey into Night Long Day's Journey Into Night Long Day's Journey Into Night is a 1956 drama in four acts written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play is widely considered to be his masterwork... |
Jamie Tyrone | ||
| Julius Caesar Julius Caesar (play) The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against... |
Brutus | ||
| 1960 | The Rape of the Belt | Heracles | Trust Players |
| Candida Candida (play) Candida, a comedy by playwright George Bernard Shaw, was first published in 1898, as part of his Plays Pleasant. The central characters are clergyman James Morell, his wife Candida and a youthful poet, Eugene Marchbanks, who tries to win Candida's affections. The play questions Victorian notions... |
James Mavor Morell | ||
| The Hostage The Hostage (play) The Hostage is a loose 1958 English version, with songs, adapted in a much longer text from a one-act Irish language play An Giall, by its author, Brendan Behan.-Plot:... |
Monsewer | ||
| Murder in the Cathedral Murder in the Cathedral Murder in the Cathedral is a verse drama by T. S. Eliot that portrays the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, first performed in 1935... |
Fourth Tempter & Fourth Knight | ||
| 1960 | Murder in the Cathedral | Fourth Tempter & Fourth Knight | Adelaide Festival of Arts Adelaide Festival of Arts The Adelaide Festival of Arts is an arts festival held biennially in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Although locally considered to be one of the world's greatest celebrations of the arts, that is internationally renowned and the pre-eminent cultural event in Australia, it is actually... |
| 1961 | The One Day of the Year Alan Seymour Alan Seymour , is an Australian playwright and author. He was educated at Perth Modern School, leaving at 15 after failing to complete the Junior Certificate. He found work as a radio announcer in a commercial radio station 6PM. During his two years there he wrote a number of short radio plays that... |
Alf Cook | Palace Theatre, Sydney Theatre Royal, Stratford London |
| 1962 | Naked Island | Jacko | Union Theatre, Sydney |