Gordon Chater
Gordon Maitland Chater AM (6 April 1922 – 12 December 1999) was an English Australian comedian and actor, and recipient of the Gold Logie, he appeared in revue, theatre, radio, television and film, with a career spanning almost 50 years.
Gordon Chater | |
|---|---|
 Gordon Chater appearing in The Mavis Bramston Show | |
| Born | Gordon Maitland Chater 6 April 1922 |
| Died | 12 December 1999 (aged 77) |
| Education | University of Cambridge |
| Occupations | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1944−1993 |
| Known for | The Mavis Bramston Show, My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? |
Gordon Maitland Chater AM (6 April 1922 – 12 December 1999) was an English Australian comedian and actor, and recipient of the Gold Logie, he appeared in revue, theatre, radio, television and film, with a career spanning almost 50 years.[1]
Biography
[edit]Early life and career
[edit]Chater was born in North Kensington, London, Middlesex to Maitland Charter, a chartered accountant and Evelyn Eleanor Riach[2], and attended Cottesmore School as a child, his mother was born in Shanghai.[3] He attended Cambridge University to study medicine but did not finish his degree,[4] instead taking part in many student revues.
Chater, having arrived in Australia after World War II, came to prominence as a stage and radio actor, and was a cast member of the 1963 Sydney season of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, the debut production by the Old Tote Theatre Company, the precursor to the Sydney Theatre Company. He appeared in a radio program opposite Gwen Plumb.[1]
Screen and television roles
[edit]Chater appeared in TV movies and series, he became a national star when he was cast with Carol Raye and Barry Creyton in the Australian satirical television series The Mavis Bramston Show,[5] for which he won the 1966 Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. He cemented his popularity with the title role in the popular sitcom My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?,[5] playing the elderly live-in father of a young married couple, played by John Meillon and Judi Farr. He appeared in many other television comedy series. His fellow actors included Ray Barrett, Stewart Ginn and Charles "Bud" Tingwell, among others.
Chater was critical of early Australian television direction which he characterised as too often "'feet, knees and in the distance pictures'. People watching TV are interested in people and close ups in Australia were hard to come by in the early days of Australian television."[6]
Theatre roles
[edit]Amongst work in many other shows, Chater appeared in The Rocky Horror Show in Brisbane in 1988,[7] the Sydney Theatre Company production of The Importance of Being Earnest as both "Lane" and "Merriman" in 1990,[7] and Lady Bracknell's Confinement at the Playhouse, in Melbourne in 1993.[7]
Gordon Chater later worked in the United States, including appearing on Broadway.
In the 1970s Chater was particularly associated with the play The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin by Steve J. Spears, the stage role for which he became best known. The play broke new ground in Australian theatre with its shocking opening scene (in which Chater walked onstage naked) and its discussion of paedophilia.[5]
Death
[edit]Chater died on 12 December 1999, aged 77 from heart disease in Southport, Queensland.[2]
Honours and awards
[edit]- Winner of the Macquarie Radio Award in 1952 for Comedy Performance on Radio
- Winner of the Gold Logie in 1966 for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television (The Mavis Bramston Show)
- Member of the Order of Australia (AM), 1999[8]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Production | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Smiley Gets a Gun | Rev. Galbraith | TV movie |
| 1963 | My Three Angels | Convict | TV movie |
| 1976 | Me and Mr Thorne | Reginald Thorne | TV movie |
| 1992 | The Important in Being Ernest | Lane, Merriman | TV movie |
| 1993 | This Won't Hurt a Bit | Dental Professor | Feature film |
Television
[edit]| Year | Production | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | The Adventures of Long John Silver | Alfredo | TV series |
| 1958/59 | ITV Television Playhouse | Reverend Michael Brute / Victor Prine | TV series, 2 episodes: Various Heavens, Private Lives |
| 1959 | Armchair Theatre | TV series, Episode: To Ride A Tiger | |
| 1958/61 | ITV Play of the Week | Henry Straker / Mr Bullivant | TV series, 2 episodes: Man and Superman, Break from Cover |
| 1961 | The Story of Peter Grey | TV series | |
| 1964 | The Mavis Bramston Show | Various Characters | TV series |
| 1966-68 | My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? | Dominic McGooley | TV series, 88 episodes |
| 1968 | Rita and Wally | McGooley | TV series |
| 1968 | The Gordon Chater Show | Host | TV series |
| 1971 | The Godfathers | Jamieson | TV series |
| 1972 | Snake Gully with Dad and Dave | Dad Rudd | TV series |
| 1974 | Behind the Legend | Thomas Mitchell | TV series, Episode: Thomas Mitchell |
| Mac and Merle | John "Mac" McInern | TV series | |
| 1975 | The Dave Allen Show in Australia | Various | TV series |
| 1975 | Celebrity Squares | Himself | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1976 | This Is Yoir Life | Himself | TV series |
| 1976 | Matlock Police | Doc. Horton | TV series |
| 1980 | Broadway on Showtime | Dr. Cedric Seward | TV series |
| 1981 | Parkinson in Australia | Guest | TV series |
Theatre
[edit]| Year | Production | Role | Venue / Theatre Co. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | The Cherry Orchard | Old Tote Theatre | |
| 1970s | The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin | ||
| 1988 | The Rocky Horror Show | Brisbane | |
| 1990 | The Importance of Being Earnest | Lane / Merriman | Sydney Theatre Company |
| 1993 | Confinement | Playhouse, Melbourne |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Lane, Richard (2000). The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama Volume 2. National Film and Sound Archive. pp. 111–115.
- ^ a b Arrow, Michelle. "Gordon Maitland Chater (1922—1999)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
- ^ Chater, Gordon (1996). The Almost Late Gordon Chater. Bantam Books. ISBN 9781863597975.
- ^ Arrow, Michelle, "Gordon Maitland Chater (1922–1999)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 8 December 2025
- ^ a b c McDonald, Philippa (13 December 1999). "7:30 Report:Gordon Chater dies aged 77". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
- ^ Chater, Gordon (1996). The Almost Late Gordon Chater. Bantam. p. 117.
- ^ a b c "Contributor Identifier: 225086 Contributor Name:Gordon Chater". ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
- ^ It's an Honour. Retrieved 22 May 2015
External links
[edit]- Gordon Chater – Stage acting credits
- "The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia — Theatre . Film . Radio . Television — Volume 1" — Ann Atkinson, Linsay Knight, Margaret McPhee — Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd., 1996
- "The Australian Film and Television Companion" — compiled by Tony Harrison — Simon & Schuster Australia, 1994
- "The Importance of Being Earnest" — (information and photo): [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]
- Gordon Chater at IMDb
- Gordon Chater at the Internet Broadway Database
- Gordon Chater Dies aged 77 – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- My Name's McGooley – What's Yours? – Classic Australian Television
- The Mavis Bramston Show[permanent dead link] – Nostalgia Central
- The History of The Mavis Bramston Show
- Tributes 1999 – Gordon Chater – Mark Juddery Tributes
