Gary Sweet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gary Sweet | |
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| Born | May 22, 1957 Melbourne, Australia |
| Spouse(s) | Johanna Griggs (divorced)
Lenore Smith (divorced) |
Gary Sweet (born May 22, 1957 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in Alexandra's Project (2003), Police Rescue, Cody, Big Sky, The Battlers, Bodyline and Stingers.
He grew up in Warradale, South Australia and attended Brighton high school in Adelaide. He later obtained a teaching degree and whilst at Sturt Teachers' College took up drama.[1]
His first role was in low-budget horror film Nightmares. In the early 1980s, Sweet became recognisable through the on-going role of Leslie 'Magpie' Maddern in the Crawfords television series The Sullivans.
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[edit] Television
In 1984, Sweet had his first major role as Donald Bradman in the Network Ten miniseries Bodyline, the story of the 1932-33 Test cricket series between England and Australia.
Between 1990 and 1996 Sweet starred in the drama series Police Rescue as Sgt. Steve 'Mickey' McClintock and in 1991 and 1992 won the Australian Film Institute’s Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama for his performance.[2] In 1993 he won the Variety Club Heart Award for TV Actor of the Year and two TV Week Silver Logie Awards for Most Popular Actor and Most Outstanding Actor.[3][4]
In 2001 he appeared in an episode of the fourth series of the British drama Cold Feet.
In 2002, he took on the continuing role of Inspector Luke Harris in the police drama series Stingers until the show's conclusion in 2004. He then went on to star in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's "Dog's Head Bay".
In 2006, Sweet was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and made it to the final seven. His partner was dancer Eliza Campagna.
In 2007, Sweet starred in the SBS miniseries The Circuit, starring as Magistrate Peter Lockhart. Also in 2007, he co-hosted Channel Nine's Things To Try Before You Die. He also appeared in the ABC television series Rain Shadow with Rachel Ward.
[edit] Stage
Though most recognized for his television roles, Sweet has also appeared in numerous stage productions. These include David Williamson's The Club, and in 2001, Tony McNamara's play The Recruit for the Melbourne Theatre Company. He has also appeared in the musical Oh, What a Night (musical).[4]
[edit] Film
Sweet has appeared in numerous films, including The Tracker and Alexandra's Project for director Rolf de Heer.
[edit] Controversy
2004 saw Sweet become the public face of "The Performance Pack Initiative", an information campaign for men with impotence problems from Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline and Impotence Australia.[5] Bans against direct advertising prescription medicines meant that Sweet was unable to directly mention the drug, Levitra but this code was broken when Sweet mentioned Levitra on an Adelaide radio programme. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's "Media Watch" reported that Sweet was being investigated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for possible breach of advertising codes. [6][7]
[edit] Personal Life
Sweet is divorced from his third wife, television presenter and former Commonwealth Games swimmer, Johanna Griggs. They have two sons, Jesse James and Joe Buster. Sweet also has two children from his second marriage to Jill Miller, Frank and Sophie.[1] Following in his father's footsteps, Frank Sweet is also an actor. Sweet's first marriage was to actress Lenore Smith.
[edit] References
- ^ a b The Larrikin Grows Up, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 June 2002
- ^ Australian Film Institute, Past Winners, Television 1986-2006
- ^ TV Week Logies official site, retrieved March 15, 2008
- ^ a b http://www.icmi.com.au/Speaker/Motivational_Speakers/Gary_Sweet/PDF
- ^ Press Release, GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer Pharmaceuticals, 28 July 2004
- ^ Sweet's Potent Drug, Media Watch, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, March 2004
- ^ Choice Consumer Advocates
[edit] Additional Resources
- Gary Sweet at the Internet Movie Database
- "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
