Frank Woodley

Infobox Comedian
name = Frank Woodley


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birth_name = Frank Wood
birth_date = February 29, 1968 (age 40)
birth_place = Australia
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medium = Stand-up, television, theatre, books
nationality = Australian
active = 1987–present
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website = http://www.frankwoodley.com.au/
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Frank Woodley (born February 29, 1968 [cite web |author=Lloyd, Tim | url=http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23267989-5016434,00.html | title=Quite Frankly |work=Adelaide Now |date=2008-02-25 | accessdate=2008-08-30] ) is an Australian comedian who is best known for his work alongside Colin Lane as part of the comedic duo, Lano and Woodley. The two performed together for almost 20 years in live shows, a television series and an album of comedic songs, before deciding to pursue individual careers in 2006. As a solo performer, Woodley has frequently appeared as a guest on Australian television shows and has created several live shows, including the one-man play "Possessed".

Personal life

Woodley was born Frank Wood, the youngest of seven children in suburban Victoria. His family ran a milk bar in Glen Waverley. [cite web |author=Woodley, Frank | url=http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,21838728-5005364,00.html | title= Dairy Queen friends |work=Perth Now |date=2007-06-02 | accessdate=2008-08-30] He adopted the stage name Frank Woodley—drawn from a childhood nickname—when he began performing as part of the comedy duo Lano and Woodley in 1993, and in 2000 had his name changed by deed poll to avoid confusion.

Career

Lano and Woodley

Woodley performed with fellow comedian Colin Lane as part of the duo Lano and Woodley for a period of almost 20 years. The two met through theatresports in the mid-1980s and first performed together at an open mike night at the Prince Patrick Hotel in Collingwood, Victoria in 1987 along with their friend Scott Casely, calling themselves the Found Objects.cite web |author=Houston, Melinda | url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/03/23/1143083900413.html | title= So long, farewell |work=The Age |date=2006-03-26 | accessdate=2008-08-30] Over the next six years, the trio performed in venues throughout Australia and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They necame semi-regulars on ABC TV's "The Big Gig", a show known for boosting the careers of new comedy acts, had their own commercial radio show for six months and were part of the short-lived Seven Network sketch show "The Comedy Sale".cite web |author=Staff writer | url=http://www.thegroggysquirrel.com/comics/KL/lano-woodley/ | title= Lano & Woodley (Australia) |work=The Groggy Squirrel |date=2007-02-12 | accessdate=2008-08-31] When in 1992 Casley moved away to Alice Springs, Woodley and Lane decided to continue as a duo, drawing their name from childhood nicknames.

As Lano and Woodley, the two adopt humorous onstage personas, with Woodley playing a "goofy innocent" who is frequently bullied by Lane's pompous, controlling character. Their first show as a comedy duo, "Fence", debuted in 1993. It toured throughout Australia, winning the Moosehead Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for best act and was eventually taken the the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1994, where it won the prestigious Perrier Comedy Award. Subsequent live productions have included "Curtains", "Glitzy", "Slick", "Bruiser", "The Island" and their 2006 farewell show, "Goodbye". In 2000, they co-hosted the televised Melbourne Comedy Gala.

Woodley and Lane have created two television shows together. "The Adventures of Lano and Woodley", which premiered on the ABC in 1997, was a comedy series which featured the duo living together in a fictional suburban Melbourne flat and frequently getting into trouble. It aired for two seasons, becoming the first Australian show to be sold to the BBC and airing in 38 other countries. Although they were offered the opportunity to make the series in England, the pair decided to remain in Australia because they did not want to live in London.cite web |author=Low, Lenny Ann | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/lano-and-woodley-parting-of-the-wags/2006/02/23/1140563906158.html | title= Lano and Woodley: parting of the wags |work=Sydney Morning Herald |date=2006-02-25 | accessdate=2008-08-31] In 2004 their live show, "The Island", was filmed as a TV special and aired on The Comedy Channel. The duo have also released an album, "Lano & Woodley Sing Songs", and a novel, "Housemeeting".

In 2006, after close to 20 years of working together, Woodley and Lane decided to part ways. Woodley states the split was due to a desire to pursue new challenges. "We just got to the stage where we felt we had to make a decision," he says. "Either we were going to spend the next 20 years doing this, this'd be our career, our lives forever. And that wouldn't have been a terrible thing. Or we could go, 'Let's have a bit more variety in our lives'." In one final tour, the duo travelled through 37 Australian cities with their farewell show, "Goodbye".

olo work

Woodley made his solo debut in 2003 at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with "The Happy Dickwit", a show about "a whole lot of unrelated ideas".cite web |author=Turner, Tonya | url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24217844-5003423,00.html | title=Frank Woodley gets physical for laughs in Possessed |work=Courier Mail |date=2008-08-23 | accessdate=2008-08-30] cite web |author=Staff writer | url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/comedy-festival/whatever-possessed-them/2008/02/19/1203190815177.html | title= Whatever possessed them... |work=The Age |date=2008-02-20 | accessdate=2008-08-30] He has since performed a number of solo stand-up shows, and in 2008 debuted a one-man play entitled "Possessed". Directed by Kate Denborough and featuring music from Paul Mac, "Possessed" is the story of Louie, a lonely recluse who falls in love with, and becomes possessed by, the ghost of a 19th century shipwreck victim. Woodley says that the show came out of the desire to do a big solo show and his interest in doing a romantic comedy: "So I was thinking that maybe I could do a solo romantic comedy where I fell in love with myself. Although it was just a stupid joke initially, I started thinking about having a ghost possess me and then I fall in love with the ghost. I have to help free her from the curse she's under." [cite web |author=McLennan, Scott | url=http://www.ripitup.com.au/interviews/6265 | title=Frank Woodley: Unlawful Possession |work=Rip It Up |date=2008 | accessdate=2008-08-30] The show has toured both nationally and internationally, and draws inspiration from Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Don Adams, Peter Sellers, Jerry Lewis and Laurel and Hardy.

Woodley has made regular guest appearances on Australian television, including "Spicks and Specks", "Good News Week", "Thank God You're Here", "The Sideshow", "Big Question", "Rove Live" and "Australia's Brainiest Comedian". In 2008, he appeared in a series of television advertisements for Metlink promoting public transport in Melbourne, in particular buses. [cite web |author=Drill, Stephen | url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24268022-2862,00.html | title=Ghost buses haunt Melbourne's outer suburbs |work=Herald Sun |date=2008-08-31 | accessdate=2008-08-31]

In 2007, Woodley performed in the stage show "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)", a 97 minute production which encompasses 37 Shakespearian plays. [cite web |author=Staff writer | url=http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,21456651-5005364,00.html | title=Woodley gets Complete Works |work=Perth Now |date=2007-03-26 | accessdate=2008-08-30]

Woodley currently hosts a classic Aussie comedy block on The Comedy Channel called Aussie Gold every Friday night. [cite web |authort=David Knox | url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/09/frank-woodley-comedy-gold.html | title=Frank Woodley, Comedy Gold |date=2008-09-13 | accessdate=2008-10-2]

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0940353|name=Frank Woodley