Jonathan Hardy

• Name — Jonathan Hardy • Born — 20 September 1940 • Birthplace — Wellington, New Zealand • Died — 30 July 2012 • Place of death — Southern Highlands, New South Wales, Australia • Education — New Zealand Players' Drama School London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art • Occupation — Actor, writer, director • Years Active — 1966–2012 • Partner — David Letch

Hardy was born in Wellington, New Zealand on 20 September 1940, to cavalry officer Captain Burnby Hardy and Mary Hardy (nee Philpott). His father was killed by a sniper in Crete that same year, and his mother died when Hardy was only 19. He began his training at the New Zealand Players' Drama School. He then traveled to Britain, where he studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and was a gold medal student. He also spent time doing vocal study in Spain.

Hardy's acting career lasted for over 40 years, from 1966 to 2012.

Hardy preferred to work on the stage. Following his studies in the UK, he attracted interest from the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre where he secured contracts, as well as the Bristol Old Vic and several regional theatres. He returned to his home in New Zealand in a touring production of The Comedy of Errors with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, and remained to help expand the country's early theatre industry. Hardy relocated to Australia in 1972, but also returned to New Zealand regularly throughout the mid 1980s, to perform as a guest actor with Auckland Theatre Company, including playing Willy Loman in a production of Death of a Salesman. He headed the Melbourne Theatre Company’s youth wing for two years. In 1978 he appeared in the premiere stage production of Kenneth G. Ross's Australian play Breaker Morant, presented by the Melbourne Theatre Company at the Athenaeum theatre, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on Thursday, 2 February 1978. The play was subsequently adapted into a film, for which Hardy co-wrote the script, earning him a 1981 Academy Awards nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Hardy then became Artistic Director of Auckland's Mercury Theatre, a role he undertook for five years. He also played Captain Ahab in Moby Dick—Rehearsed and appeared in Gallipoli saga Once on Chunuk Bair. Hardy had long engagements with major theatre companies in both Melbourne and Sydney. His roles ranged from a Christmas pantomime of Cinderella, Shakespeare, opera and topical plays such as And in the End: The Life and Death of John Lennon. In his obituary, he is quoted by Mark Juddery as saying, "The actor is in control in the theatre... so the theatre is much more an actor's medium" and "Television is not anything but an actor's image... If my image happens to fit, then I do the job. Whereas on stage you can create an illusion, on television… it's pretty cliched."

Hardy's partner for over 40 years was actor-director David Letch. They worked on many projects together. Hardy had a successful heart transplant. Hardy died, aged 71, at his home in the town of Hill Top, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales on 30 July 2012. He had developed sepsis after undergoing an operation on his leg to restore mobility.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref • 1972 — The Adventures of Barry McKenzie — Groove Courtenay • 1974 — Moving On — Anne's Boyfriend • 1976 — The Devil's Playground — Brother Arnold • 1977 — The Mango Tree — Joe Speight • 1979 — Mad Max — Labatouche • 1982 — Klynham Summer (aka The Scarecrow) — Charlie Dabney • Lonely Hearts — Bruce • 1984 — Constance — Randolf Grieve • Death Warmed Up — Ranji Gandhi • 1985 — Wills & Burke — John Macadam • My Letter to George (aka Mesmerized) — Burley • Lie of the Land — Doctor Max Steiner • 1989 — The Delinquents — Magistrate • Bloodmoon — Mayor • 1993 — The Nostradamus Kid — 'General Booth Enters Heaven' Strolling Player • 1995 — Tunnel Vision — Henry Adams • 1996 — Mr. Reliable (aka My Entire Life) — Reverend McIntyre • 1997 — Dust Off the Wings — Celebrant • Down Rusty Down — Otis — Short • 2001 — Camping with Camus — Uncle Blick — Short • Moulin Rouge! — Man in the Moon • 2003 — Ned Kelly — The Great Orlando • 2005 — Severance — Therapy Group • 2006 — Hunt Angels — Magistrate • Wishbone — Homeless Man • 2009 — Big in Japan — Dr Timpleton — Short

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref • 1972 — Mandog — Halmer — 5 episodes • Redheap — Henry — Miniseries, 3 episodes • 1974 — Rush — Yorkshire Goldminer — 1 episode • 1976 — Andra — Shenlyn — 6 episodes • Power Without Glory — Paddy Kelleher / Rev. Joggins — Miniseries, 3 episodes • 1977 — Bluey — Benny Allman — 1 episode • Young Ramsay — Colonel Flynn — 1 episode • The Trial of Ned Kelly — TV movie • The Mackenzie Affair — Judge — Miniseries • 1978 — The Truckies — 1 episode • Against the Wind — Sam Fitchett — Miniseries, 1 episode • The Sullivans — Captain — 1 episode • 1979 — The John Sullivan Story — Vlad — TV movie • Twenty Good Years — Josef Goldman — 12 episodes • 1980–1981 — Prisoner: Cell Block H — Waller / Mr Potter — 3 episodes • 1981 — Under the Mountain — Country Policeman — 1 episode • 1983 — Nearly No Christmas — Mr Rich — TV movie • 1984; 1986 — Heroes — Shopkeeper — 2 episodes • 1985 — Butterfly Island • Hanlon — Judge • 1989 — Rafferty's Rules — Mr Linnehan — 1 episode • Mission: Impossible — Etienne Reynard — 1 episode • 1989–1993 — E Street — Liam Buckley — 3 episodes • 1990 — Family and Friends — Brother Ignatius • The Flying Doctors — Tyler Wells — 1 episode • More Winners — Mr Bretherton • A Country Practice — Patrick Gardner — 1 episode • 1992 — The Adventures of Skippy — Grandad Bill — 2 episodes • 1995 — G.P. — Robert Houghton — 1 episode • Mission Top Secret — Bombalini — 1 episode • Tunnel Vision — Henry Adams — TV movie • 1996 — The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years — Father Emilio — TV movie • Snowy River: The McGregor Saga — John Archer snr — 1 episode • Fire — Sgt Steve — 1 episode • Medivac — Rosenthal — 1 episode • 1997 — Twisted Tales — Roger Mormon — 1 episode • Terrain — Giles Ballard — TV movie • 1998 — All Saints — Cliff Unwin — 1 episode • State Coroner — Steve Capelli — 1 episode • 1999–2003 — Farscape — Voice of Dominar Rygel XVI — 86 episodes • 2000 — Above the Law — Stan the Fingers — 1 episode • 2003 — The Secret Life of Us — Tribunal Man — 1 episode • Stingers — Stephen Betjeman — 1 episode • MDA — Justice Tulloch — 2 episodes • 2004 — Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars — Voice of Dominar Rygel XVI — Miniseries, 2 episodes • 2012 — Magical Tales — Wally — 1 episode (final television appearance)

Source:

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. • 1966 — The Comedy of Errors — Royal Shakespeare Company UK & NZ tour • H.M.S. Pinafore — Deadeye Dick • 1966–1967 — The Taming of the Shrew — Bristol Old Vic, UK • 1967 — The Government Inspector • Strife • War and Peace — General Kutusov / Karatayev — Bristol Old Vic & UK South West Arts tour • The Beggar's Opera — Curl-Pated Hugh / Lockit — Connaught Theatre, Worthing, UK • 1968 — Oedipus — Chorus — The Old Vic, London with National Theatre • Edward II — Hardy • 1972 — The Last Supper Show — Nimrod, Sydney • 1972; 1973 — Flash Jim Vaux — James Hardy Vaux — Nimrod, Sydney, Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC • 1973 — Jumpers — Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC • The Prisoner of Second Avenue • The Plough and the Stars • Batman's Beach-Head — Comedy Theatre, Melbourne with MTC • Paying the Piper • 1973–1975 — The Last of the Knucklemen — Producer — Canberra & Australian tour with MTC • 1974 — Coralie Lansdowne Says No — MTC • 1975 — The Double Dealer — Singer • 1976 — Don Pasquale — Singer — Victorian Opera Company • The Diary of a Madman — Propftchkin (also adaptor) — rowsspan="2"|MTC • Orpheus & Eurydice — Arts Centre Melbourne with Victoria State Opera • 1977 — Cop Out — Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC • Trumpets and Drums — Mercury Theatre, Auckland • The Merchant of Venice — Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC • 1978 — Breaker Morant — Major James Francis Thomas • Richard III — Duke of Buckingham • The Beaux' Stratagem — MTC • The Fool's-Shoe Hotel — Pram Factory, Melbourne with APG • 1979 — The Immortalist — 279 — Playbox Theatre, Melbourne with Hoopla Theatre Foundation • The Marriage of Figaro — Canberra Opera • The Alchemist — Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC • 1979–1980 — Hamlet — Polonius • 1980 — Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead — Polonius • Cinderella — Gumble • Comedians — Mercury Theatre, Auckland • 1981 — Hancock's Last Half Hour • Moby Dick—Rehearsed — Captain Ahab • Oh, What a Lovely War! — New Zealand Theatre Company • The Hollow Crown — New Zealand Theatre Company • Einstein — Albert Einstein • Peter Pan — Captain Hook • 1985 — Two — Universal Theatre, Melbourne • 1990 — Shadow and Splendour — General Schon (Russian general) — Suncorp Theatre, Brisbane with QTC & STCSA • 1991 — The Crucible — Deputy Governor Danforth — QTC • 1992 — Twelfth Night • Hotel Sorrento • 1993 — The Beaux Stratagem — Boniface — Suncorp Theatre, Brisbane with QTC • Romeo and Juliet • A Christmas Carol — Oxford Productions International • And a Nightingale Sang — QTC • 1993–1995 — The Shaughraun or The Loveable Rascal — Father Dolan — QTC, Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC • 1994 — Hysteria, or Fragments of an Analysis of an Obsessional Mind — Abraham Yahoda — Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC • Twelve Angry Men — Auckland Theatre Company • 1995 — Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead — Pork Chop Productions • 1996 — The Surgical Table — Renegade Theatre • Simpatico — Wombat — Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC • Life of Galileo — STC • Coriolanus — Menenius Agrippa — Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare • 1997 — Pygmalion — Canberra Theatre, STC, Glen St Theatre, Sydney & Q Theatre, Penrith • QTC Oz Shorts 1 — QTC • The Comedy of Errors — Solinus — Sydney Opera House with STC • 1998 — Tannhauser — Singer — Opera Australia • She Stoops to Conquer — Auckland Theatre Company • 1999 — The Cripple of Inishmaan — Johnny Patten Mike • 2000 — Death of a Salesman — Willy Loman • 2002; 2003 — Great Expectations — Jaggers — Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC, Sydney Opera House • 2003 — A Tree, Falling — Lenny — Chapel off Chapel, Melbourne with Shy Tiger Productions • 2004 — Twelfth Night — Feste — Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare • One Flea Spare — Bunce — Queensize Productions • 2005 — Treemonisha — Narrator — The Queensland Choir • The Department Store — Parnassus' Den • 2006 — Renaissance • And in the End: The Death and Life of John Lennon — Gatekeepers of the White Light / various — Parade Theatre, Sydney with The Walrius Group • 2007 — Paul — Nero — Company B Belvoir • The Pillowman — Tupolski — Maidment Theatre with Auckland Theatre Company • 2008 — Twelfth Night — Feste — Sydney Opera House with Bell Shakespeare

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref • 1980 — Breaker Morant — Director / Co-writer • 1984 — Constance — Writer • 1988 — Backstage — Co-writer • Return to Snowy River — Director's Associate • 2006 — Wishbone — Writer

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref • 1987 — Porters — Writer / Producer — Episode 5 • 1992 — The Adventures of Skippy — Writer

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. • 1974 — The Importance of Being Earnest — Director / Producer — MTC • 1975 — MTC Theatre in Education: Headlines — Director • MTC Theatre in Education: Cupid in Transit 2 — Director • 1976 — The Italian Girl in Algiers — Director — Victoria State Opera • The Diary of a Madman — Adaptor (also actor) — MTC • 1978 — The Last of the Knucklemen — Producer — Mercury Theatre, Auckland with MTC • 1979 — The Marriage of Figaro — Producer — Canberra Opera Society • The Elixir of Love — Director — Victorian regional tour with Victorian State Opera • 1980 — Nine Little Australians! Season Two — Director — MTC • Just One Last Dance — Director — Mercury Theatre, Auckland • 1981 — The Taming of the Shrew — Director • Bodies — Director • The Importance of Being Earnest — Director • Sauce for the Gander — Director • 1982 — Once on Chunuk Bair — Production Assistant / Script Advisor • Once a Catholic — Director • Aladdin • Foreskin's Lament — Director • Jesus Christ Superstar — Director • 1983 — The Elixir of Love — Director • King of Hearts — Director • Madama Butterfly — Director • 1984 — Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — Director • 1985 — Nine Little Australians!: The St Kild Soirees of Bonnie Smith — Director — Melbourne Athenaeum with Melbourne Writers Theatre & MTC • Nine Little Australians!: Fifteen Rounds with Gorgeous George — Director • 1997 — Jungfrau — Writer — Playbox Theatre Company • 2000 — The Beauty Queen of Leenane — Director — Auckland Theatre Company