Gary Files

Gary Files is an Australian-Canadian actor, writer and director who has resided in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. He has chosen to live in Australia since 1976.

Early life

Files started his career in early Australian television and semi-professional theatre in 1956 and left for Canada in 1959. Once there he attended the National Theatre School of Canada at both Montreal and Stratford, Ontario - joining the second acting year of the school in 1961 and graduating three years later. Almost immediately he joined John Hirsch's Manitoba Theatre Company for a season during which he appeared in "The Taming of the Shrew" starring Len Cariou and a seminal production of "Mother Courage" starring the Australian actress Zoe Caldwell. Returning to Toronto he played leads in "The Provok'd Wife" and "Oh! What a Lovely War" at the Crest Theatre - winning a Telegram Award for the most promising newcomer for the latter. He then left Canada to pursue his career in the United Kingdom.

Whilst at theatre school, Files did numerous television productions for "Shoestring Theatre" at CBC - Montreal. He started working in CBC radio drama with several productions for Rupert Kaplan, who was one of the first to do Eugene O'Neill's plays on radio. He also appeared in two films for the National Film Board of Canada, "Henry Hudson" and "The Selkirk Settlers".

In London

Once in London, Files joined the Theatre Workshop London's tour of "Oh! What a Lovely War" to East Germany (for the Berliner Fest) West Germany and Belgium. Returning from Europe, he was asked to join the company of the Bristol Old Vic. He stayed there for a season and a half doing leads and supports in "Serjeant Musgrave's Dance", "Man and Superman", "Bartholomew Fair", "Andorra", "The Creeper" and finally "The Tale of Two Cities". Back in London he worked for the International Theatre Club at the Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate in "Clope" and "The Guy" and finally went to the Edinburgh Festival with their production of "Sancticity" which was done at the Traverse Theatre. He also worked at Colchester Rep. for several productions, played Marat in "The Promise" for the Liverpool Rep. and finally appeared in the West End in the rock musical "Your Very Own Thing" at the Comedy Theatre - before heading back to Canada.

During this U.K. period Gary also did television for the BBC, playing Maurice in "Bruno", Konstantin in "The Young Visiters" and Joseph Warr in "Softly, Softly", He also played Igor Gouzenko in the docu-drama "The Spies". As well he did a lot of radio work for the BBC - the best being Stoney Jackson in Arnold Wesker's "Their Very Own and Golden City". He was also in the MGM movie "The Dirty Dozen". His ability with accents proved very useful when he was invited to join the team of actors voicing Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation features and series at Century 21 Productions. He started with the movie "Thunderbird 6", then went on to do voices for "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons", "Joe 90" and finally one of the leads in "The Secret Service". He also appeared in Anderson's live-action TV series "UFO".

In Canada

On returning to Canada Files joined the company of the Manitoba Theatre Centre for three plays "Hail Skrawdyke", "Harry Noon and Night" and "The Snow Queen". He then joined the Stratford National Theatre at the National Arts Centre, in Ottawa, to play the Hostage in "The Hostage" and three plays by Mrozek.

From there he went to the Calgary Theatre Company for a season doing "The Knack", "The Father", "The Taming of the Shrew", "Trip", "Dracula" and "The Birthday Party". He then joined the Stratford Festival Company for "The Italian Straw Hat" and "There's One In Every Marriage". For the next several years he played leads and supports in many Canadian companies starting with "Philadelphia Here I Come" for Theatre New Brunswick, then "Loot" for the Saidye Bronfmann Centre, "The Trial" and "Twelfth Night" for Toronto Arts Theatre. "A Quiet Day in Belfast" for the Tarragon Theatre, "Loot" again for Theatre Plus, "AC/DC" for the New Theatre, "Twelfth Night" again for the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" for the Press Theatre, Butley in "Butley" for the Bastion Theatre, "Relatively Speaking" for Theatre Calgary and finally a review "The Best of Jest" for the Teller's Cage restaurant in Toronto - before heading off back to Australia.

During this time in Canada, Files also did radio drama for CBC - Radio as well as the children's television show "Polka Dot Door" for O.E.C.A.; also "Prophecy" for them. Then Angie in "A Very Quiet Street" for Sterno Productions and finally Hardin in the TV series "The Frankie Howerd Show" for CBC - TV. He also began a writing career with CBC - Radio beginning with several programmes in the series "The Age of Elegance" then three programmes in "The Bush and the Salon" series, as well as adapting the sci-fi classics "Gas Mask" and "Tomorrow's Child". A 17 episode series "The Many Faces of Music" and ongoing satirical skits for "As It Happens" with Don Cullen.

Australia

On his return to Melbourne, Files played the lead in "City Sugar" for the Melbourne Theatre Company before joining the South Australian Theatre Company in Adelaide for "City Sugar" again, then "Henry IV (1&2)" and "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?". Sydney and the Opera House were next doing "The Lady From Maxims" for the Old Tote Theatre Company. Back to Melbourne for the Playbox Theatre Co. to do Edgar in "The Dance of Death" then "Buried Child" and "The Curse of the Starving Class" which went to the Adelaide Festival as well. "Long Day's Journey into Night" for Playbox followed by "Crimes of the Heart" for the MTC. "Woodworm" and "Insignificance" for the Playbox - the latter touring to the Festival of Sydney and another appearance at the Opera House. To which he returned months later to play Harry Brock in "Born Yesterday" for the Sydney Theatre Co.

Over the next several years Files continued playing leads and supports in theatre starting with "Shorts At The Wharf" for the S.T.C. then Mickey in "Hurley Burley" for the M.T.C., Stalin in "Master Class" for the H.V.T.C., George Coppin in "Occupation Comedian" for the Writer's Theatre, Gerald in "Woman in Mind" for the M.T.C. then "A Hard God" for N.E.T.C. Oscar Wilde in "Oscar Wilde at the Cafe Royale" for the Melbourne International Festival, "For Better For Worse" for Chapel Off Chapel, "Alive At Williamstown Pier" at the Beckett Theatre, "Mysteries" for the Keene/Taylor Company, "Go In Tight" for La Mama, Father Smythe in the Australian musical "Eureka" at Her Majesty's Theatre, Dr Sweet in "Bug" for Red Stitch Theatre and Uncle Konrad in "The Revisionist" for Summers/Blackman.

Film and television

Files has appeared in several Australian films, "The Money Movers", "The Club", "Evil Angels", "Mull" and "Dead End". As well as two animated features "The Littlest Convict" and "Abra-Cadabra". He also manipulated and voiced the lead muppets Simon Smedley and Aunt Matilda in "The Arcade Show" and "Smedley's Weekly" two TV series for children for the ABC. He has appeared in over 35 television series and features for Australian television, the most memorable being "Desert Foxes", Corp. Andy Edwards in "Rusty Bugles", "Punishment", Fred Ferguson in "Prisoner", Slasher Grey in "The Great Bookie Robbery", Tom Ramsay in the series "Neighbours", Fred Daly in "The True Believers", Frankie in "Rafferty's Rules", Zeke La Russo in "Inside Running", Sam McHeath in "Skirts", Henry Barnes in "Correlli", Kevin Howard in two series of "Pig's Breakfast" and Fergus Marshall in the TV series "MDA". He also played Raymon Radley in the animated series "Dogstar". Other animated series he has appeared in have been "Quads" and "Ocean Girl".

Director

Files started directing in 1993 when he co-founded the Period Pieces Company in an effort to revive classical theatre in Melbourne as it should be experienced. This was a company of Melbourne's finest actors (often locked into television series) who did performed readings of the classics with a complete cast - irrespective of the number of parts called for. Matching the right actors to the age of the character. Thus actors of all ages and experience worked together - something that proved immensely fulfilling - for cast, audience and director. He has directed "There's One In Every Marriage", "The Medieval Mystery Plays", "A Flea in Her Ear", "Trelawny of the 'Wells'", "When We Are Married", "Rookery Nook". "The Devil is an Ass" and the one act opera "Lo Sposo Deluso" by Mozart - all for Period Pieces.

In 1998 Files was artistic director of "Crossing the Line" doing performed readings of plays by screenwriters at the Melbourne Writer's Festival at the Malthouse. For that he directed "Snoop" and "Gossamer". He also directed the play "Allison's Rub" for La Mama and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and has since directed "Dorothy Parker Says" for Michele Stayner at the Chapel Off Chapel.

Writer

Files writing career continued apace in Australia. He wrote the four part comedy serial "Uncle Vinny's Wireless" for ABC - Radio which won him an AWGIE from the Australian Writer's Guild. He has also written, part produced and performed the comedy series "Bruce Roxon The All Australian Time Traveller" for ABC - Radio. He has adapted and read to air the sci-fi classic "The Man In The Maze" and adapted "Tomorrow's Child" as a series for ABC - Radio Schools. He wrote and performed two programmes for the National Gallery of Victoria, "Wedgewood- An 18th Century First" and "The Spirit of Art".

Family

Files' daughter by the Canadian actress Elva Mai Hoover is horror writer Gemma Files.

External links

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