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Alan Hopgood

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Alan Hopgood
AM
Born
Alan John Hopgood

29 September 1934
Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Died19 March 2022 (aged 87)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
  • playwright and dramatist
  • screenwriter
  • librettist
  • publisher
  • lecturer
Years active1940–2014

Alan John Hopgood AM (29 September 1934 – 19 March 2022), also known as Alan Hopwood, was an Australian actor, producer, and writer. He wrote the screenplay for the 1972 film Alvin Purple and made appearances in television shows such as Bellbird, Prisoner and Neighbours.

Early life

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Hopgood was born in Launceston, Tasmania, and grew up in the state. He acted in several dramatic roles in his childhood. He attended school in Melbourne and then studied at the University of Melbourne, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Hon) and a Diploma of Education. His first play, Marcus, was produced at Melbourne University while he was working as a school teacher. He left teaching to write full-time and start his acting career.[1]

Career

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Scriptwriting and screenwriting

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Hopgood's first successful play, And the Big Men Fly, was about Australian rules football and was produced in 1963 by the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Russell Street Theatre in Melbourne with scripts by Brad Hopgood.[2] The play was adapted for TV by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1973 and also a telemovie. In 1964, he followed with The Golden Legion of Cleaning Women. In 1966 he produced Private Yuk Objects, which he said was the first play anywhere in the world on the subject of the Vietnam War.

Hopgood has also written a number of film and television screenplays, including the comedy film Alvin Purple (1973), which was the most commercially successful Australian film of the early 1970s.

Screen actor: Television and film

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Hopgood was an actor with the Melbourne Theatre Company for ten years and was an early 'soap' star in Bellbird, in which for six years he played the town doctor. He has also performed in the later soaps, Prisoner (for which he also scripted many episodes) and Neighbours as Jack Lassiter (a role he reprised in August 2013).[3]

As an actor, his cinema credits include My Brilliant Career (1979), The Blue Lagoon (1980), Roadgames (1981), Evil Angels (1988, released as A Cry in the Dark outside of Australia and New Zealand)[4] and The Man from Snowy River II (1988).

He worked with a large number of actors including Frank Thring, Meryl Streep, Brooke Shields, Sam Neill and Judy Davis.[5]

In late 2021, Hopgood appeared in an exclusive interview for the official YouTube channel Talking Prisoner, in which he discussed his life and career. The episode was published in January 2022.[6]

Honours

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Hopgood won AWGIE awards for The Cheerful Cuckold and The Bush Bunch and writing several feature films including Alvin Purple and the documentaries The Prophecies of Nostradamus and The Fountain of Youth.

Hopgood was awarded the A.M. (Member of the Order of Australia) in 2005 for his services to the performing arts as an actor, playwright and producer, and to the community through raising awareness of men's health issues.[7]

Personal life

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Hopgood resided in Melbourne with his wife Gay, with whom he had two children (Fincina and Sam), and four grandchildren (Jackson, Harrison, Ashwyn and Darcy).[8]

Health issues and death

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Alan Hopgood developed prostate cancer and published a book on the experience titled Surviving Prostate Cancer: One Man's Journey, which was widely praised.[9][10] He ofter toured giving humorous lectures on men's health issues.[5]

Hopgood died from prostate cancer at the age of 87 on 19 March 2022 at a hospital in Melbourne.[11][12]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1959 Tragedy in a Temporary Town McCarthy TV movie
1969 Dynasty Jacob Goldberg TV movie
1959 Antony and Cleopatra First Soldier TV movie
1959 Ned Kelly Dan Kelly TV movie
1960 Man in a Blue Vase Aaron TV movie
1960 The Astronauts[13] Dave Armstrong TV movie
1960 Who Killed Kovali? Jeff Willis TV movie
1962 The Teeth of the Wind Frank Andrews TV movie
1962 She'll Be Alright TV movie
1962 You Can't Win 'Em All Feliz TV movie
1962 Lola Montez Smith TV movie
1963 Night Stop Gary TV movie
1963 And The Big Men Fly JJ Forbes TV movie
1969 The Cheerful Cuckold Gareth TV movie
1969 The Torrents TV movie
1977 The Trial of Ned Kelly Narrator TV movie
1979 My Brilliant Career Father Feature film
1979 Burn the Butterflies TV movie
1980 The Blue Lagoon Captain Feature film
1980 The Quick Brown Fox Marley Powers Short film
1980 The Coast Town Kids Mick James TV movie
1980 Pacific Banana Sir Harry Blandings Feature film
1981 Roadgames Lester Feature film
1982 A Shifting Dreaming TV movie
1983 A Slice of Life Dr. Williams Feature film
1985 Emerging Tom Birchfield TV movie
1987 Ground Zero Commissioner #2 Feature film
1988 Return to Snowy River Simmons Feature film
1988 Rikky and Pete Laughing Uncle Feature film
1988 A Cry in the Dark (aka Evil Angels) President Cox Feature film
1996 Hotel de Love Ronnie Feature film
1998 Two Girls and a Baby Catherine's Dad Short film
2002 Dalkeith Mick Feature film
2004 The Gift Man on Bus Short film
2004 Stiff Herb Gardiner TV movie
2009 Knowing Reverend Koestler Feature film
2011 Magic Grandfather
2011 The Cup Grandfather at Football Feature film
2012 The Game Charles Short film
2012 Last Dance Mr. Nathan Feature film

Television

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Year Title Role Type
1972–77 Bellbird Dr. Matthew Reed TV series
1973–74 Matlock Police 3 roles
-Frank Walsh
-Ted Reid
-Brian Davis		 TV series
1973–1975 Homicide 3 roles
-John Ford
-Paul Markes
-Jim Knight		 TV series
1978–80 Cop Shop 2 roles
-Doug Bramley
-Horrie Gibbs		 TV series
1979 Skyways Edward Fielding TV series, 2 episodes
1980 All the Green Years Mr. Reeves TV series
1981–1985 Prisoner Wally Wallace TV series
1986 Sword of Honour Stuart Rogers TV miniseries
1986, 2013 Neighbours Jack Lassiter TV series
1987 The Petrov Affair Alan Reid TV miniseries
1989 The Flying Doctors Neil Hutton TV series
1990 Flair Harris TV miniseries
1991 A Country Practice Tom O'Connell TV series
1992 Good Vibrations Cec TV miniseries
1993 Phoenix Bill Douglas TV series
1994 Wedlocked Father Damien TV series
1994 Law of the Land Reg Bates TV series
1995 Snowy River: The McGregor Saga Gil Tyson TV series
1997 State Coroner Keith Summers TV series
1998 Good Guys, Bad Guys Judge Moody TV series
1998 Driven Crazy Mr. Tuck TV series
1998–00 The Games Radio Newreader (voice only), Database Inquiry Questioner TV series
1999 Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude Lecturer TV miniseries
2000–04 Blue Heelers 3 roles
-George Ratcliffe QC
-Bob Swinburn
-Doc Parkinson		 TV series
2001 Round the Twist Cornelius Crenshaw TV series
2001 Something in the Air Bill Mackay TV series
2001 Halifax f.p. Joshua Lippmann TV series
2002 The Secret Life of Us Dr. Morgan TV series
2002–03 MDA Dr. Hugo Willard TV series
2003 Welcher and Welcher Judge Furphy TV series
2003 Stingers Detective Senior Sargeant Bill Skelton TV series
2003 The Saddle Club Bud TV series
2004 Fergus McPhail Shop Assistant TV series
2005 Holly's Heroes Max Peterson TV series
2007 City Homicide Harry Mackintosh TV series
2021 Talking Prisoner Himself YouTube special

As writer

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Year Title Role Type
1963 And the Big Men Fly Writer TV movie
1964 Barley Charlie Writer TV series, season 1 (7 episodes)
1967 Bellbird Writer TV series
1968 The World of Seekers Writer TV movie
1969 The Cheerful Cuckold Writer TV movie (from Australian Plays)
1973 The Barry Crocker Comedy Hour Writer TV special
1973 Alvin Purple Screenplay Feature film
1974 And the Big Men Fly Writer TV series, season 1 (6 episodes)
1974 Alvin Rides Again Screenplay Feature film
1975 The True Story of Eskimo Nell Writer Feature film
1976 Alvin Purple Writer / creator TV series, season 1 (13 episodes)
1979 Gulpilil: Man of Two Worlds Writer TV movie
1979 The Prophecies of Nostradamus Writer Feature film
1980 The Quick Brown Fox Writer Short film
1981 The Man Who Saw Tomorrow Screenplay Feature film
1981 And Here Comes Bucknuckle Writer TV series, season 1 (6 episodes)
1981 Pacific Banana Screenplay Feature film
1981 The Cliffhanger Writer Short TV movie
1981 The Bush Bunch: 1.1 the Cliffhanger Writer TV movie
1982 Breakfast in Paris Screenplay (credited as Morris Dalton) Feature film
1982 Prisoner Writer TV series, season 4 (1 episode)
1983 A Slice of Life Screenplay Feature film
1985 Fountain of Youth Writer TV movie
1985 From Opera with Love Writer TV movie
1988–91 The Flying Doctors Writer TV series, seasons 3-5 & 9 (6 episodes)
1989 Sugar and Spice Writer TV series, season 1 (8 episodes)
1989–91 Pugwall Scriptwriter TV series, seasons 1 & 2 (42 episodes)
1990 Flair Writer TV miniseries (2 episodes)
1991 Chances Writer TV series, season 1 (3 episodes)
1994 Blue Heelers Writer TV series, season 1 (1 episodes)
1998–01 Neighbours Writer TV series, seasons 14–17 (22 episodes)

Theatre

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As actor

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Year Title Role Type
1947 Saint Joan Playhouse, Hobart
1953 Slaves of Duty Puckapunyal Army Base
1953 The Shoemaker's Holiday Lord Mayor of London University of Melbourne
1956 Of Mice and Men George University of Melbourne
1956 The Madwoman of Chaillot The Rag Picker University of Melbourne
1956 Golden Boy University of Melbourne
1956 The Troublemakers University of Melbourne
1956 Thieves' Carnival Harlequin University of Melbourne
1957 Much Ado About Nothing University of Melbourne
1957 Arsenic and Old Lace Lieutenant Rooney University of Melbourne
1957 A View from the Bridge First Officer / Neighbour University of Melbourne
1957 Speak of the Devil University of Melbourne
1958 The Making of Moo William University of Melbourne
1958 A Hatful of Rain Polo Pope University of Melbourne
1958 Lola Montez Smith University of Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane, Elizabethan Theatre
1958 The Threepenny Opera Smith University of Melbourne
1958 Look Back in Anger Cliff Lewis Elizabethan Theatre
1959 Marcus University of Melbourne with The Marlowe Society
1960 Long Day's Journey into Night Edmund Tyrone St Martins Theatre
1961 Stop Press Phillip Street Theatre
1962 The Fantasticks Narrator Russell Street Theatre
1963 The Man Who Came to Dinner Banjo Russell Street Theatre
1963-65 And the Big Men Fly J.J. Forbes Russell Street Theatre, Arts Theatre Adelaide, Wangaratta Town Hall, Broken Hill Town Hall, Playhouse Perth, Albury, Theatre Royal Hobart, Twelfth Night Theatre
1964 After the Fall Quentin Russell Street Theatre
1964 Night of the Auk University of Melbourne
1965 Entertaining Mr Sloane Russell Street Theatre
1965 Bandicoot on a Burnt Ridge Russell Street Theatre
1965 Tiny Alice Butler University of Melbourne
1965 Inadmissible Evidence University of Melbourne
1965 The Homecoming Lenny University of Melbourne
1966 A Break in the Music Derek Playhouse Theatre Perth
1966 The Owl and the Pussycat Russell Street Theatre
1967 The Servant of Two Masters Truffaldino Russell Street Theatre
1968 The Crucible Giles Corey Russell Street Theatre, Canberra Theatre, Tasmania
1968 Three Sisters Captain Solyony Russell Street Theatre
1968 Everything in the Garden Russell Street Theatre
1969 Henry IV, Part 1 Poins Octagon Theatre Perth, Murdoch Court Melbourne
1986 A Kind of Justice Masonic Hall, Perth
1993-94 Emperor of the Ghetto Rumkowski Fairfax Studio Melbourne, Lion Theatre Adelaide with Bay Street Productions
1995 It's My Party (And I'll Die if I Want To) Arts Theatre Adelaide
1997 For Better, for Worse Des Chapel Off Chapel with Bay Street Productions
2007 Four Funerals in One Day Clarrie Bay Street Productions
2007-08 Visiting Mr. Green Mr Green Whitehorse Centre, Drum Theatre Dandenong, Kingston Arts Centre Moorabbin, Clocktower Centre Moonee Ponds
2008 The Peppercorn Tree Jonah
2008 Never Too Old Fred Monash University, Chapel Off Chapel with Bay Street Productions
2012 Hear Me Doctor International Incident Disclosure Conference with Bay Street Productions
2017 Never Too Old Fred at ACMI, Federation Square for Melbourne International Comedy Festival with Bay Street Productions
2019 Never Too Old Fred Glen Eira Town Hall for Glen Eira Storytelling Festival with Bay Street Productions
2020 The Carer George Parker Online with The Sugden Society with Bay Street Productions

As writer / director / crew

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Year Title Role Type
1957 Beauty and the Beast Stage manager University of Melbourne
1959 Marcus Playwright University of Melbourne
1961 Stop Press Lyricist Phillip Street Theatre
1963-65 And the Big Men Fly Playwright Russell Street Theatre, Arts Theatre Adelaide, Wangaratta Town Hall, Broken Hill Town Hall, Playhouse Perth, Albury, Theatre Royal Hobart, Twelfth Night Theatre
1964 The Golden Legion of Cleaning Women Playwright Russell Street Theatre
1965-66 The Golden Legion of Cleaning Women Playwright Burnley Theatre Richmond, Camberwell
1966 Private Yuk Objects Playwright Mildura, Russell Street Theatre, Phillip Theatre, Mildura Arts Centre
1967 Terribly Terribly University of California
1967 Monkey Tricks Playwright Playhouse Canberra
1967 And the Big Men Fly Playwright Playhouse Canberra
1967-68 The Golden Legion of Cleaning Women Playwright Pymble Community Hall, Adelaide Teachers College, Twelfth Night Theatre
1970 And the Big Men Fly Playwright Scott Theatre, Adelaide
1973 And the Big Men Fly Playwright La Boite Theatre
1974 Terribly Terribly Playwright Monash University
1976 And the Big Men Fly Playwright SGIO Theatre
1977 The Golden Legion of Cleaning Women Playwright Mountview Theatre Macedon, Arts Theatre Brisbane
1980-83 And the Big Men Fly Playwright Victorian country tour, Arts Theatre Brisbane, Arts Theatre Adelaide, Tilley Recreation Park Adelaide, Brown's Mart Theatre Darwin with Bay Street Productions
1982 The Golden Legion of Cleaning Women Playwright Nerang, Newcastle
1986 The Golden Legion of Cleaning Women; Out of the Frying Pan; A Kind of Justice Playwright Masonic Hall Perth
1988 And the Big Men Fly Playwright Russell Street Theatre with Bay Street Productions
1970 Ritual Playwright Majestic Cinemas Sydney
1992 Petrov: The Musical PlaywrIght Melbourne Concert Hall
1993-94 Emperor of The Ghetto Adaptor Fairfax Studio Melbourne, Lion Theatre Adelaide with Bay Street Productions
1994 And the Big Men Fly Playwright Theatre 62, Adelaide with Bay Street Productions
1997 For Better for Worse Playwright Chapel Off Chapel with Bay Street Productions
1998 The Golden Legion of Cleaning Women Playwright Harbour Theatre, Shellharbour
2001 The Golden Legion of Cleaning Women Playwright Tweed Heads Civic and Cultural Centre
2002 And the Big Men Fly Playwright Tower Arts Centre, Adelaide with Bay Street Productions
1999-2004 The Carer Playwright Australian national tour with Bay Street Productions
2005 Six Degrees of Diabetes Playwright Bay Street Productions
2005 Red Dust Diva - the Musical Writer Chapel Off Chapel
2006 A Pill, a Pump and a Needle Playwright Bay Street Productions
2005-07 Weary - the Story of Sir Edward Dunlop Playwright Australian national tour
2007 Four Funerals in One Day Playwright Bay Street Productions
2008 Never Too Old Director / Playwright Monash University, Chapel Off Chapel with Bay Street Productions
2008 Wicked Widows Director / Playwright Monash University, Chapel Off Chapel
2009 My Dog Has Stripes Playwright Fortyfivedownstairs with Bay Street Productions
2011 The Empty Chair Playwright Bay Street Productions
2012 Hear Me Playwright Bay Street Productions
2014 Do You Know Me Playwright Bay Street Productions

[14][8][15]

References

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  1. ^ "Alan Hopgood | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories". Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2005.
  2. ^ "Alan Hopgood theatre roles". AusStage. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Jack Lassiter returns to Erinsborough". Neighbours.com.au. Eleven. 8 August 2013. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  4. ^ "A Cry in the Dark (1988) – Release dates". IMDb.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Australia's leading entertainment agency and directory". www.entertainoz.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 August 2006.
  6. ^ "Talking Prisoner Cell Block H EP 25 Interview with Alan Hopgood (Wally Wallace)". YouTube. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Health Play". Archived from the original on 24 August 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Alan Hopgood - the Boy's Sheer Poetry | AustLit". Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Surviving prostate cancer : one man's journey". Trove. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Surviving Prostate Cancer by Alan Hopgood". www.penguin.com.au. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Acting icon Alan Hopgood, 87, passes away". Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  12. ^ Knox, David (22 March 2022). "Vale: Alan Hopgood". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  13. ^ Vagg, Stephen (2021). "Forgotten Australian TV plays: The Astronauts". Filmink. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  14. ^ "AusStage". Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  15. ^ https://creativerep.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/HOPGOOD-Alan-CV.pdf Archived 16 August 2024 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL]
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