Ian Barry Mune (born 1941) is a New Zealand character actor, director, and screenwriter. His screen acting career spans four decades and more than 50 roles. His work as a film director includes hit comedy ''

Came a Hot Friday ''Came a Hot Friday'' is a 1985 New Zealand comedy film, based on the 1964 novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson. Directed and co-written by Ian Mune, it became one of the most successful local films released in New Zealand in the 1980s. The film's ca ...

'', an adaptation of classic New Zealand play ''

The End of the Golden Weather ''The End of the Golden Weather'' is a play by Bruce Mason about a boy's loss of innocence in Depression-era New Zealand. It was written for solo performance by the author but can be performed by an ensemble and was made into an award-winning ...

'', and '' What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?'', the sequel to '' Once Were Warriors''.

Early life and family

Mune was born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, and educated at Wesley College in the same city. He was married to the writer Josie Mune until her death in 2015.

Acting

Mune acted on stage while training to be a teacher in Wellington. After time acting in the UK, he returned to his native New Zealand and won a Feltex award in 1975 after starring in one-off television drama ''Derek''. Another award followed for playing Leo Moynihan, the secretary of a trade union in television series '' Moynihan''. In 1987 he appeared in the TVNZ documentary mini-series '' Erebus: The Aftermath'' for which he won the award for Best Male in a Dramatic Role. In 1994 Mune won another New Zealand television award after playing Prime Minister Sir Robert Muldoon in television mini-series ''Fallout'', which depicted the end of the Muldoon-led National Government. Mune featured in a documentary about the making of Shakespeare's ''King Lear'' called ''In The Shadow of King Lear'' by New Zealand company Theatre at Large giving insight into his acting process. He has gone on to appear in a range of New Zealand feature films, including ''A Song of Good'', ''Savage Honeymoon'' and ''I'm Not Harry Jenson''. He played

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

in American telemovie '' Ike: Countdown to D-Day'', and

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

in '' Lucy: The Lucille Ball Story''. Mune was a support role in the Australian drama ''

Wanted Wanted may refer to: Law enforcement * Fugitive, a person wanted by the authorities * Wanted poster, a poster put up to inform the public of one or more criminals whom authorities wish to apprehend Film * ''Wanted!'', a 1937 British comedy film ...

'', opposite

Rebecca Gibney Rebecca Catherine Gibney (born 14 December 1964) is a New Zealand actress known for her roles on Australian television in '' The Flying Doctors'', ''Halifax f.p.'', '' Packed to the Rafters'', ''Winter'' and ''Wanted''. She is a Gold Logie win ...

and

Robyn Malcolm Robyn Jane Malcolm (born 15 March 1965) is a New Zealand actress, who first gained recognition for her role as nurse Ellen Crozier on the New Zealand soap opera '' Shortland Street''. She is best known for six seasons of playing Cheryl West, ma ...

that premiered in 2016.

Directing and writing

Mune took multiple creative roles on 1976 anthology series ''Winners and Losers'', which saw him collaborating with director

Roger Donaldson Roger Lindsey Donaldson (born 15 November 1945) is an Australian-born New Zealand film director, producer and writer whose films include the 1981 relationship drama '' Smash Palace'', and a run of titles shot in the United States, including ...

. The two first collaborated on ''Derek''; Mune directed and wrote some episodes of the new series, and acted in others. Having helped script Donaldson's first feature film, dystopian thriller '' Sleeping Dogs'', Mune also appeared on-screen alongside its star,

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...

. Mune's other writing credits include adapting classic

Ian Cross Ian Robert Cross (6 November 1925 – 2 November 2019) was a New Zealand novelist, journalist and administrator, and contributed significantly to New Zealand letters. His first novel, '' The God Boy'', was released in 1957 to critical acclaim. ...

novel ''

The God Boy ''The God Boy'' is a novel written by Ian Cross, first published in 1957 and reprinted in 2003. Cross, who was a journalist, based the story on the real lives of juvenile delinquents he encountered in his work. The book was adapted as an op ...

'' into a well-regarded telemovie, the movie version of children's fable ''The Silent One'', and co-writing ''

Goodbye Pork Pie ''Goodbye Pork Pie'' is a 1981 New Zealand comedy film directed by Geoff Murphy, co-produced by Murphy and Nigel Hutchinson, and written by Geoff Murphy and Ian Mune. The film was New Zealand's first large-scale local hit. One book described ...

'', the first New Zealand feature to win large audiences in its home country. In 1985 he made his feature debut as a director with hit comedy ''

''. Based around the escapades of two smalltown conmen in 50s era New Zealand, the film is based on the novel by

Ronald Hugh Morrieson Ronald Hugh Morrieson (29 January 1922 – 26 December 1972) was a novelist and short story writer in the New Zealand vernacular, who was little known in his home country until after his death. He earned his living as a musician and music teacher ...

. Mune won further acclaim in 1991 for directing 'coming of age' drama ''

'', an adaptation of parts of

Bruce Mason Bruce Edward George Mason (28 September 1921 – 31 December 1982) was a significant playwright in New Zealand who wrote 34 plays and influenced the cultural landscape of the country through his contribution to theatre. In 1980, he was appoi ...

's classic one-man

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

. Mune spent a number of years developing this passion project and seeking finance, working with Mason on the project before Mason died. '' What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?'' won nine of its 13 New Zealand Film Award nominations in 1999. The film is the sequel to hard-edged drama '' Once Were Warriors'', which became New Zealand's most successful feature film soon after release. It remains Mune's biggest commercial success to date. Mune's other directorial projects include a feature-length documentary on comedian (and ''

'' actor)

Billy T James William James Te Wehi Taitoko (17 January 1948 – 7 August 1991) better known by his stage name Billy T. James, was a New Zealand entertainer, comedian, musician and actor. He became a key figure in the development of New Zealand comedy and ...

, teenage drama ''

The Whole of the Moon "The Whole of the Moon" is a song by Scottish band the Waterboys, released as a single from their album ''This Is the Sea'' in October 1985. It is a classic of the band's repertoire and has been consistently played at live shows ever since its re ...

'', and UVF thriller '' The Grasscutter''. For television, he directed episodes of comedy series ''

Letter to Blanchy ''Letter to Blanchy'' is a 1990s New Zealand television comedy series written by A. K. Grant and David McPhail, starring McPhail with Jon Gadsby and Peter Rowley as three smalltown Kiwi blokes, Barry (Gadsby), Derek (McPhail) and Ray (Rowley) ...

'' and anthology series '' The Ray Bradbury Theater''. He was one of a large team of second unit directors on

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

's adaptation of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's bo ...

'' and played a small cameo in the first film. In 2008 Mune directed depression-era telefeature movie ''Life's A Riot''. Mune also had a cameo role as a judge, after the actor cast in the role did not show up. ''Mune: An Autobiography'' was published in 2010.

Honours, awards and nominations

* 2008 –

Qantas Film and Television Awards New Zealand film and television awards have gone by many different names and have been organised by different industry groups. As of 2017, New Zealand has relaunched a standalone New Zealand Television Awards after a five-year hiatus. The film awar ...

- Nominated for Best Supporting Actor - Film: for ''A Song of Good'' * 2000 – Qantas Film and Television Awards - Rudall Hayward Award * 1999 – Nokia New Zealand Film Awards - Best Director: for '' What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?'' * 1998 – TV Guide Television Awards - Best Actor: for ''Home Movie'' * 1996 – TV Guide New Zealand Film and Television Awards - Best Screenplay - Film (shared with Richard Lymposs): for ''

'' * 1996 – TV Guide New Zealand Film and Television Awards -Best Supporting Actor - Television: for ''Cover Story'', episode 3 * 1996 – Giffoni International Film Festival (Children's Film Festival, Italy) - First Prize (Golden Gryphon): ''

'' * 1995 – New Zealand Film and Television Awards - Best Actor - Television: for ''Fallout'' * 1993 – CableAce Awards (United States) - Best Directing for a Dramatic Series: for ''The Ray Bradbury Theatre'', 'Great Wide World Over There' episode * 1993 – Young Artist Awards (United States) - Outstanding Foreign Film: ''

'' * 1992 –

New Zealand Film Awards New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

- Best Film: ''The End of the Golden Weather'' * 1992 – New Zealand Film Awards - Best Director: for ''The End of the Golden Weather'' * 1992 – Giffoni International Film Festival - First Prize (Golden Gryphon): ''The End of the Golden Weather'' * 1991 – Appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, for services to film and theatre, in the

1991 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1991 were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by people of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. They were published on 28 December 1990 for the United Kingdom, N ...

* 1988 – Listener Film and Television Awards - Best Male Performance in a Dramatic Role - Television: for '' Erebus: The Aftermath'' * 1986 – National Mutual GOFTA Awards - Best Film: ''

'' * 1986 – National Mutual GOFTA Awards - Best Director - Film: for ''Came a Hot Friday'' * 1986 – National Mutual GOFTA Awards - Best Screenplay Adaptation - Film (shared with Dean Parker): for ''Came a Hot Friday'' * 1981 – Feltex Television Awards (New Zealand) - Best Script (with John Banas): for ''Little Big Man Takes a Shot at the Moon'' * 1979 – Feltex Television Awards - Best Drama: ''

The Mad Dog Gang Meets Rotten Fred and Ratsguts ''The Mad Dog Gang Meets Rotten Fred and Ratsguts'' is a 1978 New Zealand children's television drama. It was written by Ian Mune and Arthur Baysting and directed by Ross Jennings. It was filmed in Dunedin and the surrounding Otago country distri ...

'' * 1977 – Feltex Television Awards - Best Actor: for ''

Winners and Losers ''Winners & Losers'' is an Australian television drama series first broadcast on the Seven Network on 22 March 2011. It was created by the producers of ''Packed to the Rafters'' and is aired in the show's former time slot. ''Winners & Losers'' ...

'' and '' Moynihan'' * 1977 – Feltex Television Awards - Best Script: ''

'' * 1976 – Feltex Television Awards - Best Script (shared with Peter Hansard): for '' The Woman at the Store'' * 1976 – Feltex Television Awards - Nominated for Best Actor: ''The Woman at the Store'' * 1975 – Feltex Television Awards - Best Drama: ''Derek'' * 1975 – Feltex Television Awards - Best Actor: for ''Derek''

References

External links

*
Ian's Profile
an
screenography
on

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