Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal A ...
actor, known for several theatre and television roles.
Biography
Early life
McTernan's career spans thirty years working in theatre, television and film. He has appeared with all the major theatre companies and began his career training and then performing at the
Ensemble Theatre
The Ensemble Theatre is an Australian theatre company and theatre, situated in the Sydney suburb of Kirribilli, New South Wales.
History
It is Australia's longest continuously running professional theatre group, having given its first perform ...
in Sydney. He has appeared in several productions there, most recently ''Wrong Turn at Lungfish'' in 2008. Previously at the Ensemble; ''Lovers'', ''The Comedians'', ''Boy Meets Girl'', ''6 Rms Riv Vu'', ''Sonny'' and ''Same Difference''.
Theatre
Work at the
Melbourne Theatre Company
The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...
includes ''Born Yesterday'', ''Twelfth Night'', ''Into the Woods'', ''Assassins'', ''The Glass Menagerie'', ''The Real Thing'', ''Serious Money'', ''High Society'', ''Art'', ''Take Me Out'' and ''Boy Gets Girl''.
The
Nimrod Theatre Company
The Nimrod Theatre Company, commonly known as The Nimrod, was an Australian theatre company based in Sydney. It was founded by in 1970 by Australian actor John Bell, Richard Wherrett and Ken Horler, and gained a reputation for producing more "g ...
: ''Young Mo'', ''Volpone'', ''Inside the Island'', ''The Orestia'', ''Clouds'', ''Romeo and Juliet'', ''Henry IV'' and ''Comedy of Errors''.
Sydney Theatre Company: ''The Sunny South'', ''The Venetian Twins'', ''The Caucasian Chalk Circle''. Also for various other theatre companies: ''Sanctuary'', ''Oleanna'', ''What Did We Do Wrong'' among others.
McTernan is also well known for his work in music theatre with major stage roles in '' Grease'', ''
Godspell
''Godspell'' is a musical composed by Stephen Schwartz with book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set to lyrics from traditional hym ...
'', ''
Guys and Dolls
''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...
'', ''
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Th ...
Into the Woods
''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.
The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...
The Production Company
The Production Company was an Australian not-for-profit theatre company that staged a series of usually three musicals at the Arts Centre Melbourne each year, until its closure in 2020.
It was launched in 1999 by Jeanne Pratt AC with the goal o ...
in Melbourne: ''She Loves Me'', ''
Gypsy
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying''.
Film and TV roles
His work in film includes: ''The Brown Out Murders'', the ABC feature ''Fuzzy'', ''The Understudy'' and ''Evil Never Dies''.
He is known to television audiences for roles in popular Australian drama series and soap operas. Long running series roles include: ''
Cop Shop
''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes.
The show
The show revolved ar ...
Logie Award
The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...
s. He played a gay man later revealed as a psychopathic blackmailer in soap opera ''
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 ...
'' in 1977, and played a prison teacher in ''
Prisoner
A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...
'' in 1986. He played Lee Gordon in the mini series ''
Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe
''Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe'' is a two part Australian dramatisation about the life of musician Johnny O'Keefe from his peak success in the 1950s. The project was written by Robert Caswell.City Homicide'', '' All Saints'', ''
Blue Heelers
''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian Police procedural, police drama series that was produced by Endemol Australia, Southern Star Group and ran for 12 years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, ...
Something in the Air
"Something in the Air" is a song by English rock band Thunderclap Newman, written by Speedy Keen who also sang the song. It was a No. 1 single for three weeks in the UK Singles Chart in July 1969. The song has been used for films, television ...
McTernan won the 'Best Lead Actor' award in 1982 and 1983 at the Logies for his role in ''
Cop Shop
''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes.
The show
The show revolved ar ...
''. For his role in '' G.P.'', he was nominated for Logies as Best Actor in 1990 and Outstanding Actor in 1991, and went on to win the Outstanding Actor award in 1992. He has also won a
Green Room Award
The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne.
The awards were started in 1982 when Blair Edgar and Steven Tandy formed the Green Room Awards A ...
in 1987 for Best Supporting Actor as Feste in ''Twelfth Night'' for the
Melbourne Theatre Company
The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...