Simon Gallaher (born 24 October 1958) is an Australian singer, actor, director and pianist.

Biography

Gallaher was born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

and educated at the

Anglican Church Grammar School The Anglican Church Grammar School (ACGS), formerly the Church of England Grammar School and commonly referred to as Churchie, is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in East Brisbane, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Q ...

. and studied at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Whilst studying, he joined the Queensland Light Opera Company. In 1977 he appeared on ''

The Mike Walsh Show ''The Mike Walsh Show'' was an Australian variety daytime television series. Hosted by Mike Walsh, the show ran from 1973 to 1984 for 90 minutes each weekday afternoon. History The program was launched on the 0-10 Network and moved to the Nine ...

'', he had his own television program, '' The Simon Gallaher Show'' on ABC-TV (1982–83), in which he sang and played the piano. In 1979, Simon appeared again on The Mike Walsh Show, singing "Australia Be Proud" with the Marist Singer's of NSW, with Artistic Director, the late Paul Bateman OAM. With his own musical theatre company

Essgee Entertainment Essgee Entertainment is a professional performing and publishing company formed in 1981 in Australia. Its founder and chief executive officer is entertainer Simon Gallaher. History Essgee began by financing and producing recording artists and reco ...

, Gallaher produced and acted in stage productions of ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'', ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, whic ...

'', ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'', ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...

'' and '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'', among others. For most of the 1980s his song "Australia Be Proud" was heard at the conclusion of each broadcast day on television station CTC Canberra, accompanied by a montage of video clips from across Australia. He and Jackie Love had a hit record "My Friend" written by Neil Sedaka. In 2014 Gallaher returned to the stage to be reunited with

Jon English Jonathan James English (26 March 1949 – 9 March 2016) was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He emigrated from England to Australia with his parents in 1961. He was an early vocalist and rhythm guitarist for ...

for the first time in many years as they performed in ''

Spamalot ''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot'') is a musical comedy with music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, and lyrics and book by Idle. It is adapted from the 1975 film ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail''. Like the motion pictu ...

'' for

Harvest Rain Theatre Company Harvest Rain Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia, known for presenting professional musical theatre. Since its inception in 1985, Harvest Rain has produced theatre productions at a range of venues throughout Brisb ...

at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). In 2015 he took over the role of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the Australian production of ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'' and opened with it at the commencement of the Brisbane season. Gallaher recently directed a new production of his version of ''

'', which played at the QPAC to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Arts Centre and of the show's original opening. He retired as deputy chair on the board of trustees of QPAC in 2018 and has been reappointed to the board of the

Queensland Theatre Company Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Browne Theatre and the Queensland Performi ...

(QTC). In 2018 he was appointed to the board of the

Queensland Symphony Orchestra Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra in the state of Queensland. The orchestra is based in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's building in South Bank. The Orchestra is funded by private corporations, t ...

. He was formerly the chair of

(2012–15). He is patron to many arts organisations, including The Queensland Show Choir, Queensland Youth Symphony Orchestra, Spotlight Theatre Company, Gold Coast Theatre Alliance and the Canberra Area Theatre Awards. He is a member of Live Performance Australia (LPA) and sits on the Helpmann Awards nominating panel for Musical Theatre.

Personal life

Simon Gallaher married Lisa McKenney in 1990 and they have three children. She is the sister of

Todd McKenney Todd McKenney (born 31 May 1965) is an Australian dancer, theatre performer and TV personality. He is best known as a judge on Australian television talent show ''Dancing with the Stars''. As a theatre performer, he has appeared in numerous pro ...

, with whom Gallaher had also had a relationship prior to marrying his sister. They lived in

Tamborine Mountain Tamborine Mountain is a plateau and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Tamborine Mountain had a population of 7,506 people. Geography The plateau is a , . The name is from the of Yugumbir language of the Wanger ...

and had a property at Palm Beach on the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

. They separated in April 2019.

Discography

Studio and live albums

Soundtrack and cast albums

Compilations albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

Logie Awards

The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards) is an annual gathering to celebrate

Australian television Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the ''Radiovision'' system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Bris ...

, sponsored and organised by magazine ''

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

'', with the first ceremony in 1959, known then as the TV Week Awards, the awards are presented in 20 categories representing both public and industry voted awards. , - ,

Logie Awards of 1981 The 23rd Annual TV Week Logie Awards was held on Friday 10 April 1981 at the Centrepoint Convention Centre in Sydney, and broadcast on Network Ten. The ceremony was hosted by Michael Parkinson. Guests included Patrick Duffy, Gil Gerard, Lesley-A ...

, Simon Gallagher - in ''

'' ( Nine Network) ,

Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent The Silver Logie for Most Popular New Talent is an award presented at the Australian TV Week Logie Awards. The award recognises the popularity of a new talent in an Australian program. It may or may not be their first television appearance, howev ...

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Pantano won 11 awards in that time. (wins only) , - , 1980 , himself , Encouragement Award , , - , 1981 , himself , Vocal/ Instrumental Act , , - , 1982 , himself , Vocal/ Instrumental Act , *

Queenslander of the Year Queensland Day is officially celebrated on 6 June as the birthday of the Australian state of Queensland. History Moves towards statehood began with a public meeting in 1851 to consider separation of Queensland from the Colony of New South Wa ...

Commendation * Advance Australia Award for his contributions to the arts * Nominated for 2016 Helpmann award for ''

'' (Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical)

Selected theatrical bibliography

* 1984–86 ''

'' (performing - Frederic) * 1985 '' Hello Dolly'' (performer) * 1987 ''

The Student Prince ''The Student Prince'' is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play '' Old Heidelberg''. The piece has a score with some of Romberg's most enduri ...

'' (performer - Karl Franz) * 1988 ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

'' (performer - Freddy Eynsford-Hill) * 1994 ''

'' (creator of stage production, performing - Frederic) (the video of the stage production was accredited triple-platinum and the cast recording received an ARIA Award) * 1996 ''

'' (creator of stage production) (also released on video) * 1997 ''

HMS Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which ...

'' (creator of stage production) (also released on video) * 1998 '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' (Producer) * 1999 ''

Master Class A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are being developed. "Masterclass" is als ...

'' (Producer) * 1998/99 '' Merry Widow'' (creator of stage production and performer - Camille) * 2001 ''The

Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'' (created revival production) * 2004 ''

Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...

'' (producer in Association with Melbourne International Arts Festival) * 2008/09 ''The'' ''Mikado'' (producer) * 2012 ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

'' (performer) * 2014 ''

'' (performer) * 2015 ''

'' (performer - Wizard) Brisbane and Perth * 2015 ''

'' (director)

References

External links

* * * *
Simon Gallaher biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallaher, Simon 1958 births Living people Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Australian pianists Logie Award winners People educated at Anglican Church Grammar School Male pianists 21st-century pianists 20th-century Australian male singers 21st-century Australian male singers