Maxwell John Phipps (18 November 1939 – 6 August 2000) was an

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 Au ...

actor, known for a number of roles in theatre, films and television during the 1960s until the end of the 1990s.

Life and career

Phipps was born in

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

and grew up in

Parkes Parkes may refer to: * Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation Named for Henry Parkes * Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town * Parkes Observatory, a radi ...

. He started his acting training 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 ...

at the age of 21, 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 performa ...

. There he appeared in such productions as ''Buffalo Skinner'', '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', ''

Fortune and Men's Eyes ''Fortune and Men's Eyes'' is a 1967 play and 1971 film written by John Herbert about a young man's experience in prison, exploring themes of homosexuality and sexual slavery. Plot of the play The plot follows Smitty, a 17-year-old, after he ...

'', ''

The Removalists ''The Removalists'' is a play written by Australian playwright David Williamson in 1971. The main issues the play addresses are violence, specifically domestic violence, and the abuse of power and authority. The story is supposed to be a microc ...

'' and '' Rooted''. In the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

's inaugural season he played Harry Bustle in '' What If You Died Tomorrow?''. In London he reprised this role, as well as appearing in ''

Don's Party ''Don's Party'' is a 1971 play by David Williamson set during the 1969 Australian federal election. The play opened on 11 August 1971 at The Pram Factory theatre in Carlton. Plot Don Henderson is a schoolteacher living with his wife Kath and ba ...

''. He played Dr Frank-N-Furter in ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple ...

'' in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1975–77. His most notable screen roles included Bernie Dump in ''

The Miraculous Mellops ''The Miraculous Mellops'' is an Australian sci-fi/comedy television series, created by Karl Zwicky and Margarita Tassone and produced by Film Australia and Millennium Pictures in association with the Network Ten. Aimed at children, the first ...

'', The Toadie in ''

Mad Max 2 ''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. It is the second installment in the ''Mad Max'' franchise, with Mel Gibson reprising his role a ...

'' (1981), Prime Minister

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...

in the television mini-series '' The Dismissal'' (1983), Sir

Frank Packer Sir Douglas Frank Hewson Packer (3 December 19061 May 1974), was an Australian media proprietor who controlled Australian Consolidated Press and the Nine Network. He was a patriarch of the Packer family. Early life Frank Packer was born in K ...

in '' True Believers'' (1988), and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Police Commissioner Terry Lewis in the ''

Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...

'' TV documentary drama ''Police State'' (1989), which helped to bring about investigations into corruption within that state's police force and political system. He was nominated for an AFI award for his role in ''

Stir Stir, STIR, stirred, or stirrer may refer to: Art and entertainment * Stir (band), a music group from 1994-2005 * Stir (film), ''Stir'' (film), a 1980 Australian film directed by Stephen Wallace * Stir (TV series), ''Stir'' (TV series) * "Stirred" ...

'' (1980). Other films included ''

The Cars That Ate Paris ''The Cars That Ate Paris'' is a 1974 Australian horror comedy film, produced by twin brothers Hal and Jim McElroy and directed by Peter Weir. It was his first feature film, and was also based on an original story he had written. Shot mostly in ...

'' (1974), ''

Thirst Thirst is the craving for potable fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmolites, suc ...

'' (1979), ''

Nightmares A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...

'' (1980), '' Dead Easy'' (1982), ''

The Return of Captain Invincible ''The Return of Captain Invincible'' is a 1983 Australian superhero film, superhero musical film, musical comedy film directed by Philippe Mora, and starring Alan Arkin and Christopher Lee. It was a box office disappointment on release but has be ...

'' (1983), ''

Savage Islands The Savage Islands or Selvagens Islands ( pt, Ilhas Selvagens ; also known as the Salvage Islands) are a small Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Madeira, and north of the Canary Islands.

'' (1983), which was released in the United States as ''Nate and Hayes'', ''

Sky Pirates ''Sky Pirates'' (also known as ''Dakota Harris'') is a 1986 Australian adventure film written and produced by John D. Lamond, and directed by Colin Eggleston. The film was inspired by Steven Spielberg's ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981), as we ...

'' (1986) and ''

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 ...

'' (1990). He appeared as Detective Inspector Mcallister in the ''

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series ''Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

'' episode "The Promised Land" in 1991, which was set in Australia. Phipps also played the role of Edward "Dinosaur" Spence in the first season of the short lived Australian television series "FIRE" (1995) set in Queensland. in the early to late 90s He also briefly worked on the ill-fated video game

Wizardry ''Wizardry'' is a series of role-playing video games, developed by Sir-Tech, that were highly influential in the evolution of modern role-playing video games. The original ''Wizardry'' was a significant influence on early console role-playing g ...

: Stones of Arnhem at DirectSoft which was being contracted out to them by Sirtech.

Death

He died from cancer in Sydney in August 2000, survived by his three siblings. He had never married.

Partial filmography

*''

You Can't See 'round Corners ''You Can't See 'round Corners'' is a 1969 Australian drama film directed by David Cahill and starring Ken Shorter and Rowena Wallace. The film is a theatrical version of the 1967 TV show '' You Can't See 'Round Corners''. Both were based on t ...

'' (1969) - Keith Grayson *''

'' (1974) - Mulray *'' Temperament Unsuited'' (1979) - Supervisor *''

'' (1979) - Mr. Hodge *''

'' (1980) - Norton *''

'' (1980) - George D'alberg *''

'' (1981) - The Toadie *'' Dead Easy'' (1982) - Francis *''

'' (1983) - Admiral *''

'' (1983) -

Ben Pease Ben Pease or Benjamin Pease, was a notorious Blackbirding, blackbirder, engaged in recruiting and kidnapping Pacific Islanders to provide labor for the plantations of Fiji. Pease was born in 1834 in Edgartown, Massachusetts. He was youngest of s ...

*''Emoh Ruo'' (1985) - Sam Tregado *''

'' (1986) - Savage *''

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) - John Besser *''

Sky Trackers The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In th ...

'' TV Movie (1990) *''

'' (1990) - Mr. Zachary *''

Halifax f.p. ''Halifax f.p.'' is an Australian television crime series produced by Nine Network from 1994 to 2002. The series stars Rebecca Gibney as Doctor Jane Halifax, a forensic psychiatrist investigating cases involving the mental state of suspects or ...

'' (1996) - Det. Insp. Derrida (1 episode)

External links

* Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Australian male stage actors People from Dubbo 1939 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Australian male actors Deaths from cancer in New South Wales {{Australia-screen-actor-stub