Gerard Maguire
Encyclopedia
Gerard Maguire is an Australian stage, voice and television actor, best known for his role as Deputy Governor Jim Fletcher in Prisoner
. Often appearing on Australian television
police dramas and soap operas throughout the 1970s and 80s, he is also one of Australia's top voice actors, voicing numerous commercial and narrations during the 1990s and early 2000s.
with a bachelor of arts. Out of 3,000 applicants, he was one of 15 students to complete the program.
After minor one-time roles on the television series Riptide and The Link Men
, Maguire made his feature film debut in The Demonstrator with Joe James
and Irene Inescort. In the film, he portrayed university student Steve Slater whose political differences with his father Joe Slater, a Federal cabinet minister, result in his leading a series of protests disrupting his father's activities in organizing an international conference. The film was considered a commercial failure. Following this he starred in film Country Town
(1971) co-starring Terry McDermott, Gary Gray and Lynette Curran
. Country Town was a feature film spin-off from Australian Broadcasting Corporation
soap opera Bellbird
.
In the late 1960s and the 1970s was a guest actor on drama series Dynasty, Ryan
, and on police procedural
series Matlock Police
, Homicide and Division 4
. Joining the Melbourne Theatre Company
, he also performed in Going Home at St. Martin's Theatre on 11 March 1976. That same year, he starred with Tom Oliver
and Kate Sheil
in David Williamson
's A Handful of Friends at the Russell Street Theatre in Melbourne.
He was set to appear in the South Pacific Films-produced television series Secret Doors with former Number 96 stars Rebecca Gilling
, Norman Yemm
and Candy Raymond
. However, due to its heavy adult content, the Nine Network
passed on the series after a telecast
of the pilot on 19 June 1976. Maguire went on to supporting roles in the television miniseries Luke's Kingdom and the film Mad Dog Morgan
.
In 1978 he was part of the cast in the first public performance of Kenneth G. Ross
's important Australian play Breaker Morant: A Play in Two Acts
, presented by the Melbourne Theatre Company
at the Athenaeum Theatre, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
, on Thursday, 2 February 1978.
A late arrival during the first season of Prisoner
, Maguire joined the cast in mid 1979 as Deputy Governor Jim Fletcher and eventually became the only main male character during his three years on the series. Maguire eventually left "Prisoner" during the show's 4th season in early 1982. During his last year with the series, he appeared with Prisoner co-stars Colette Mann
and Val Lehman
in Kitty and the Bagman (1982).
During 1983, Maguire starred as Dr. John Rivers in the television series Starting Out
. As one of the school's tutors and the father of the disfigured Michelle (Rowena Mohr), his time on the series dealt with his guilt over his daughter's accident while dealing with his unhappily married wife Yvonne (Suzy Gashler).
After the series cancellation, Maguire made a guest appearance on Special Squad
and had supporting roles in The Surfer and Alice to Nowhere
before returning to the stage in 1986 to perform in David Williamson
's Sons of Cain which ran for five-months in London's West End. In 1987, was a television presenter for Ground Zero
and twice appeared on The Flying Doctors
during the next two years. Maguire also appeared during the final season of the soap opera The Power, The Passion
as a police investigator and ex-boyfriend of one of the central characters, Ellen Byrne Edmonds (Olivia Hamnett
).
While producing a film adaptation
of a novel during the mid-1980s, he replaced the screenwriter originally working on the screenplay. Contacted by Columbia Pictures
, he flew to California to discuss the project, he met producer and then Senior Vice President Jane Alsobrook. He soon began a romantic relationship and Maguire ended up staying in Los Angeles for the next several years. In 1993, he and Lance Peters co-wrote Gross Misconduct
later directed by George T. Miller
and, the following year, wrote Seduce Me: Pamela Principle 2 and was the script supervisor for Tunnel Vision. He was also involved in acting workshops with actors such as Jon Voight
among others.
In 1995, he moved back to Australia with Alsobrook when she accepted a position as president of Australia's largest independent film production and distribution company, REP
. During the mid-to-late 1990s, Maguire appeared in the television movies Heart of Fire
, The Fury Within and The Finder
as well as the guest appearances on the television series Water Rats
, Murder Call
and All Saints
.
Maguire also became involved in voice acting eventually narrating hundreds of commercials and, in 1995, was the voice of Titanium Man
in the cartoon Iron Man
. During the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney, he was the announcer during the diving events
.
Following the September 11 attacks, he moved to the United States allowing his wife to be closer to her family in Sedona, Arizona
. Although continuing to be involved in a number of film projects with his wife, he also became involved in local theatre agreeing to appear in theatrical performances with the Canyon Moon Theatre Company and, in April 2002, appeared as the narrator in Side By Side By Sondheim
at the Old Marketplace in West Sedona.
Maguire continued working as a voice actor during the next several years via the internet. After a five-year absence, Maguire made an appearance in the 2007 independent film Brothel
.
Prisoner (TV series)
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
. Often appearing on Australian television
Australian television
Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with stations 3DB and 3UZ using the Radiovision system by Gilbert Miles and Donal McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Brisbane in 1934....
police dramas and soap operas throughout the 1970s and 80s, he is also one of Australia's top voice actors, voicing numerous commercial and narrations during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Screen
Maguire began acting during the late 1960s, shortly after graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic ArtNational Institute of Dramatic Art
The National Institute of Dramatic Art is an Australian national training institute for students of theatre, film, and television, based in the Sydney suburb of Kensington. It is supported by the federal Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. NIDA is located adjacent...
with a bachelor of arts. Out of 3,000 applicants, he was one of 15 students to complete the program.
After minor one-time roles on the television series Riptide and The Link Men
The Link Men
The Link Men was an Australian television series shown in 1970.The series was the first drama series made in-house by the Nine Network as part of an attempt to rival the cop shows produced by Crawford Productions such as Homicide and Division 4. The Link Men starred Kevin Miles, Bruce Montague and...
, Maguire made his feature film debut in The Demonstrator with Joe James
Joe James
Joe James was an American racecar driver. He was killed during a champ car race at San Jose Speedway.-Indy 500 results:-World Championship career summary:...
and Irene Inescort. In the film, he portrayed university student Steve Slater whose political differences with his father Joe Slater, a Federal cabinet minister, result in his leading a series of protests disrupting his father's activities in organizing an international conference. The film was considered a commercial failure. Following this he starred in film Country Town
Country Town
Country Town is a 1971 Australian drama film directed by Peter Maxwell, produced by Fenton Rosewarne and starring Terry McDermott, Gary Gray and Lynette Curran...
(1971) co-starring Terry McDermott, Gary Gray and Lynette Curran
Lynette Curran
Lynette Curran is an Australian actress best known for her roles in Australian television series and films. Between 1967 and 1974 she was a regular in soap opera Bellbird. She also acted in the film version of the serial, Country Town ....
. Country Town was a feature film spin-off from Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
soap opera Bellbird
Bellbird (TV series)
Bellbird was an Australian soap opera set in a small Victorian rural township. The series was produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at its Ripponlea TV studios in Elsternwick, Melbourne, Victoria. The series was produced between 28 August 1967 and December 1977...
.
In the late 1960s and the 1970s was a guest actor on drama series Dynasty, Ryan
Ryan (TV series)
Ryan was an Australian adventure television series screened by the Seven Network from 27 May 1973. The series was produced by Crawford Productions and had a run of 39 one hour episodes....
, and on police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
series Matlock Police
Matlock Police
Matlock Police was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network between 1971 and 1975....
, Homicide and Division 4
Division 4
Division 4 was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 300 episodes....
. Joining the Melbourne Theatre Company
Melbourne Theatre Company
The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne. Founded in 1953, it is the oldest professional theatre company in Australia, and has its own theatre, The MTC Theatre – which houses the 500-seat Sumner Theatre and the 150-seat Lawler Studio – located in Melbourne's Arts...
, he also performed in Going Home at St. Martin's Theatre on 11 March 1976. That same year, he starred with 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:...
and Kate Sheil
Kate Sheil
Kate Sheil is an Australian stage and television actress. She is probably best known for her role as prison officer Janet Conway in the cult television series Prisoner, a role lasting six months in 1981 and 1982...
in David Williamson
David Williamson
David Keith Williamson AO is one of Australia's best-known playwrights. He has also written screenplays and teleplays.-Biography:...
's A Handful of Friends at the Russell Street Theatre in Melbourne.
He was set to appear in the South Pacific Films-produced television series Secret Doors with former Number 96 stars Rebecca Gilling
Rebecca Gilling
Rebecca Gilling is an Australian actress. Her first acting role was in Stone but who came to prominence as the "bad girl" flight attendant Diana Moore in the feature film version of soap opera Number 96 , in which she had several nude scenes...
, Norman Yemm
Norman Yemm
Norman Yemm is an Australian actor who is probably best known for his long-running role as Norm Baker in the television drama The Sullivans....
and Candy Raymond
Candy Raymond
Candida Raymond is an Australian actress active in film during the 1970s and early 1980s. she attended St Ives High School in Sydney. She is the sister of actress Victoria Raymond....
. However, due to its heavy adult content, 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...
passed on the series after a telecast
Telecast
Telecast may refer to:*television broadcast*Telecast , a Christian band from the United States...
of the pilot on 19 June 1976. Maguire went on to supporting roles in the television miniseries Luke's Kingdom and the film Mad Dog Morgan
Mad Dog Morgan
Mad Dog Morgan is a 1976 Australian bushranger film directed by Philippe Mora and starring Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson and David Gulpilil. It is based upon the life of Dan Morgan...
.
In 1978 he was part of the cast in the first public performance of Kenneth G. Ross
Kenneth G. Ross
Kenneth Graham Ross is an Australian playwright and screenwriter best known for writing the 1978 stage play Breaker Morant, that was based on the life of Australian soldier Harry "Breaker" Morant....
's important Australian play Breaker Morant: A Play in Two Acts
Breaker Morant (play)
Breaker Morant: A Play in Two Acts is a significant Australian play written by Kenneth Ross, centred on the court-martial and the last days of Lieutenant Harry "Breaker" Morant of the Bushveldt Carbineers , that was first performed at the Athenaeum Theatre, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on...
, presented by the Melbourne Theatre Company
Melbourne Theatre Company
The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne. Founded in 1953, it is the oldest professional theatre company in Australia, and has its own theatre, The MTC Theatre – which houses the 500-seat Sumner Theatre and the 150-seat Lawler Studio – located in Melbourne's Arts...
at the Athenaeum Theatre, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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...
, on Thursday, 2 February 1978.
A late arrival during the first season of Prisoner
Prisoner (TV series)
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
, Maguire joined the cast in mid 1979 as Deputy Governor Jim Fletcher and eventually became the only main male character during his three years on the series. Maguire eventually left "Prisoner" during the show's 4th season in early 1982. During his last year with the series, he appeared with Prisoner co-stars Colette Mann
Colette Mann
Colette Mann is an Australian actress, most notable for playing the role of Doreen Anderson , in the Australian series Prisoner from 1979–1982, with return appearances in 1983 and in 1984....
and Val Lehman
Val Lehman
Val Lehman is an Australian actress, best known for her role as top dog Bea Smith in the Australian series Prisoner...
in Kitty and the Bagman (1982).
During 1983, Maguire starred as Dr. John Rivers in the television series Starting Out
Starting Out
Starting Out is an Australian television soap opera made for the Nine Network by the Reg Grundy Organisation in 1983.The series was the network's replacement for The Young Doctors and was set at a medical college with an emphasis on young people getting their first experience of living away from...
. As one of the school's tutors and the father of the disfigured Michelle (Rowena Mohr), his time on the series dealt with his guilt over his daughter's accident while dealing with his unhappily married wife Yvonne (Suzy Gashler).
After the series cancellation, Maguire made a guest appearance on Special Squad
Special Squad
Special Squad was an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for the Ten Network in 1984.The series focused on an elite division of the Victoria Police, which handled crimes either too sensitive or specialist for regular squads. The Special Squad was headed by Det. Insp. Don...
and had supporting roles in The Surfer and Alice to Nowhere
Alice to Nowhere
Alice to Nowhere is a 1986 Australian film set in the outback. The title refers to Alice Springs, a town in the centre of the country. The plot involves a nurse and a pair of ruthless jewel thieves.-External links:* * - Crawfords Australia...
before returning to the stage in 1986 to perform in David Williamson
David Williamson
David Keith Williamson AO is one of Australia's best-known playwrights. He has also written screenplays and teleplays.-Biography:...
's Sons of Cain which ran for five-months in London's West End. In 1987, was a television presenter for Ground Zero
Ground zero
The term ground zero describes the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation...
and twice appeared on The Flying Doctors
The Flying Doctors
The Flying Doctors is an Australian drama series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the real Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia....
during the next two years. Maguire also appeared during the final season of the soap opera The Power, The Passion
The Power, The Passion
The Power, The Passion is an Australian television daytime soap opera produced by the Seven Network in 1989.The series was devised to lure audiences away from American imports such as The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless but failed to make an impact and was cancelled due to low...
as a police investigator and ex-boyfriend of one of the central characters, Ellen Byrne Edmonds (Olivia Hamnett
Olivia Hamnett
Olivia Hamnett was a Manchester-born actress who found success after emigrating to Australia in the early 1970s. In the UK Hamnett had guest roles in such television programs as Department S and Randall and Hopkirk in 1969.She continued to act after moving to Australia, appearing in films and in...
).
While producing a film adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of a novel during the mid-1980s, he replaced the screenwriter originally working on the screenplay. Contacted by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, he flew to California to discuss the project, he met producer and then Senior Vice President Jane Alsobrook. He soon began a romantic relationship and Maguire ended up staying in Los Angeles for the next several years. In 1993, he and Lance Peters co-wrote Gross Misconduct
Gross Misconduct (film)
Gross Misconduct is a 1993 thriller film directed by George T. Miller. It stars Jimmy Smits and Naomi Watts. It was nominated for an award by the Australian Film Institute in 1993...
later directed by George T. Miller
George T. Miller
George Trumbull Miller is a Scottish-born Australian film and television director and producer. He has directed The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Man from Snowy River, Prey and Zeus and Roxanne.-External links:...
and, the following year, wrote Seduce Me: Pamela Principle 2 and was the script supervisor for Tunnel Vision. He was also involved in acting workshops with actors such as Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
among others.
In 1995, he moved back to Australia with Alsobrook when she accepted a position as president of Australia's largest independent film production and distribution company, REP
Rep
Rep or REP may refer to:* Rep , a ribbed woven fabric made from various materials* rep, the Röntgen equivalent physical, a unit of exposure to radiation* REP, an x86 assembly language instruction...
. During the mid-to-late 1990s, Maguire appeared in the television movies Heart of Fire
Heart of Fire
Heart of Fire is a 3-page comic written by John Ostrander. It was published in three parts from May through July 2001. The story is set in the Star Wars galaxy two years after the Battle of Naboo in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and 30 years before the Battle of Yavin in Star Wars...
, The Fury Within and The Finder
The Finder
The Finder, also known as Finders Keepers, is an Australian children's television show, directed by Scott Hicks, that first aired on 28 October 1991, based on a book by Emily Rodda...
as well as the guest appearances on the television series Water Rats
Water Rats (TV series)
Water Rats is an Australian TV police procedural broadcast on the Nine Network from 1996 to 2001. The series was based around the men and women of the Sydney Water Police who fight crime across Sydney Harbour and surrounding locales. The show was set on and around Goat Island in Sydney...
, Murder Call
Murder Call
Murder Call was an Australian television series, created by Hal McElroy for the Southern Star Entertainment and seen on the Nine Network between 1997 and 2000. The idea to the series was born by the books of Tessa Vance by Jennifer Rowe: Suspect/Deadline and Something Wicked...
and All Saints
All Saints (TV series)
All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...
.
Maguire also became involved in voice acting eventually narrating hundreds of commercials and, in 1995, was the voice of Titanium Man
Titanium Man
The Titanium Man is the name of two or more fictional characters, supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The original Titanium Man first appeared in Tales of Suspense #69 . He was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.-Titanium Man I:Boris Bullski was born in Makeyevka, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union...
in the cartoon Iron Man
Iron Man (TV series)
Iron Man, also known as Iron Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series based on Marvel Comics' superhero Iron Man...
. During the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney, he was the announcer during the diving events
Diving at the 2000 Summer Olympics
At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, eight diving events were contested for the first time due to the inclusion of synchronized variants for each of the traditional events...
.
Following the September 11 attacks, he moved to the United States allowing his wife to be closer to her family in Sedona, Arizona
Sedona, Arizona
Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona...
. Although continuing to be involved in a number of film projects with his wife, he also became involved in local theatre agreeing to appear in theatrical performances with the Canyon Moon Theatre Company and, in April 2002, appeared as the narrator in Side By Side By Sondheim
Side By Side By Sondheim
Side by Side by Sondheim is a musical revue featuring the songs of Broadway and film composer Stephen Sondheim. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from Company.-History:...
at the Old Marketplace in West Sedona.
Maguire continued working as a voice actor during the next several years via the internet. After a five-year absence, Maguire made an appearance in the 2007 independent film Brothel
Brothel (film)
Brothel is a 2008 film written and directed by Amy Waddell. The film stars Serena Scott Thomas, Brett Cullen, Timothy V. Murphy, and Bruce Payne. The movie was filmed in Jerome and Clarkdale, Arizona.-Plot:...
.