Matt Norman

Matthew Travis "Matt" Norman (born 20 October 1971) is an actor turned filmmaker who has worked on Australian TV Shows Blue Heelers, Stingers and Neighbours, where he played the role of Pat Miller in over a dozen episodes during the 1990s.^[1] Matt Norman's more recent work as director and producer came in the form of his debut feature documentary Salute, which tells the story of his uncle Peter Norman, 1968 200m silver medalist at the Mexico City Olympics.

Biography

Matt Norman finished school in 1989, completing year 12 at Nagle College Bairnsdale. A chance meeting some years later with Riccardo Pellizzeri, while working as head of security at Channel 10, Melbourne, Matt was introduced to Jan Russ, casting director on the hit Australian soap 'Neighbours'.^[1] This saw Matt start as an extra and after time saw him play different roles until finally a reoccurring role as Pat Miller. This led to other roles on Australian TV, including Jason O'Grady (Blue Heelers), Officer Marks (Mercury with Geoffrey Rush), a Gorilla and Police Constable, reoccurring (The Glynn Nicholas Show), and the character of Norris opposite Rebecca Gibney (Stingers).

While committing himself to a new life in the arts, Matt won roles opposite leading Australian and international actors including: Gregory Peck (Moby Dick), Patrick Stewart (Moby Dick), Ted Levine (Moby Dick), Hugo Weaving, Hugh Jackman (Correlli), Nicolas Cage (Ghost Rider), Anthony Lapaglia (The Bank), David Wenham (The Bank, SeaChange), Sigrid Thornton (SeaChange), Peter Phelps (Stingers), Rebecca Gibney (Stingers) and others. It was working with these actors that gave Norman the want to tell his own stories. One of Norman's first film roles was on Robert Connolly's The Bank. "Watching Connolly work it gave me a want to see it from the other side of the camera. I'd watched how things were done a million times, but never studied every move. Connolly had the perfect technique working with actors and it was something I wanted to do.."^[2]

"I have studied enough movies in my life to give it a red hot go and had been on hundreds of sets to know what everyone does, so going to film school wasn’t even a factor for me. I did it the hard way but I believe the best way, I just went out and made films." (Matt Norman)^[2]

Career

After many years as an actor on television and film, Norman started writing screenplays and later directing^[3] both theatre and film. Norman's first film was All the Kings Horses and since then he has gone on to write, direct and produce several other films such as The Writer, Shank, and The Umbrella Men.^[4]

Selected filmography

• SeaChange (1998)
• Stingers (1999–2003)
• Blue Heelers (1995–1997)
• Salute (2008) (writer, director, producer, editor)

External links

• Matt Norman at the Internet Movie Database
• Scab Girl Asylum – Movie webpage
• Salute The Movie – Movie webpage
• The Human Race Film – Movie webpage

References