Garry McDonald (actor)

Garry George McDonald AO (born 30 October 1948) is an Australian stage and screen actor.

Biography

Early life

McDonald was born in Sydney and was educated at Cranbrook School and National Institute of Dramatic Art.

Early career

McDonald first came to wide public attention playing the supporting character "Kid Eager" in the second series of the groundbreaking Australian television comedy series The Aunty Jack Show in 1973. It was while working on Aunty Jack that McDonald first performed the character for which he would become best-known, the gauche and inept local regional TV personality, Norman Gunston. Gunston's first appearance was in a series of brief sketches written by Wendy Skelcher which saw him reporting uncomfortably on a "sex-scandal drought" in his home town, the New South Wales city of Wollongong; a drought he eventually breaks by appearing nude on camera.

After Aunty Jack, McDonald went on to work with the same team in the comedy miniseries Wollongong the Brave (1973) and Flash Nick from Jindivik (1974). The Gunston character was revived for one episode of Wollongong The Brave, a parodic show business biography entitled "Norman Gunston: The Golden Weeks". Around the time of his major breakthrough on Australian TV in 1975, McDonald also made his first major film appearance, playing a minor role in the landmark Peter Weir film Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Norman Gunston Show

In 1975 McDonald revived the Gunston character for TV...
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