Andrew Denton
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Andrew Christopher Denton (born 4 May 1960) is an Australian television producer, comedian,
Gold Logie The Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, commonly referred to simply as the Gold Logie, is an award presented annually at the Australian Logie Awards. The Gold Logie was first awarded at the 2nd Annual TV We ...
-nominated television presenter and former radio host, and was the host of the ABC's weekly television interview program ''
Enough Rope ''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...
'' and the ABC game show '' Randling''. He is known for his comedy and interviewing technique. He is also responsible for introducing the troupe of ''
The Chaser The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedy group, best known for their television programmes and satirical news masthead. The group take their name from their satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste. Th ...
'' to Australian audiences.


Early life

Denton is the son of Kit Denton, writer and the author of the novel ''The Breaker'', about Australian soldier
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 ...
. He went to Roseville Primary School in Sydney, before attending
Blue Mountains Grammar School , motto_translation = Through Effort To Higher Achievement , established = , type = Independent comprehensive co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day school , denomination = Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican ...
in
Wentworth Falls Wentworth Falls (postcode: 2782) is a town in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, situated approximately west of the Sydney central business district, and about east of Katoomba, Australia on the Great Western Highway, with a Went ...
. In 1977 he attended
Guildford Grammar School Guildford Grammar School, informally known as Guildford Grammar, Guildford or GGS, is an independent Anglican coeducational primary and secondary day and boarding school, located in Guildford, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Initial ...
in
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
. He then studied at Mitchell College of Advanced Education (MCAE) (now
Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain Charles Napier Sturt, a British explore ...
) in Bathurst, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 1982. He was involved in the campus radio station,
2MCE MCE may refer to: Science and technology * Maximum considered earthquake or maximum considered event, maximum credible earthquake * Magnetocaloric effect * Mass call event, when an event causes an extremely high number of phone calls in an area * ...
.


Career


Radio

Denton worked on Australian radio stations early in his media career, beginning as a writer for radio presenter
Doug Mulray Douglas John Mulray (born 1 December 1951) is an Australian comedian, radio and television presenter. He grew up in the Sydney Northern Beaches suburb of Dee Why. Radio career Mulray began his career at 2AD in Armidale, after doing a broadcasti ...
on
Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 40 radio stations broadcasting a mainstream rock music format and 5 digital radio stations. The network dates back to ...
. He had an early involvement in the Sydney
Theatresports Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges. Developed by di ...
movement. Denton worked as a morning radio host for the Triple M in Sydney. His time on Triple M included the ''
House From Hell ''House From Hell'' was an Australian reality television series that screened on Network 10 in 1998. ''House from Hell'' originated as a radio competition, which was part of the Triple M Sydney breakfast show hosted by Andrew Denton and Amanda ...
'' reality TV program, in which various contestants were placed in a house together and involved in various stunts, tricks and tortures. Denton has said in radio interviews that he regrets being involved in the program due to the unacceptable level of human manipulation.


Television

Denton made his first television appearance as an extra on the ABC television series '' The Investigators'', and progressed to being a member of the team that was runner-up on the Australian improvised comedy show ''Theatresports'' in 1987. From the late 1980s into the 1990s, he hosted a number of TV shows, including '' Blah Blah Blah'' (1988), ''
The Money or the Gun ''The Money or the Gun'' was an Australian comedy/talk-show on the ABC network. It ran from late 1989 to mid-1990, with occasional specials until 1994. It was written by Andrew Denton, Simon Dodd, Bruce Griffiths, and George Dodd, directed b ...
'' (1989–1990), ''
Live and Sweaty ''Live and Sweaty'' was an Australian sports television program, broadcast on the ABC from 1991 until 1994. Hosted by Andrew Denton (and later Elle McFeast), the show was part panel-based, part talk show and part comedy, and predated '' The Foo ...
'' (1991–1995), and a comedy talk show, '' Denton'' (1994–1995), that aired on
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...
. These shows were talk-based. ''Live and Sweaty'' focused on sports and was a panel-based television show. Each week on ''The Money or the Gun'', Andrew had a musical guest play a cover version of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
's " Stairway to Heaven" in a different musical style, usually the genre of the guest's own musical style. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, musicians from Led Zeppelin, later appeared on ''Denton'' to perform a
Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality. He often used unusual instruments in his performan ...
song. (Harris performed a notable version of "Stairway to Heaven", with
wobble board The wobble board is a musical instrument invented and popularized by the Australian musician and artist Rolf Harris, and is featured in his best-known song " Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport". A wobble board, like some other musical instruments, can be ...
solo.) Denton saw the beginning of the Musical Challenge segment, and challenged musical guests to perform a song from a barrel full of well-known songs. This segment evolved during his time on Triple M, resulting in three albums with tracks including
Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...
singing " Cheap Wine",
The Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, ...
singing "Long way to the Top",
Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...
performing "Sexual Healing",
James Reyne James Michael Nugent Reyne OAM (born 19 May 1957) is an Australian rock musician and singer-songwriter both in solo work and, until 1986, with the band Australian Crawl. Biography Early years Reyne was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father, Rod ...
performing
Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...
's "Wuthering Heights", Barenaked Ladies performing
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
's "When Doves Cry" and Paul Kelly performing Prince's "
Little Red Corvette "Little Red Corvette" is a song by American recording artist Prince. The song combines a Linn LM-1 beat and slow synth buildup with a rock chorus, over which Prince, using several automobile metaphors, recalls a one-night stand with a beautiful ...
". Two volumes were released on CD titled '' Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge''. In the early 1990s Denton was the first guest programmer on ''Rage''. Denton appeared as a contestant on the Nine Network's ''
Sale of the Century ''Sale of the Century'' (stylized as ''$ale of the Century'') is an American television game show that originally debuted on September 29, 1969, on NBC daytime. It was one of three NBC game shows to premiere on that date, the other two being th ...
''. While presenting his talk show ''Denton'', he launched a public subscription scheme to hire a
bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...
to capture fugitive businessman Christopher Skase, who was attempting to avoid
extradition Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdi ...
to Australia at the time. He had a cameo appearance in the Australian film '' Let's Get Skase''. In 2003, Denton began hosting ''
Enough Rope ''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...
with Andrew Denton''. He was executive producer and script editor for ABC's ''
The Election Chaser ''The Chaser election specials'' are a number of Australian political satire based comedy programs produced by The Chaser. The shows, which have run under various titles, provide commentary on Australian federal election and has been produced s ...
'' and ''
CNNNN ''CNNNN'' (''Chaser NoN-stop News Network'') is a Logie Award winning Australian television program, satirising American news channels CNN and Fox News. It was produced and hosted by comedy team The Chaser. ''CNNNNs slogan was "We Report, Yo ...
''. In an audience development survey in 2004, respondents named Denton as one of the "most liked and recognisable" personalities on Australian television. ''Enough Rope'' ended in late 2008. Asked about the best skill an interviewer can bring to the job, Denton said: "Research, clearly. Listening, obviously. And leaving myself open to the possibility it won't go the way I expect." In 2009, Denton hosted the second season of '' Elders'', a series of interviews with ageing notable Australians. After this series finished, Denton took a few years off being in front of the camera and spent more time behind the scenes. In 2012, he returned to hosting duties, to ABC's game show, '' Randling''. In 2014, Denton appeared on the SBS TV program '' Who Do You Think You Are?'', tracing his Jewish family line to Poland. He visited the
Treblinka extermination camp Treblinka () was an extermination camp, built and operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the village of Treblinka in what is now the Masovian Voivodeship. The camp ...
and contemplated what his fate might have been had his grandfather not moved to England. In 2018, Denton hosted ''
Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...
'', produced by Legacy Media for the Seven Network.


Film

Denton's first feature-length documentary, '' God on My Side'', documents his visit to the
National Religious Broadcasters National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) is an international association of evangelical communicators. While theologically diverse within the evangelical community, NRB members are linked through a Declaration of Unity that proclaims their joint comm ...
Convention. It was first shown at the
Sydney Film Festival The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize. the festival's director is Nashen Moodley. Histo ...
in June 2006 with plans to show it as a TV special on ABC's ''
Enough Rope ''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...
''. It was screened in Australian cinemas from 2 November 2006. Denton insists he is not anti-Christian. In 2011, Denton served as executive producer on the crowd-funded horror film '' The Tunnel''. The film was directed by Carlo Ledesma, co-written, co-produced and co-edited by Julian Harvey and Enzo Tedeschi, and produced with Denton's production company Zapruder's Other Films.


Stage

Denton appeared as
Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...
in the
Belvoir St Theatre Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Since 2016 and its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre contains a 330-seat Upstairs Theatre and a 80-seat ...
production of ''A Royal Commission into the Australian Economy'', written by John Clarke and Ross Stevenson, and participated in the early years of the ABC's ''World Series Debating''.


Production

Zapruder's Other Films is a production company founded in 1989 by Denton, Anita Jacoby, and Peter Thompson. The company was named for
Abraham Zapruder Abraham Zapruder (May 15, 1905 – August 30, 1970) was a Ukrainian-born American clothing manufacturer who witnessed the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. He unexpectedly captured ...
, the man who filmed the assassination of President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
. Works produced by the company include: * ''
CNNNN ''CNNNN'' (''Chaser NoN-stop News Network'') is a Logie Award winning Australian television program, satirising American news channels CNN and Fox News. It was produced and hosted by comedy team The Chaser. ''CNNNNs slogan was "We Report, Yo ...
'' (2002–2003) * '' David Tench Tonight'' (2006) * ''
Enough Rope ''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...
'' (2003–2008) * ''
The Gruen Transfer ''Gruen'' (previously known as ''The Gruen Transfer'') is an Australian television program focusing on advertising, which debuted on the ABC on 28 May 2008. The program is hosted by Wil Anderson and produced by Andrew Denton's production co ...
'' (2008–present) * '' Elders'' (2008–2009) * '' 30 Seconds'' (2009) * ''
Hungry Beast ''Hungry Beast'' (originally ''Projext NEXT'') was an Australian television comedy and current affairs program that was broadcast on ABC Television. Format The show was a half-hour program and is structured as a hybrid between a current affairs ...
'' (2009–2011) * '' Gruen Nation'' (2010) * '' The Tunnel'' (2011) * '' AFP'' (2011) * '' The Joy of Sets'' (2011) * '' Randling'' (2012) In early 2012, Zapruder merged with Cordell Jigsaw to form CJZ and, in June 2013, Denton sold his share of the company at the same time he announced that he was quitting television.


Literature

Denton accompanied
Tony Horwitz Anthony Lander Horwitz (June 9, 1958 – May 27, 2019) was an American journalist and author who won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. His books include ''One for the Road: a Hitchhiker's Outback'', ''Baghdad Without a Map'', '' ...
on portions of his research for the book ''Spying on the South'', and is a character in the narrative.


Personal life

Denton lives in Sydney. He and his wife, TV presenter
Jennifer Byrne Jennifer Victoria Byrne (born 5 March 1955) is an Australian journalist, television presenter and former book publisher. She hosted the monthly ABC television program '' The Book Club'', originally titled ''First Tuesday Book Club''. Early li ...
, have a son. Byrne and Denton separated for six months in 1997. He is a supporter of the
South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league club based in Redfern, a suburb of inner-southern Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and are one of nine existing tea ...
. Denton is also an atheist. In 2017 Denton was diagnosed with advanced heart disease, and underwent a successful triple bypass surgery.


Discography


Compilation albums


Singles


Awards and nominations


ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...
(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the
music of Australia 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. ! , - ,
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...
, , "I Don't Care As Long As We Beat New Zealand", , ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release , , , , , -


Logie Awards

Denton has been involved with the Logie Awards since the 1990s. He was the host of the awards ceremony in 1999 and 2000. Denton was nominated for several Logie awards: * The
Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television The Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, commonly referred to simply as the Gold Logie, is an award presented annually at the Australian Logie Awards. The Gold Logie was first awarded at the 2nd Annual TV We ...
in 2008 and 2009, for his role in ''
Enough Rope ''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...
'' * The "Most Popular Light Entertainment Personality" award in 1994 and 1995, for his roles in ''Live and Sweaty'' and ''Denton'' * The "Most Popular Comedy Personality" award in 1996, for his role in ''Denton'' * The "Most Popular Presenter" award in 2005, 2008 and 2009, for his role in ''
Enough Rope ''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...
''


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Denton, Andrew Australian male comedians Australian atheists Walkley Award winners People educated at Guildford Grammar School Living people People from Sydney People from the Blue Mountains (New South Wales) Charles Sturt University alumni Australian television talk show hosts Australian people of Polish-Jewish descent 1960 births