Sean Scully (actor)
Sean Scully | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 September 1947 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Years active | 1960–2017 |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Mother | Margaret Christensen |
Sean Scully (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian actor and singer, active in film, television and theatre.[2]
Early life
[edit]Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Scully is the son of actress and radio host Margaret Christensen[3] and Vern Scully, a violinist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.[4]
Career
[edit]Scully began his acting career in the Cinerama South Seas Adventure, after which he relocated from Australia to London in 1959, at age 11, with his mother. Once in the UK, he initially attended Claremont Fan Court School, a Christian Scientist school in Surrey, followed by a school in Buckingham Gate. He then moved on to attend Arts Educational Schools, in London.[5] Scully was signed to an agent[4] and within the month he landed the lead role in children's series Mill of Secrets in 1960.[6]
He starred in 1960 Children's Film Foundation film Hunted in Holland,[5] which won the Diploma of Honour at the Cannes Film Festival.[citation needed] A TV play called The Boy with the Telephone (1960) was written specially for him.[7] Following that, he was signed by Walt Disney Management and starred in a number of Technicolor family feature films for the studio, including The Prince and the Pauper[3] (1962), in which he played both title characters, alongside Guy Williams, as Miles Hendon. Scully starred as Peter in the 1962 Disney movie Almost Angels,[4] (retitled Born to Sing in the UK), and appeared as young John Banks, opposite Patrick McGoohan in Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow (1963).[8]
Scully was cast opposite Spike Milligan and John Woodvine as Jim Hawkins in a production of Treasure Island at the Mermaid Theatre in London.[9] On Broadway, he starred as King Nicholas III in The Girl Who Came to Supper, Noel Coward’s musical version of Terence Rattigan's 1953 play, The Sleeping Prince[4][7] from 1963 to 1964.[10] winning him a Charlotte Cushman Award.[11]
On his return to the UK in 1964, Scully found it increasingly difficult to land acting work, so he worked in a timber yard,[7] before returning to Australia in 1965, at the age of 18.[3] He appeared in television plays including A Phoenix Too Frequent (1966), Serjeant Musgrave's Dance (1967) and as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (1967),[6] all while playing Ron Wilson in TV soap opera Bellbird for two years.[6] His character was temporarily written out due to his stage commitments, including a production of Forty Carats,[3] in which he played the juvenile lead. He appeared in numerous plays throughout his career, including many for the Melbourne Theatre Company.[2] He toured nationally in Butterflies are Free in 1971, together with Wendy Hughes.[5]
Scully's more substantial television roles include starring as Eddie Corrigan in the 1976 miniseries Power Without Glory, based on the historical novel by Frank Hardy. In 1978, he played the recurring role of Sam Kendall in wartime drama The Sullivans. In 1982, he appeared as wealthy French aristocrat Louis de Bourget in the romantic period drama miniseries Sara Dane.[12] From 1984 to 1985, he played Jim O'Brien in the soap opera Sons and Daughters.[6] and the following year he played Dan Moulton in Prisoner.[5] He starred as Ian Cochrane in crime drama series Phoenix[13] from 1992 to 1993. Throughout 1995, he played the regular role of Neville Loman in short-lived soap opera Echo Point, alongside Rose Byrne and Martin Henderson.[14]
He has had recurring guest roles in Matlock Police, Division 4, E Street, Medivac, Neighbours, Blue Heelers and Stingers. Other television credits include Homicide, Cop Shop, The Restless Years,[15] The Flying Doctors, A Country Practice, Police Rescue, G.P., State Coroner and The Doctor Blake Mysteries.
Scully's film credits include A City's Child (1971),[5] Australian New Wave film Sunday Too Far Away (1975) with Jack Thompson,[16] Eliza Fraser (1976),[17] Heaven Tonight (1989) alongside Guy Pearce,[18] Turtle Beach (1992) opposite Greta Scacchi and Shotgun Wedding (1993) with Aden Young.[19] In 1988, he starred in the cult film Phobia, earning him an Australian Film Institute Awards nomination for Best Actor that year.[5]
Scully has also featured in radio, playing Steven Rossiter in long running radio show Blue Hills from 1974.[3]
Personal life
[edit]Scully met actress Wendy Hughes when they were touring the stage show Butterflies are Free around Australia. They lived together for two years before getting married in 1971, but were divorced by 1973. Scully cited their young age as the reason.[5] After their divorce, the pair remained friends until Hughes' death from cancer in 2014.
Scully also dated English actress Jane Asher, after having previously appeared with her in The Prince and the Pauper.[5]
Scully was best man at Be Our Guest co-star Jacki Weaver's wedding to series director David Price in Sydney in 1966.[20]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Hunted in Holland | Tim | TV play |
| 1962 | The Prince and the Pauper | Prince Edward / Tom Canty | Feature film[3] |
| Almost Angels (aka Born to Sing) | Peter Schaefer | Feature film | |
| 1963 | The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh | John Banks / Curlew | Feature film |
| 1972 | A City's Child | The Man | Feature film |
| 1975 | Sunday Too Far Away | Beresford | Feature film |
| 1976 | Eliza Fraser | Elliott | Feature film |
| High Rolling | Policeman | Feature film | |
| 1986 | Cactus | Doctor | Feature film |
| Departure | Bowen | Feature film | |
| 1988 | Phobia | David Simmonds | Feature film |
| Kadaicha (aka Stones of Death) | Mr Fitzgerald | Feature film | |
| 1989 | Daisy and Simon (aka Where the Outback Ends) | Simon | Feature film |
| 1990 | Heaven Tonight | Tim Robbins | Feature film |
| 1992 | Turtle Beach (aka The Killing Beach) | Businessman #1 | Feature film |
| 1993 | Shotgun Wedding | Detective Craig Haker | Feature film |
| 1995 | Frailejón | Father's voice | Short film |
| 2007 | Missive | Walter Boyle | Short film |
| Two Door Mansion | Robert Brouwer | Feature film |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Mill of Secrets | Claude 'Snow' Nolan | 6 episodes |
| Theatre 70 | Peter Jerrard | Episode: "Boy on the Telephone" | |
| 1964 | The Sullavan Brothers | Alan Brown | 1 episode |
| 1965 | ITV Play of the Week | Barnes | Episode: "Goodbye Johnny" |
| 1966 | A Phoenix Too Frequent | Tegeus | TV movie (as part of Wednesday Theatre) |
| Be Our Guest | Cousin Sean | ||
| 1967 | Love and War | Romeo | 2 episodes: "Serjeant Musgrave's Dance", "Romeo and Juliet" |
| 1967–1976 | Homicide | James Reynolds / Graham Turner / Rod Pearson / Gordon Harvey / John Barrett | 5 episodes |
| 1968–1971 | Bellbird | Ron Wilson | 353 episodes |
| 1969 | Riptide | Chuck | 1 episode |
| 1970–1975 | Division 4 | Charles Simpson / Patrick 'Snatch' O'Donnell / Michael Cowan | 3 episodes |
| 1972–1975 | Matlock Police | Richard Creely / Eddie Harris / Barry Reid | 3 episodes |
| 1973 | Solomon | Rev. Mark Solomon | TV movie |
| 1974 | Three Men of the City | Keith Langdon | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Silent Number | Paul | 1 episode | |
| 1975 | They Don’t Clap Losers | Sandy | TV movie |
| 1976 | Tandarra | Smolly | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| Power Without Glory | Eddie Corrigan | Miniseries, 10 episodes | |
| 1977 | Trial of Ned Kelly | TV movie | |
| 1978 | Against the Wind | John Macarthur | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| The Sullivans | Sam Kendall | 20 episodes | |
| 1978–1983 | Cop Shop | Steve Mercer / Alan Wilson / Wayne Preston / Rip Valenti | 7 episodes |
| 1979 | Chopper Squad | Ed | 1 episode |
| 1980 | Water Under the Bridge | Pete Atkins | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1981 | Bellamy | Derelict | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1982 | Deadline | Army Officer | TV movie |
| Sara Dane | Louis de Bourget | Miniseries, 8 episodes | |
| 1982; 1987 | A Country Practice | Cliff Hayden / Ken Harper | 4 episodes |
| 1983 | The Dismissal | Doug Anthony | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1984 | Special Squad | Leo Teller / Kevin O'Neil | 2 episodes |
| 1984–1985 | Sons and Daughters | Jim O'Brien | 60 episodes |
| 1986 | Prisoner | Dan Moulton | 27 episodes |
| The Flying Doctors | Barry Irving | 1 episode | |
| Shark’s Paradise | Detective Charlie Kelly | TV movie | |
| 1987 | Black Beauty | Animated TV movie | |
| 1988 | The Dirtwater Dynasty | Depression Doctor | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| Joe Wilson | Henry Lawson | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| Takeover | Enzo | TV movie | |
| 1989 | E Street | Mike Kominski | 8 episodes |
| 1991 | Police Rescue | Michael | 1 episode |
| 1992 | G.P. | Dr. A | 1 episode |
| 1992–1993 | Phoenix | Ian 'Goose' Cochrane | 26 episodes |
| 1994 | Time Trax | Albert Logan | 1 episode |
| A Country Practice | Keith Jacobs | 1 episode | |
| 1995 | Fire | Dr. David Crown | 2 episodes |
| Kansas | Alan Radford | TV movie | |
| Echo Point | Neville Loman | 130 episodes | |
| 1996 | Pacific Drive | Vince Marshall | |
| 1997–1998 | Medivac | Monsignor Jack Duval | 3 episodes |
| 1998 | State Coroner | Father Frank Driscoll | 1 episode |
| 1998–2000 | Blue Heelers | Doug Healy | 4 episodes |
| 2000 | Neighbours | Bernie Samuels | 6 episodes |
| 2001 | Horace and Tina | Mr Reid | 2 episodes |
| Something in the Air | Paddy | 2 episodes | |
| Stingers | Assistant Commissioner Jim Courtney | 3 episodes | |
| 2003 | Evil Never Dies | Suit #2 | TV movie |
| 2010 | C.A. | Maffieux #3 | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | The Doctor Blake Mysteries | Lloyd Wellman | 1 episode |
Theatre
[edit]Awards
[edit]| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Girl Who Came to Supper | Charlotte Cushman Award | Won[11] | ||
| 1988 | Phobia | Australian Film Institute Award | Best Actor | Nominated[5] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Wendy Hughes: Mainstay of a resurgent Australian film industry". 12 March 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2017 – via The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ a b c "Sean Scully theatre credits". AusStage.
- ^ a b c d e f "Sean Scully is star material". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia, New South Wales, Sydney. 7 October 1974. p. 19. Retrieved 1 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Butterflies are Free". Theatregold.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Actor Sean Scully on his Disney movies, Cult film Phobia (1988) and Noel Coward". Cult Film Alley. 6 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Sean Scully: From Disney to Australian TV Plays". FilmInk. 2021.
- ^ a b c d "For coffee Melbourne is better". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia, New South Wales, Sydney. 23 August 1970. p. 125. Retrieved 1 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (26 November 2024). "The Brief Movie Stardom of Colin (Smiley) Petersen". FilmInk. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
- ^ a b "John Woodvine and Sean Scully". Getty Images. 1 June 2015.
- ^ "Sean Scully". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- ^ a b c "Absence of a Cello". Theatregold.
- ^ "Sara Dane". www.nostalgiacentral.com.
- ^ "Phoenix – Top Quality Crims (1991)". www.aso.gov.au.
- ^ "Echo Point: characters". Australian Television Information Archive.
- ^ "News in brief". The Australian Women's Weekly. 11 June 1980.
- ^ "Sunday Too Far Away: 'Don't Cut 'Em to Pieces' - Digital Restoration". Screen Australia.
- ^ "Eliza Fraser". Filmnews. 1 December 1976.
- ^ "Heaven Tonight". Screen Australia.
- ^ "Shotgun Wedding". Screen Australia.
- ^ "It Was Love at First Sight". The Australian Women’s Weekly. 9 November 1966.
- ^ "Candida". Theatricalia.
- ^ "The Lion in Winter". Tharunka. 11 April 1967.
- ^ "Theatre Times: Welcome back King O'Malley". The Australian Jewish Times. 18 September 1980.
- ^ "The Odd Couple". Theatregold.
- ^ "The Process – a new play about asylum-seeker processing". www.rationalist.com.au. 23 August 2015.
- ^ "The Odyssey". Australian Arts Review. 26 November 2018.
External links
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