John Russell Waters (born 8 December 1948) is an Australian film, theatre and television actor, singer, guitarist, songwriter and musician best known in Australia, where he moved to in 1968. He is the son of Scottish actor

Russell Waters Russell Waters (born 10 June 1908, Glasgow, Lanarkshire – died 19 August 1982, Richmond, Surrey) was a Scottish film actor. Waters was educated at Hutchesons' Grammar School, Glasgow and the University of Glasgow. He began acting with the ...

.Waters enjoying his "Peter Pan existence".
''The Age'', 25 March 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2013] John Waters has been in the industry for over 50 years, and was part of the Australian children's television series '' Play School (Australian TV series), Play School'' for 18 years.

Career

Music

Waters was born in London, England. He first faced a live audience as a singer and bass guitar player with 1960s London-based blues band The Riots before travelling to Australia, initially for an extended working holiday and then eventually settling there permanently.Profile: John Waters.
''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 9 April 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2013] Waters is an accomplished musician, and since 1992 has toured many times with his one-man show ''Looking Through a Glass Onion''. Co-written with friend and musician, Stewart D'Arrietta, the show is a tribute to

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

featuring numerous examples of Lennon's music, words and images. In addition to many Australian tours of this show it also played six months in the West End, London. In 2014, it played 120 performances at the

Union Square Theatre Union Square Theatre was the name of two different theatres near Union Square, Manhattan, New York City. The first was a Broadway theatre that opened in 1870, was converted into a cinema in 1921 and closed in 1936.(8 October 1921)Two landmarks to ...

in Manhattan. Waters has released a number of CDs including ''The Story of Pilliga Pete and Clarrie the Cocky'' (2010), a family story and music CD written and narrated by Waters, ''Brel'' (2010) a live album sung in French and a tribute to the Belgian singer-songwriter

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

, the double live album, ''John Waters Looking Through A Glass Onion'' (2011) and his debut originals album ''Cloudland'' (2011).

Theatre

Waters’ first big break was in musicals, playing Claude in a Sydney production of ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'' in 1969, then

Judas Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betr ...

in ''

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 hymn ...

'' and

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of J ...

in the Australian concert production of ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

''. He was in the original Australian production of ''

They're Playing Our Song ''They're Playing Our Song'' is a musical with a book by Neil Simon, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, and music by Marvin Hamlisch. In a story based on the real-life relationship of Hamlisch and Sager, a wisecracking composer finds a new, offbeat ...

'', which opened on 23 August 1980 at the Theatre Royal in Sydney. It starred Waters and

Jacki Weaver Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film and television actress. Weaver emerged in the 1970s as a symbol of the Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as '' Stork'' (1971), ''Alvin Purp ...

, with

Rhonda Burchmore Rhonda Suzanne Burchmore OAM (born 15 May 1960) is an Australian entertainer. Career Burchmore appeared as Kate in the 1982 film, '' The Pirate Movie''. Burchmore gave her first Australian theatre performance in the 1988 production of '' Sugar ...

as one of the Inner Voices. An Australian cast recording of the show was later released by Festival Records. In 2000, Waters appeared in a production of ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

'', in which he played the part of Captain von Trapp, alongside

Lisa McCune Lisa McCune (born 19 February 1971) is an Australian actress, known for her role in TV series ''Blue Heelers'' as Senior Constable Maggie Doyle, and in '' Sea Patrol'' as Lieutenant Kate McGregor RAN. She has won four Gold Logie Awards. McCun ...

as Maria. In 2005, Waters starred in

David Williamson David Keith Williamson Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 24 February 1942) is an Australians, Australian dramatist and playwright. He has also written screenplays and teleplays. Early life David Williamson was born in Melbourne, Vi ...

's play ''

Influence Influence or influencer may refer to: *Social influence, in social psychology, influence in interpersonal relationships ** Minority influence, when the minority affect the behavior or beliefs of the majority *Influencer marketing, through individ ...

'' as shock jock Ziggi Blasko. The play was performed in Sydney during March/April 2005 and in Melbourne in June/July 2005. In 2008, he played The Narrator in '' Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show'' at

Star City Casino The Star Sydney (formerly Star City Casino and prior to that, Sydney Harbour Casino) in Pyrmont, Sydney, is the second largest casino in Australia after Melbourne's Crown Casino. Overlooking Darling Harbour, The Star, owned by Star Entertainm ...

, Sydney. Waters has toured Australia in a critically acclaimed role alongside

Brett Tucker Brett Alan Tucker (born 21 May 1972) is an Australian actor and singer. He was a series regular in ''The Saddle Club'', ''McLeod's Daughters'', and ''Mistresses''. He is also known for his role as Daniel Fitzgerald in ''Neighbours''. He playe ...

in ''The Woman in Black''. In 2010 he starred in 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 compa ...

's production of ''The Swimming Club'', a play by Australian author

Hannie Rayson Hannie Rayson (born 1957) is an Australian playwright and newspaper columnist. She is recognised as one of Australia's most significant playwrights. Biography Rayson was born in Melbourne, Victoria and graduated from the University of Melbourne ...

. In 2013 Waters starred in ''

The Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...

'' musical as Gomez Addams. The production premiered in Sydney on 24 March 2013 and closed on 9 June 2013. In 2017, Waters played Ulysses in Music Theatre Melbourne's concert production of ''

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

.'' He had previously played the role of Agamemnon on the musical's original concept album released in 1990.

Television

Many Australians still remember Waters best from his nearly 20-year stint on the Australian children's series '' Play School (Australian TV series), Play School'', appearing from 1972 until 1991. During his tenure with ''Play School'', he narrated various children's video trailers for ABC-TV. Among his best known television roles is that of the brooding Sergeant Robert McKellar in the 1974–76 television series '' Rush'' (revoiced and parodied by

The D-Generation ''The D-Generation'' was a popular and influential Australian TV sketch comedy show, produced and broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for two series, between 1986 and 1987. A further four specials were broadcast on the ...

as ''The Olden Days'' on their comedy program ''

The Late Show The Late Show may refer to: Books * ''The Late Show'' (book), a 2017 book by Michael Connelly Film * ''The Late Show'' (film), a 1977 film * ''Late Show'', a 1999 German film by director Helmut Dietl Music * ''The Late Show'' (Eddie "Loc ...

''). Waters also appeared in the 1983 Australian miniseries ''

All the Rivers Run ''All the Rivers Run'' is an Australian historical novel by Nancy Cato, first published in 1958. It was adapted as a 1983 Australian television mini-series starring Sigrid Thornton and John Waters. The mini-series is marketed with the tagline ...

'' as Brenton Edwards. In 2002, he had a role in the short-lived drama '' Young Lions''. He played Perry Luscombe in ''

Fireflies The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

'', which lasted for only one season, on ABC-TV in 2004. Waters joined the cast of '' All Saints'' in June 2006 as Mike Vlasek, the new head of surgery. He remained with the show until its cancellation in late 2009. In 2010, Waters was a guest star in ''Sea Patrol'' as Sgt. Booker. In 2010, Waters guest starred in ''

City Homicide ''City Homicide'' is an Australian television drama series that aired on the Seven Network between 27 August 2007 and 30 March 2011. The series was set on the Homicide floor of a metropolitan police headquarters in Melbourne. The main characte ...

'' as William Clegg. In 2012, Waters starred in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

TV mini-series '' The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'', adapted from the novel by English writer

Fergus Hume Ferguson Wright Hume (8 July 1859 – 12 July 1932), known as Fergus Hume, was a prolific English novelist, known for his detective fiction, thrillers and mysteries. Early life Hume was born in Powick, Worcestershire, England, the second ...

. He appeared on the Logie-award-winning television series ''

Offspring In biology, offspring are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by a single organism or, in the case of sexual reproduction, two organisms. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny in a more general way. This ca ...

'', which completed filming its third season in 2013 and was renewed for a further two seasons. From September 2015, Waters joined the cast of the fourth season of the ABC TV series ''Rake''. In 2018 Waters had a recurring role, as lawyer Travis James, on the ABC TV Series ''Mystery Road''.

Films

Waters played Capt. Alfred Taylor in the 1980 film ''

Breaker Morant Harry "The Breaker" Harbord Morant (born Edwin Henry Murrant, 9 December 1864 – 27 February 1902), more popularly known as Breaker Morant, was an Anglo-Australian drover, horseman, bush poet, military officer, and war criminal who was co ...

'' which starred British actor

Edward Woodward Edward Albert Arthur Woodward, OBE (1 June 1930 – 16 November 2009) was an English actor and singer. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he began his career on stage. Throughout his career, he appeared in productions ...

as Harry "Breaker" Morant. In 1982, Waters appeared in the World War II film ''

Attack Force Z ''Attack Force Z'' (alternatively titled ''The Z Men'') is a 1982 Australian-Taiwanese World War II film directed by Tim Burstall. It is loosely based on actual events and was filmed in Taiwan in 1979. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festiva ...

'' alongside

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...

John Phillip Law John Phillip Law (September 7, 1937 – May 13, 2008) was an American film actor. Following a breakthrough role as a Russian sailor in ''The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming'' (1966), Law became best known for his roles as g ...

and

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...

. In 2013, Waters starred in a local regional film production created by Luis Bayonas, called ''Adios''. In 1990, film critic

David Stratton David James Stratton (born 10 September 1939) is an English-Australian award-winning film critic, as both a journalist and interviewer, film historian and lecturer and television personality and producer. Life and career Born in Trowbridge, ...

, referring to the films, wrote that in his opinion Waters "has been in more bad films than most other actors around".David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p. 342

Other work

He has starred in many television advertisements for various companies including

Cinzano Cinzano () is an Italian brand of vermouth, a brand owned since 1999 by Gruppo Campari. History Cinzano vermouths date back to 1757 and the Turin herbal shop of two brothers, Giovanni Giacomo and Carlo Stefano Cinzano, who created a new "verm ...

Bird's Eye Birds Eye is an American international brand of frozen foods owned by Conagra Brands in the United States, by Nomad Foods in Europe, and Simplot in Australia. The former Birds Eye Company Ltd., originally named "Birdseye Seafood, Inc." had be ...

Bankers Trust Bankers Trust was a historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons in 1997 before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1999. Deutsche Bank sold the Trust and Custody division of Bankers Trust to State Street Corpo ...

, MBF Health Fund,

Sudafed Pseudoephedrine (PSE) is a sympathomimetic drug of the substituted phenethylamine, phenethylamine and substituted amphetamine, amphetamine chemical classes. It may be used as a decongestant, nasal/sinus decongestant, as a stimulant, or as a wake ...

Uncle Tobys Uncle Tobys is an Australian food manufacturing company which specialises in breakfast oat products. Since its foundation in 1861, the company has expanded its product range across the cereal and ready-to-eat snack market. Uncle Tobys is currentl ...

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 ...

, MLC,

Arnotts Arnotts can refer to; * Arnott's Biscuits, an Australian biscuit and salted snack food company * Arnotts (Ireland), a department store in Dublin, Ireland * Arnotts (Scotland) Arnotts was a department store in Glasgow, Scotland. It became part o ...

and Toyota Hybrid Camry. He has narrated programs such as ''Mind Games: Real Life Adventures'', ''Nostradamus'' and '' Triple Zero Heroes'’All Together Now’'.

Awards

In 1975, Waters won the

George Wallace Memorial Logie for Best New Talent The George Wallace Memorial Logie for Best New Talent was an award presented annually at the Australian TV Week Logie Awards The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to ...

at the

Logie Awards 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 ...

for his role in ''

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 ...

''. In 1988, he won the

AFI Award The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsi ...

for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role as character Tom Garfield in the

Frank Howson Frank Michael Howson (born 1952) has had a career in entertainment. He directed ''Flynn'' (1996) on the early life of Errol Flynn and ''Hunting'' (1991). Howson, with Peter Boyle, helped establish Boulevard Films which produced thirteen film ...

-written film '' Boulevard of Broken Dreams''. He has been nominated for several other awards, including Best Lead Actor (in 1978 for ''

Weekend of Shadows ''Weekend of Shadows'' is a 1978 film directed by Tom Jeffrey and starring John Waters. Premise In the 1930s, a farmer's wife in a small town is murdered. Suspicion falls on a Polish labourer and a posse is formed to catch him. Cast *John Water ...

'') and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama (in 2006 for '' All Saints'') at the AFI Awards, and for Most Popular Actor in a Telemovie or Mini-Series (in 1992 for '' Which Way Home'') at the

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, ''Looking Through a Glass Onion'' , Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album , , ARIA Award previous winners. , -

Personal life

Waters’ first marriage was to actress Jenny Cullen, a union that produced children Ivan and Rebecca Waters. His second marriage was to actress Sally Conabere. His third marriage, to Zoe Burton, was in January 2002, and they became parents to son Archie Waters in January 2003 and twins Gloria & Rusty Waters in September 2006. Waters lives in the Southern Highlands, NSW, with Burton and their three children.

Community work

Waters lends his support to various community events including DUETS 2012, a concert to assist The Australian Children's Music Foundation (ACMF) (founded by fellow Play School presenter

Don Spencer Donald Richard Spencer (born 22 March 1941),is an Australian children's television presenter, singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He had a long-running role on ''Play School'' on both the Australian version (1968–99) and the United Kingdom ...

) and Carols in the Domain 2012. He is an ambassador for The Australian Children's Music Foundation.Duets – Annual Gala Charity Concert.
''Get Shot Magazine''. Retrieved 13 April 2013]

Filmography

References

External links

*
John Waters fan site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waters, John 1948 births 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English musicians 21st-century English singers 21st-century English male actors 21st-century English musicians Australian guitarists Australian male singers Australian male stage actors Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Australian songwriters Best Actor AACTA Award winners Australian children's television presenters Living people Logie Award winners Male actors from London English emigrants to Australia Acoustic guitarists Australian male guitarists