Gerald Joseph Duggan (10 July 191027 March 1992) was an Irish-born

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n character actor who appeared in many well-known films. He was also a stage and television actor. He never achieved stardom, but was a familiar face in small roles in film and television. His trademarks were his Irish brogue, pronounced lisp and prominent jaw.

Early life

Gerry Duggan was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in 1910. When he was 16 he moved to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where he had his early exposure to theatre acting. In the 1930s he moved to

, where he settled, although he worked internationally.

Career

He was almost 50 when he made his first film, ''

The Siege of Pinchgut ''The Siege of Pinchgut'' (released in the US as ''Four Desperate Men'') is a 1959 British thriller filmed on location in Sydney, Australia, and directed by Harry Watt. It was the last film produced by Ealing Studios, and was entered into the ...

'' (1959). This was a British production made in Australia, and was the last film from

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever s ...

. Duggan was nominated for the BAFTA Most Promising Newcomer Award for his role as Pat Fulton. He lost to the 13-year-old

Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising ...

in ''

Tiger Bay Tiger Bay ( cy, Bae Teigr) was the local name for an area of Cardiff which covered Butetown and Cardiff Docks. Following the building of the Cardiff Barrage, which dams the tidal rivers, Ely and Taff, to create a body of water, it is re ...

''. He played the title role in the 1986 children's television series ''

Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin ''Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin'' (aka ''Professor Poopsnaggle and His Flying Zeppelin'') was a popular Australian children's television series which aired on the Nine Network, a spin-off from the 1980 series ''Secret Valley''. It was f ...

''. He also appeared in many television episodes in Australia and Britain, in series such as ''

A Country Practice ''A Country Practice'' is an Australian television soap opera which broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 5 November 1993, airing at 7:30 pm on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Altogether, 14 seasons and 1,058 episodes were p ...

'', ''

Mother and Son ''Mother and Son'' is an Australian television sitcom that was broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) from 16 January 1984 until 21 March 1994. The show stars Ruth Cracknell, Garry McDonald, Henri Szeps and Judy Morris. It ...

'', ''

The Flying Doctors ''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. T ...

'', ''

Skyways Skyways may refer to: *Skyway A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very ...

'', ''

The Sullivans ''The Sullivans'' is an Australian period drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 15 November 1976 until 10 March 1983. The series tells the story of a fictional average middle-clas ...

'', ''

Matlock Police ''Matlock Police'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network (now known as the 10 Network) between 1971 and 1976. The series focused on the police station and crime in the Victorian town o ...

'', ''

Number 96 96 (ninety-six) is the natural number following 95 and preceding 97. It is a number that appears the same when turned upside down. In mathematics 96 is: * an octagonal number. * a refactorable number. * an untouchable number. * a semiperfe ...

'', ''

Spyforce ''Spyforce'' is an Australian television series that aired from 1971 to 1973 on Nine Network. The series was based upon the adventures of Australian Military Intelligence operatives in the South West Pacific during World War II. It was produced ...

'', ''

Division 4 ''Division 4'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 301 episodes. Synopsis The series was one of the first dramas to follow up on the enormous success o ...

'', '' Boney'', '' Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'', '' The Avengers'' and ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

''. Gerry Duggan continued to act on stage in between film and television commitments. For example, he appeared in the British debut of

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

's play ''

The Old Tune ''The Old Tune'' is a free translation of Robert Pinget’s 1960 play ''La Manivelle'' (''The Crank'') in which Samuel Beckett transformed Pinget's Parisians, Toupin and Pommard into Dubliners, Cream and Gorman. Its first radio broadcast was by t ...

'' in 1964. He played the role of McLeavy in the 1966 London revival of

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his death in 1967, was short but highly influential. During this brie ...

's '' Loot'', which he regarded as the high point of his stage career, in a production that transferred to the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began development ...

. Later in life he resided in

Beacon Hill, New South Wales Beacon Hill is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. It is part of the Northern Be ...

. He worked until his death, which occurred on 27 March 1992 in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Partial filmography

* ''

'' (1959) – Pat Fulton *''

A Tongue of Silver "A Tongue of Silver" is an episode of the 1959 Australian TV drama anthology ''Shell Presents''. Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time. It starred John Meillon, who had been in ''Thunder of Silence'' in the same series. It aired on ...

'' (1959) - policeman * '' On the Beach'' (1959) – Bit Part (uncredited) * '' The Sundowners'' (1960) – Shearer * ''

Dentist on the Job ''Dentist on the Job'' is a 1961 British comedy film directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards, the sequel to ''Dentist in the Chair'' (1960). It was released in the US with the title ''Get On with It!''. The film was co-written by Hugh Woodhouse a ...

'' (1961) – Commissionaire * '' Go to Blazes'' (1962) – Fireman * '' Serena'' (1962) – Norman Cole * ''

The L-Shaped Room ''The L-Shaped Room'' is a 1962 British film directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Lynne Reid Banks. It tells the story of Jane Fosset (Leslie Caron), a young French woman, unmarried and pregnant, who moves into a ...

'' (1962) – Bert * ''

The Servant A servant is a person working within an employer's household. Servant or servants may refer to: Places * Servant, Puy-de-Dôme, France Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Servant'' (1963 film), a British drama * ''The Servant'' (1989 ...

'' (1963) – Waiter * ''

West 11 ''West 11'' is a 1963 British crime film directed by Michael Winner and starring Alfred Lynch, Kathleen Breck, Eric Portman, Diana Dors, and Kathleen Harrison. It is based on ''The Furnished Room'' (1961), Laura Del-Rivo's debut novel, which was ...

'' (1964) – Father Dominic * '' Goldfinger'' (1964) – Hawker, James Bond’s golf caddie * ''

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...

'' (1970) - Father O'Hea * ''

Ride a Wild Pony ''Ride a Wild Pony'' (also known as ''Born to Run'') is a 1975 American-Australian family adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, directed by Don Chaffey and based on the novel ''A Sporting Proposition'' by James Aldridge. Plot Set ...

'' (1975) – Train Engineer * ''

Mad Dog Morgan ''Mad Dog Morgan'' is a 1976 Australian bushranger film directed by Philippe Mora and starring Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson (actor), Jack Thompson and David Gulpilil. It is based upon the life of Dan Morgan (bushranger), Dan Morgan. Plot Dan M ...

'' (1976) – Martin * '' The Devil's Playground'' (1976) – Brother Hanrahan * ''

The Singer and the Dancer ''The Singer and the Dancer'' is a 1977 film directed by Gillian Armstrong and starring Ruth Cracknell and Elizabeth Crosby. Plot Mrs Bilson is treated as a simple minded invalid by her family and periodically escapes to sit by the river and list ...

'' (1977) – the Doctor * ''

The Picture Show Man ''The Picture Show Man'' is a 1977 Australian film about a travelling film exhibitor (John Meillon) in the 1920s. He has to deal with the rebelliousness of his son ( Harold Hopkins) and a rival American exhibitor (Rod Taylor). The film was Rod Ta ...

'' (1977) – the Hall Secretary * ''

The Mango Tree ''The Mango Tree'' is a Miles Franklin Award-winning novel by Australian author Ronald McKie. Synopsis The story follows the childhood of a young man, named Jamie, growing up in a country town in Australia during the early 20th century. Criti ...

'' (1977) – Scanlon * ''

Newsfront ''Newsfront'' is a 1978 Australian drama film starring Bill Hunter, Wendy Hughes, Chris Haywood and Bryan Brown, directed by Phillip Noyce. The screenplay is written by David Elfick, Bob Ellis, Philippe Mora, and Phillip Noyce. The original mus ...

'' (1978) – Len's father * ''

My Brilliant Career ''My Brilliant Career'' is a 1901 novel written by Miles Franklin. It is the first of many novels by Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin (1879–1954), one of the major Australian writers of her time. It was written while she was still a teenager, ...

'' (1979) - Squatter * ''

The Last of the Knucklemen ''The Last of the Knucklemen'' is a 1979 Australian film directed by Tim Burstall. Plot The story involves a gang of rough miners. Tom (Peter Hehir) turns up at the mine looking for a place to hide. He allies himself with the mining foreman Tarz ...

'' (1979) – Old Arthur * '' Slippery Slide'' (1980) * ''

Bliss BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. It was perhaps the best known system language until C debuted a few years later. Since then, C b ...

'' (1985) – neighbour 1 * ''

Dark Age The ''Dark Ages'' is a term for the Early Middle Ages, or occasionally the entire Middle Ages, in Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire that characterises it as marked by economic, intellectual and cultural decline. The conce ...

'' (1987) – Joe Blunt

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duggan, Gerry 1910 births 1992 deaths Male actors from Dublin (city) Australian male stage actors Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Irish emigrants to Australia 20th-century Australian male actors