Peter Batey (1933''–''14 June 2019) was an Australian actor, director and founder of the

Bald Archy Prize The Bald Archy is an Australian art prize, which parodies the prestigious portraiture award, the Archibald Prize. It usually includes cartoons or humorous works making fun of Australian celebrities. History It was founded in 1994 by theatre ...

. He was a founding member of 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 ...

and the

South Australian Theatre Company The State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA), branded State Theatre Company South Australia, formerly the South Australian Theatre Company (SATC), is South Australia's leading professional theatre company, and a statutory corporation. It ...

Early life and education

Batey was born in

Benalla Benalla is a small city located on the Broken River gateway to the High Country north-eastern region of Victoria, Australia, about north east of the state capital Melbourne. At the the population was 10,822. It is the administrative centr ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in 1933 and moved to Melbourne when he was 16, where he studied drama.

Career

Batey worked as a playwright, a director, a founding member of both the

and the

1961 saw the debut of his first play '' The No Hopers''; he directed approximately 130 others. He was the first director of the Victorian Arts Council and helped

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film prod ...

create the

Dame Edna Everage Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, th ...

character. Batey Launched the Bald Archy Prize in 1994 scheduled to occur during the Festival of Fun in the town of

Coolac Coolac is a village in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia in Gundagai Council. At the , Coolac had a population of 216. History The place name ''Coolac'' is derived from the local Aboriginal name for a plant which was abundan ...

where he lived at that time. He was awarded the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 1999 for services to community and arts.

Death

Batey died when on 14 June 2019 while driving to his home in

Cootamundra Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. ...

, his car struck a tree in

. He may have had a heart attack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batey, Peter 1933 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Australian actors Australian theatre directors People from Benalla Actors from Victoria (state) Theatre directors from Melbourne