Frank Woodley
Encyclopedia
Frank Woodley is an Australia
n comedian
who is best known for his work alongside Colin Lane
as part of the comedic duo, Lano and Woodley
. The two performed together for almost 20 years in live shows, a television series and an album of comedic songs, before deciding to pursue individual careers in 2006. As a solo performer, Woodley has frequently appeared as a guest on Australian television shows and has created several live shows, including the one-man play Possessed.
. His family ran a milk bar
in Glen Waverley. He adopted the stage name Frank Woodley—drawn from a childhood nickname—when he began performing as part of the comedy duo Lano and Woodley in 1993, and in 2000 had his name changed by deed poll
to avoid confusion.
in the mid-1980s and first performed together at an open mike
night at the Prince Patrick Hotel in Collingwood
, Victoria in 1987 along with their friend Scott Casely, calling themselves the Found Objects. Over the next six years, the trio performed in venues throughout Australia and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They became semi-regulars on ABC TV
's The Big Gig
, a show known for boosting the careers of new comedy acts, had their own commercial radio show for six months and were part of the short-lived Seven Network
sketch show The Comedy Sale. When in 1992 Casley moved away to Alice Springs, Woodley and Lane decided to continue as a duo, drawing their name from childhood nicknames.
As Lano and Woodley, the two adopt humorous onstage personas, with Woodley playing a "goofy innocent" who is frequently bullied by Lane's pompous, controlling character. Their first show as a comedy duo, "Fence", debuted in 1993. It toured throughout Australia, winning the Moosehead Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
for best act and was eventually taken to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1994, where it won the prestigious Perrier Comedy Award. Subsequent live productions have included "Curtains", "Glitzy", "Slick", "Bruiser", "The Island" and their 2006 farewell show, "Goodbye". In 2000, they co-hosted the televised Melbourne Comedy Gala.
Woodley and Lane have created two television shows together. The Adventures of Lano and Woodley
, which premiered on the ABC in 1997, was a comedy series which featured the duo living together in a fictional suburban Melbourne
flat and frequently getting into trouble. It aired for two seasons, becoming the first Australian show to be sold to the BBC
and airing in 38 other countries. Although they were offered the opportunity to make the series in England, the pair decided to remain in Australia because they did not want to live in London. In 2004 their live show, The Island, was filmed as a TV special and aired on The Comedy Channel
. The duo have also released an album, Lano & Woodley Sing Songs
, and a novel, Housemeeting.
In 2006, after close to 20 years of working together, Woodley and Lane decided to part ways. Woodley states the split was due to a desire to pursue new challenges. "We just got to the stage where we felt we had to make a decision," he says. "Either we were going to spend the next 20 years doing this, this'd be our career, our lives forever. And that wouldn't have been a terrible thing. Or we could go, 'Let's have a bit more variety in our lives'." In one final tour, the duo travelled through 37 Australian cities with their farewell show, "Goodbye".
, "Possessed" is the story of Louie, a lonely recluse who falls in love with, and becomes possessed by, the ghost of a 19th century shipwreck victim. Woodley says that the show came out of the desire to do a big solo show and his interest in doing a romantic comedy: "So I was thinking that maybe I could do a solo romantic comedy where I fell in love with myself. Although it was just a stupid joke initially, I started thinking about having a ghost possess me and then I fall in love with the ghost. I have to help free her from the curse she's under." The show has toured both nationally and internationally, and draws inspiration from Buster Keaton
, Charlie Chaplin
, Don Adams
, Peter Sellers
, Jerry Lewis
and Laurel and Hardy
.
Woodley played a television vet named "Frank Woodley" in the twelfth episode of the 1998 Australia television series The Games.
Woodley has made regular guest appearances on Australian television, including Spicks and Specks, Good News Week
, Thank God You're Here
, The Sideshow
, Big Question, Rove Live and Australia's Brainiest Comedian. In 2008, he appeared in a series of television advertisements for Metlink
promoting public transport in Melbourne, in particular buses
.
In 2007, Woodley performed in the stage show The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), a 97 minute production which encompasses 37 Shakespearian
plays.
Woodley currently cohosts a classic Aussie comedy block on The Comedy Channel
called Aussie Gold
every Saturday night.
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 comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
who is best known for his work alongside Colin Lane
Colin Lane
Colin Stuart Lane is a comedian and actor, best known for being one-half of former comedy duo, Lano and Woodley.-Lano and Woodley:...
as part of the comedic duo, Lano and Woodley
Lano and Woodley
Lano and Woodley were one of Australia's most successful Australian comedy duos of the 1990s and 2000s. They are perhaps most famous for their stand-up comedy and slapstick theatre, as well as their television show The Adventures of Lano and Woodley, which aired on the ABC network in 1997 and...
. The two performed together for almost 20 years in live shows, a television series and an album of comedic songs, before deciding to pursue individual careers in 2006. As a solo performer, Woodley has frequently appeared as a guest on Australian television shows and has created several live shows, including the one-man play Possessed.
Personal life
Woodley was born Frank Wood, the youngest of seven children in suburban VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. His family ran a milk bar
Milk bar
Milk bar is a term in some parts of Australia for suburban local shops or general stores. They are known as tuck shops, delicatessens or delis in South Australia and Western Australia, and as corner stores in Queensland and New South Wales...
in Glen Waverley. He adopted the stage name Frank Woodley—drawn from a childhood nickname—when he began performing as part of the comedy duo Lano and Woodley in 1993, and in 2000 had his name changed by deed poll
Deed poll
A deed poll is a legal document binding only to a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an active intention...
to avoid confusion.
Lano and Woodley
Woodley performed with fellow comedian Colin Lane as part of the duo Lano and Woodley for a period of almost 20 years. The two met through theatresportsTheatresports
Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges...
in the mid-1980s and first performed together at an open mike
Open mike
An open mike or open mic is a live show where audience members may perform at the microphone. Usually, the performers sign up in advance for a time slot with the host or master of ceremonies. These events can be focused on poetry and the spoken word, music, comedy, and the open format of open...
night at the Prince Patrick Hotel in Collingwood
Collingwood, Victoria
Collingwood is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
, Victoria in 1987 along with their friend Scott Casely, calling themselves the Found Objects. Over the next six years, the trio performed in venues throughout Australia and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They became semi-regulars on ABC TV
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
's The Big Gig
The Big Gig
The Big Gig was a popular Australian television comedy series based on the British TV series Saturday Live. It was produced and broadcast by the ABC in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was produced and directed by Ted Robinson, who started his career as the director of the second series of the...
, a show known for boosting the careers of new comedy acts, had their own commercial radio show for six months and were part of the short-lived 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...
sketch show The Comedy Sale. When in 1992 Casley moved away to Alice Springs, Woodley and Lane decided to continue as a duo, drawing their name from childhood nicknames.
As Lano and Woodley, the two adopt humorous onstage personas, with Woodley playing a "goofy innocent" who is frequently bullied by Lane's pompous, controlling character. Their first show as a comedy duo, "Fence", debuted in 1993. It toured throughout Australia, winning the Moosehead Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks in April typically opening on or around April Fool's Day...
for best act and was eventually taken to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1994, where it won the prestigious Perrier Comedy Award. Subsequent live productions have included "Curtains", "Glitzy", "Slick", "Bruiser", "The Island" and their 2006 farewell show, "Goodbye". In 2000, they co-hosted the televised Melbourne Comedy Gala.
Woodley and Lane have created two television shows together. The Adventures of Lano and Woodley
The Adventures of Lano and Woodley
The Adventures of Lano and Woodley is an Australian comedy television show starring the comedic duo of Lano and Woodley , consisting of two series which aired on ABC TV from 1997 to 1999...
, which premiered on the ABC in 1997, was a comedy series which featured the duo living together in a fictional suburban Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
flat and frequently getting into trouble. It aired for two seasons, becoming the first Australian show to be sold to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and airing in 38 other countries. Although they were offered the opportunity to make the series in England, the pair decided to remain in Australia because they did not want to live in London. In 2004 their live show, The Island, was filmed as a TV special and aired on The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel is an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...
. The duo have also released an album, Lano & Woodley Sing Songs
Lano & Woodley Sing Songs
Lano & Woodley Sing Songs is the live 2005 album by the Australian comedy duo, Lano & Woodley.The album was recorded at a show the pair did in August 2005 at the HIFI Bar in Melbourne, and features many visual jokes that the listener is unable to identify, which was joked at several times during...
, and a novel, Housemeeting.
In 2006, after close to 20 years of working together, Woodley and Lane decided to part ways. Woodley states the split was due to a desire to pursue new challenges. "We just got to the stage where we felt we had to make a decision," he says. "Either we were going to spend the next 20 years doing this, this'd be our career, our lives forever. And that wouldn't have been a terrible thing. Or we could go, 'Let's have a bit more variety in our lives'." In one final tour, the duo travelled through 37 Australian cities with their farewell show, "Goodbye".
Solo work
Woodley made his solo debut in 2003 at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with "The Happy Dickwit", a show about "a whole lot of unrelated ideas". He has since performed a number of solo stand-up shows, and in 2008 debuted a one-man play entitled "Possessed". Directed by Kate Denborough and featuring music from Paul MacPaul Mac
Paul Mac is a musician, producer and music remixer from Sydney, Australia. He was classically trained at Sydney's Conservatorium of Music. Paul Mac formed the bands Smash Mac Mac, Itch-e And Scratch-e, The Lab, and The Dissociatives, as well as releasing two records under his own name...
, "Possessed" is the story of Louie, a lonely recluse who falls in love with, and becomes possessed by, the ghost of a 19th century shipwreck victim. Woodley says that the show came out of the desire to do a big solo show and his interest in doing a romantic comedy: "So I was thinking that maybe I could do a solo romantic comedy where I fell in love with myself. Although it was just a stupid joke initially, I started thinking about having a ghost possess me and then I fall in love with the ghost. I have to help free her from the curse she's under." The show has toured both nationally and internationally, and draws inspiration from Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
, Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
, Don Adams
Don Adams
Don Adams was an American actor, comedian and director. In his five decades on television, he was best known as Maxwell Smart in the television situation comedy Get Smart , which he also sometimes directed and wrote. Adams won three consecutive Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Smart...
, Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
, Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
and Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
.
Woodley played a television vet named "Frank Woodley" in the twelfth episode of the 1998 Australia television series The Games.
Woodley has made regular guest appearances on Australian television, including Spicks and Specks, Good News Week
Good News Week
Good News Week is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that initially aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and resumed on 11 February 2008 to 9 May 2011. The show aired first on ABC TV before it was bought by Network Ten in 1999...
, Thank God You're Here
Thank God You're Here
Thank God You're Here is an Australian television improvised comedy program created by Working Dog Productions, which premiered on Network Ten on 5 April 2006, and aired for the first three seasons with Seven for the fourth season...
, The Sideshow
The Sideshow
The Sideshow was an Australian television programme that was broadcast on ABC TV in 2007. The show was a mixture of stand-up comedy, sketches, live music, circus stunts, cabaret and burlesque. The hour long show was hosted by Paul McDermott...
, Big Question, Rove Live and Australia's Brainiest Comedian. In 2008, he appeared in a series of television advertisements for Metlink
Metlink
Metlink, formerly The Met, is the marketing body and umbrella brand for public train, tram and bus transport operators in Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Responsibilities:Metlink is responsible for the promotion of travel by public transport...
promoting public transport in Melbourne, in particular buses
Buses in Melbourne
Buses in Melbourne, Australia, are a major form of public transport in Melbourne, with an extensive bus network. The network of 323 bus routes is operated by a number of privately owned bus companies....
.
In 2007, Woodley performed in the stage show The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), a 97 minute production which encompasses 37 Shakespearian
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
plays.
Woodley currently cohosts a classic Aussie comedy block on The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel is an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...
called Aussie Gold
Aussie Gold
Aussie Gold is a television programming block on Foxtel’s the Comedy Channel, which was formerly hosted by Australian comedian Frank Woodley. The block plays on Saturday nights from 7:30pm and celebrates the very best in Australian comedy....
every Saturday night.