Gordon Maitland Chater AM (6 April 1922 – 12 December 1999) was an English Australian comedian and actor, and recipient of the Gold Logie, he appeared in revue, theatre, radio, television and film, with a career spanning almost 50 years.^[1]

Biography

Early life and career

Chater was born in Bayswater, West London and attended Cottesmore School as a child.^[2] He attended Cambridge University to study medicine but did not finish his degree, instead taking part in many student revues.

Chater having arrived in Australia post World War II came to prominence as a stage and radio actor, and was a cast member of the 1963 Sydney season of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, the debut production by the Old Tote Theatre Company, the precursor to the Sydney Theatre Company. He appeared in a radio program opposite Gwen Plumb^[1]

Screen and television roles

Chater appeared in TV movies and series, he became a national star when he was cast with Carol Raye and Barry Creyton in the Australian satirical television series The Mavis Bramston Show,^[3] for which he won the 1966 Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. He cemented his popularity with the title role in the popular sitcom My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?,^[3] playing the elderly live-in father of a young married couple, played by John Meillon and Judi Farr. He appeared in many other television comedy series. His fellow actors included Ray Barrett, Stewart Ginn and Charles "Bud" Tingwell, among others.

Chater was critical of early Australian television direction which he characterised as too often "'feet, knees and in the distance pictures'. People watching TV are interested in people and close ups in Australia were hard to come by in the early days of Australian television."^[4]

Theatre roles

Amongst work in many other shows, Chater appeared in The Rocky Horror Show in Brisbane in 1988,^[5] the Sydney Theatre Company production of The Importance of Being Earnest as both "Lane" and "Merriman" in 1990,^[5] and Lady Bracknell's Confinement at the Playhouse, in Melbourne in 1993.^[5]

Gordon Chater later worked in the United States, including appearing on Broadway.

In the 1970s Chater was particularly associated with the play The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin by Steve J. Spears, the stage role for which he became best known. The play broke new ground in Australian theatre with its shocking opening scene (in which Chater walked onstage naked) and its discussion of paedophilia.^[3]

Honours and awards

• Winner of the Macquarie Radio Award in 1952 for Comedy Performance on Radio
• Winner of the Gold Logie in 1966 for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television (The Mavis Bramston Show)
• Member of the Order of Australia (AM), 1999^[6]

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre