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Peter Whitford had celebrated 17 prolific years in show business as one of Australia\u2019s leading actors before he was ever required to sing publicly in the commercial theatre. This was as the wily Governor in\xa0The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.\xa0Eight years later he trod the musical boards again in another Mike Walsh produced delight;\xa0Anything Goes\xa0as Moonface Martin; public enemy number 13, opposite Geraldine Turner. Another musical was to follow with\xa0Me and My Girl\xa0as Sir John, opposite Sheila Bradley.
Born in Adelaide, his early stage ventures came though university theatre. Graduating from NIDA in 1963, Peter did an ABC radio play,\xa0King of Hearts, and never looked back.
His professional stage experience was in the Old Tote\u2019s inaugural production of\xa0The Cherry Orchard. His theatre performances include\xa0Ghosts\xa0at Belvoir Street;\xa0See How They Run, Why Me? And A Small Family Business\xa0for the Northside Theatre Company; and\xa0The Country Wife\xa0for the Sydney Theatre Company.
Other credits on his vast list include\xa0Hedda Gabler\xa0for the Royal Queensland Theatre Company,\xa0Butley\xa0and\xa0The Season at Sarsaparilla\xa0for the Old Tote,\xa0Cyrano de Bergerac\xa0and\xa0A Map of the World\xa0for the Sydney Theatre Company,\xa0When the Wind Blows\xa0for Belvoir Street,\xa0A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum\xa0and\xa0Catch Me If\xa0 You Can\xa0for Northside, and\xa0Kennedy\u2019s Children\xa0for the Melbourne Theatre Company.
For television, Peter\u2019s performances include roles in\xa0I\u2019ve Married a Bachelor, Water Under the Bridge, Division 4, Number 96, Carson\u2019s Law, A Country Practice, Bodyline, The Last Bastion, The Henderson Kids, Land of Hope, Rafferty\u2019s Rules, All Saints\xa0and the spin-off series for Kingswood Country known as Bullpitt! Some audience members may even remember him as Jack in ABC radio\u2019s\xa0Blue Hills. Peter\u2019s last acting credit was an episode of\xa0Rake\xa0in 2010.
Peter has appeared in many films including\xa0My Brilliant Career, Phar Lap, Careful He Might Hear You, Dead End Drive-in, Running from the Guns\xa0and\xa0Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train.\xa0Perhaps his most indelible screen performance was as the flamboyant Les Kendall in Baz Luhrmann\u2019s\xa0Strictly Ballroom.
Our stage and screen elders possess such a wealth of knowledge and experience. It\u2019s so vital that we hear these stories. It was an enormous treat to access those stories via Peter Whitford. Enjoy!
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