Simon O'Connor (born 1949 in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

)Playwrights: Simon O'Connor
" ''www.playmarket.org.nz''. Retrieved 15 November 2023. is a New Zealand actor and playwright. O'Connor began his stage career in the late 1960s after reading an article about

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...

. He travelled to the southern city where he studied theatre for three years. He began writing, with a first short piece, ''Lift'', being produced in 1974. Since this time, O'Connor has appeared as an actor on stage, radio, and television, and notably in the role of Herbert Rieper in Sir

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...

's film ''

Heavenly Creatures ''Heavenly Creatures'' is a 1994 New Zealand biographical film directed by Peter Jackson, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his partner, Fran Walsh. It stars Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet in their feature film debuts, with Sarah Peirse, Dian ...

'', for which he was nominated for Best Male Performance in a Supporting Role in the 1995

New Zealand 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 awa ...

. O'Connor's television appearances have included a central role in 2015 black comedy ''

How to Murder Your Wife ''How to Murder Your Wife'' is a 1965 American black comedy film from United Artists, produced by George Axelrod, directed by Richard Quine, that stars Jack Lemmon and Virna Lisi. Quine also directed Lemmon in ''My Sister Eileen'', ''It Happened ...

'', as well as roles in ''

Shark in the Park ''Shark in the Park'' is a New Zealand police procedural. It revolved around the professional and private lives of a group of officers at a Wellington police station under the command of Inspector Brian "Sharky" Finn. The title came from the in ...

'', '' Close to Home'', and '' Country GP''.Profile: Simon O'Connor
" ''www.nzonscreen.com''. Retrieved 15 November 2023. He was also a writer on both of the latter series. In 1992, O'Connor became a teaching fellow at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

's Theatre Studies Department, specialising in playwriting. Fellow staff at the department included Lisa Warrington, Richard Huber, David O'Donnell, and Hilary Halba. He was a co-founder of Dunedin's Talking House community arts trust. O'Connor was the winner of the 1984

Bruce Mason Playwriting Award The Bruce Mason Playwriting Award is an annual award that recognises the work of an outstanding emerging New Zealand playwright. The winner is decided by the votes of a panel of leading New Zealand artistic directors and script advisors. The ...

References

External links

* 1949 births Male actors from Wellington City New Zealand male dramatists and playwrights New Zealand male actors Living people Male actors from Dunedin Writers from Dunedin Academic staff of the University of Otago {{NewZealand-writer-stub