Kym Gyngell (born 15 April 1952), sometimes also credited as Kim Gyngell, is an Australian comedian and film, television and stage actor. Gyngell won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1988 for his role as Ian McKenzie in ''Boulevard of Broken Dreams''.

Career

Television

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he appeared in ''

The Comedy Company ''The Comedy Company'' was an Australian comedy television series first aired from 16 February 1988 until about 11 November 1990 on Network Ten, Sunday night and was created and directed by cast member Ian McFadyen, and co directed and produced ...

'' and developed several popular characters, a few of which survived beyond ''The Comedy Company''. One of his characters,

Col'n Carpenter ''The Comedy Company'' was an Australian comedy television series first aired from 16 February 1988 until about 11 November 1990 on Network Ten, Sunday night and was created and directed by cast member Ian McFadyen, and co directed and produce ...

(who neglects to pronounce the letter 'i' in his name Colin), is a slow Australian with unique speech mannerisms. Col'n went on to have his own sitcom that ran for two seasons, in the early 1990s. Also in the early 1990s, Gyngell appeared (as Carpenter) in a series of public service announcements for the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand. Gyngell was a regular on the popular Australian series '' Full Frontal'' during the mid-1990s, where he starred alongside

Eric Bana Eric Banadinović, (born 9 August 1968), known professionally as Eric Bana (), is an Australian actor and comedian. He began his career in the sketch comedy series '' Full Frontal'' before gaining notice in the comedy drama '' The Castle'' (19 ...

before Bana attained

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

fame. His most notable characters included; "Leon" (Art critic who used to show up on talk shows and say the word "Crap"); and as characters sending up Kerry O'Brien (host of 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 ...

's ''

The 7.30 Report ''The 7.30 Report'' is an Australian week-nightly television current affairs program, which was shown on ABC1 and ABC News 24 at from 1986 to 2011. In 2011, it evolved into ''7.30'', a revamped current affairs program. History ''The 7.30 Report ...

'') and

John Laws Richard John Sinclair Laws CBE (born 8 August 1935) is a Papua New Guinean-born Australian radio announcer. For 50 years, until 2007, he was the host of an Australian morning radio program combining music with interviews, opinion, live adverti ...

(former

2UE 2UE is an all-music radio station in Sydney owned by Nine Entertainment Co and run under a lease agreement by Ace Radio. It currently broadcasts from its studios in Pyrmont, New South Wales. History 1920s 2EU Electrical Utilities applied to the ...

radio broadcaster). Once he left ''Full Frontal'', he had a few guest roles, including comedy programs ''

The Micallef Program ''The Micallef P(r)ogram(me)'' is an Australian sketch comedy TV series hosted by Shaun Micallef, and written by Micallef and Gary McCaffrie, that ran from 1998 to 2001 on ABC TV. It was known as ''The Micallef Program'' in its first series, ...

'' and ''

Pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...

'', and on drama series ''

The Secret Life of Us ''The Secret Life of Us'' is an Australian television drama series set in the beachside neighbourhood of St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is primarily a drama with some comedic moments. The series was produced by Souther ...

'', '' CrashBurn'' and ''

Love My Way ''Love My Way'' is an Australian television drama series. It won the AFI award for Best Television Drama Series for each of its three seasons (2004–2007). Premise Set in Sydney, ''Love My Way'' was about a group of 30-somethings dealing wit ...

''. Since 2007, Gyngell played Father Harris on the

comedy '' The Librarians''. In 2008, Gyngell had a role in ''

Underbelly Underbelly is the side of something that is not normally seen. Figuratively, it means a vulnerable or weak part, similar to the term Achilles' heel, or alternatively, a hidden, illicit side of society. This term could refer to: Business * ...

'' for the Nine Network and also in ABC1's comedy '' Very Small Business''. In 2010, he had a role in the TV series '' Lowdown''. In 2012, Gyngell played Paddy the Montebello family's shady accountant in ''

The Straits ''The Straits'' is an Australian television drama series for ABC1 filmed in Cairns, the Torres Strait Islands and other Far North Queensland locations. The series is based on an idea by actor Aaron Fa'aoso and produced by Penny Chapman and Hel ...

''. Both aired on ABC1.

Film

In 1985, Gyngell starred in his first film ''

Wills & Burke ''Wills & Burke'' (also known as ''The Wacky World of Wills & Burke'' and ''Wills & Burke: The Untold Story'') is a 1985 Australian black comedy film about the Burke and Wills expedition. It opened a week before ''Burke & Wills'', a serious dram ...

'' playing

William John Wills William John Wills (5 January 1834 – ) was a British surveyor who also trained as a surgeon. Wills achieved fame as the second-in-command of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition, which was the first expedition to cross Australia from s ...

. In 1988, he played Ian McKenzie in '' Boulevard of Broken Dreams'', which earned him an

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 actor. In 1988, he appeared in '' Bachelor Girl'' (1988) and in ''

Grievous Bodily Harm Grievous bodily harm (often abbreviated to GBH) is a term used in English criminal law to describe the severest forms of battery. It refers to two offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861. The ...

''. In 1990, he was in ''

What the Moon Saw ''What the Moon Saw'' is a 1990 Australian film directed by Pino Amenta. The first of five films Boulevard Films made following the success of ''Boulevard of Broken Dreams (film), Boulevard of Broken Dreams'' (1988), it was based on Howson's memor ...

'', and starred in ''

Heaven Tonight ''Heaven Tonight'' is Cheap Trick's third studio album, produced by Tom Werman and released in 1978. The album was remastered and released with bonus tracks on Sony's Epic/Legacy imprint in 1998. The album cover features lead singer Robin Zande ...

'' which earned him an AFI nomination. In 2000, he starred in the surprise hit of the year, the comedy ''

The Wog Boy ''The Wog Boy'' is a 2000 Australian comedy film directed by Aleksi Vellis and starring Nick Giannopoulos, Vince Colosimo, Lucy Bell, Abi Tucker, Stephen Curry, Tony Nikolakopoulos and Derryn Hinch. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2000 the soundtra ...

'', playing the Supervisor; In 2002, he played the character of Paul in ''

The Hard Word ''The Hard Word'' (released in some regions as ''The Australian Job'') is a 2002 Australian crime film about three bank-robbing brothers who are offered a role in a bold heist while serving time in prison. The film was written and directed by Sc ...

'' and as Richard in ''

Blow Blow commonly refers to: *Cocaine *Exhalation * Strike (attack) Blow, Blew, Blowing, or Blown may also refer to: People * Blew (surname) * Blow (surname) Arts and entertainment Music *The Blow, an American electro-pop band Albums * ''Blow ...

''. In 2005, he was in ''

The Writer ''The Writer'' is a magazine for writers, published monthly by Madavor Media. History ''The Writer'' was first established by William H. Hills and Robert Luce, two ''Boston Globe'' reporters, as "a monthly magazine to interest and help all lit ...

''.

Film awards

Gyngell received an

in 1988 for "

Best Actor in a Supporting Role Best Actor in a Supporting Role may refer to: * AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role * BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role * Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male * Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a S ...

" for his role in '' Boulevard of Broken Dreams'' which starred

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his Cinema of Transgression, transgressive cult films, including ''Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), ''Pink Flamin ...

who won the AFI

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

award; Gyngell was also nominated for his performance in ''Heaven Tonight'' (1990). In 2005 Gyngell won the Best Actor award at the

St Kilda Film Festival St Kilda is an inner seaside suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km (4 miles) south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. St Kilda recorded a population of 19 ...

for his role in ''The Writer''.

Theatre

Gyngell played with various theatre collectives in the early 1970s, such as

La Mama La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

The Pram Factory __NOTOC__ The Pram Factory was an Australian alternative theatre venue in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton from around 1970 until the 1981. It was home to the Australian Performing Group and Nindethana, Australia's first Aboriginal theatre group ...

, Hoopla (the predecessor of the

Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne Malthouse Theatre is the resident theatre company of The Malthouse building in Southbank, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct. In the 1980s it was known as the Playbox Theatre Company and was housed in the Playbox Theatre in Melbourne's CBD. ...

). In the late 1970s, he performed with the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in The Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Thea ...

. In 2003, Gyngell played Robert in a production of

David Auburn David Auburn (born 30 November 1969) is an American playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. He is best known for his 2000 play '' Proof'', which won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play and Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He also wrote the screen ...

's play ''

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a con ...

''. In 2008 Gyngell played William in the

two-hander A two-hander is a term for a play, film, or television programme with only two main characters. The two characters in question often display differences in social standing or experiences, differences that are explored and possibly overcome as ...

''Ninety'' by

Joanna Murray-Smith Joanna Murray-Smith (born 17 April 1962) is a Melbourne-based Australian playwright, screenwriter, novelist, librettist and newspaper columnist. Life and career Murray-Smith was born in Mount Eliza, Victoria; her father was the literary editor ...

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 compa ...

(MTC); Later that year he played Tartuffe in

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

's ''

The Hypocrite ''The Hypocrite'' is a 1768 comic play by the Irish writer Isaac Bickerstaffe. It is a reworking of the 1717 play '' The Non-Juror'' by Colley Cibber, itself inspired by Molière's ''Tartuffe''. The original play had derived much of its humour f ...

'' at the MTC opposite

Marina Prior Marina Prior (born 18 October 1963) is an Australian soprano and actress with a career mainly in musical theatre. From 1990 to 1993, she starred as the original Christine Daaé in the Australian premiere of ''The Phantom of the Opera'', opposit ...

and

Garry McDonald Garry George McDonald AO (born 30 October 1948) is an Australian actor, satirist and comedian. In a career spanning five decades he has had many theatre, television and film roles, and has been listed as a National Living Treasure. He is bes ...

. In 2012, Gyngell performed in Sydney Theatre Company's production of ''

Pygmalion Pygmalion or Pigmalion may refer to: Mythology * Pygmalion (mythology), a sculptor who fell in love with his statue Stage * ''Pigmalion'' (opera), a 1745 opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau * ''Pygmalion'' (Rousseau), a 1762 melodrama by Jean-Jacques ...

''.

Personal life

His second cousin is the former CEO of the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

David Gyngell David Liam Barr Gyngell (born 1966), an Australian businessman, was the former Chief Executive Officer of Nine Entertainment Co. which owns a string of businesses including the Nine Network and Nine Radio. Gyngell was the CEO of the Nine Networ ...

, and his older brother is former diplomat and

Office of National Assessments The Office of National Assessments (ONA) was an Australian statutory intelligence agency established by the ''Office of National Assessments Act 1977'' as an independent statutory body directly accountable to the Prime Minister of Australia as ...

head Allan Gyngell.

Selected works

Le Club Foote: Music

Gyngell played keyboards in the Melbourne band Le Club Foote, who released their only album ''Cinema Qua'' in 1984, along with a couple of singles. The album was produced by Colin Hay of the band

Men at Work Men at Work are an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1978 and best known for breakthrough hits such as "Down Under", "Who Can It Be Now?", "Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake". Its founding member and frontman is Coli ...

Albums

Singles

Television

* Kaboodle (1986) ''–'' Magic Mirror in the episode ''Snow White and the Dreadful Dwarves'' (Series 1) * ''

'' (1988–89) – Col'n Carpenter *

(1990–91) – Col'n Carpenter * '' Full Frontal'' (1993–97) – various characters * "Greed" by

, episode in ''The Seven Deadly Sins'' for

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

(1993) * ''

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

'' (1995) – Jimmy Runyon * ''

'' (1999) – Various Characters * ''

'' * ''

'' (2003) – Dr. Vander * ''

'' (2007) * ''

Wilfred Wilfred may refer to: * Wilfred (given name), a given name and list of people (and fictional characters) with the name * Wilfred, Indiana, an unincorporated community in the United States * ''Wilfred'' (Australian TV series), a comedy series * ' ...

'' (2007) – Dr. Jack Underwood * '' The Librarians'' (2007) – Father Harris * ''

'' (2008) –

Keith Faure Keith George Faure (born June, 1951), from Norlane, Victoria, is an Australian career criminal, convicted of multiple murders and manslaughters. He is currently serving life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 19 years for his role ...

* '' Very Small Business'' (2008) – Ray Leonard * '' Lowdown'' (2010) – Howard Evans * ''

'' (2012) – Paddy * ''

Rake Rake may refer to: * Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct * Rake (theatre), the artificial slope of a theatre stage Science and technology * Rake receiver, a radio receiver * Rake (geology), the angle between a feature on a ...

'' (2016) – Reggie

Films

* ''

'' (1985) –

* '' Just Us'' (1986) – The Mouth * ''

With Love to the Person Next to Me ''With Love to the Person Next to Me'' is a 1987 film directed by Brian McKenzie and starring Kym Gyngell.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p119-120 Production The film ...

'' (1987) – Wallace * '' Evil Angels'' (''A Cry in the Dark'') (1988) – Actor * '' Boulevard of Broken Dreams'' (1988) – Ian McKenzie * '' Bachelor Girl'' (1988) – Karl Stanton * ''

'' (1988) – Mick * ''

'' (1990) – Jim Shilling * ''

'' (1990) – Baz Schultz * '' The Making of Nothing'' (1993) – Davo * '' Love and Other Catastrophes'' (1996) – Professor Leech * ''

'' (2000) – Supervisor * ''

'' (2002) – Paul * ''

'' (2002) – Richard * ''

Josh Jarman ''Josh Jarman'' is a 2004 Australian comedy film directed by Pip Mushin and starring Marcus Graham. Filming took place around Melbourne, Australia. Plot Josh Jarman is a playwright who can't find anyone to produce his dramatic play. The only p ...

'' (2004) – Stan Billows * ''

'' (2005) – Jonathan * '' The Little Death'' (2014) – Steve * ''

Bleeding Steel ''Bleeding Steel'' is a 2017 Chinese Science fiction film, science fiction cyberpunk action film directed and written by Leo Zhang and stars Jackie Chan. ''Bleeding Steel'' was released in China on 22 December 2017. In the US, Lionsgate Premiere ...

'' (2017) – Dr. James * ''

Brothers' Nest ''Brothers' Nest'' is a 2018 Australian comedy-drama thriller film directed by Clayton Jacobson and starring him and his brother Shane Jacobson, reuniting the two after 2006's ''Kenny''. Plot synopsis One cold morning in Victoria, brothers Terr ...

'' (2018) – Rodger

On stage

*''

'' (2003) – Robert *''Ninety'' (2008/2009) – William *''

'' (2008) – Tartuffe

References

External links

*
Kym Gyngell family tree
by Amanda Zachariah, ''

Geelong Advertiser The ''Geelong Advertiser'' is a daily newspaper circulating in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, the Bellarine Peninsula, and surrounding areas. First published on 21 November 1840, the ''Geelong Advertiser'' is the oldest newspaper title in Victor ...

'' (26 September 2008)
"The Hypocrite – Melbourne Theatre Company"
by Carol Middleton, ''Australian Stage Online'' (14 November 2008) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gyngell, Kim 1952 births Australian male comedians Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Australian male stage actors Comedians from Melbourne Male actors from Melbourne Living people Best Supporting Actor AACTA Award winners