Director/ Actor George Ogilvie, who helmed productions of The Dismissal, Bodyline and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, has died, aged 89.

He had a long directing career in Australia in all mediums; ballet, opera, theatre, television and film.

Ogilvie began as an actor with the Canberra Rep Theatre before moving to the UK and returning to Australia in 1965.

He became Associate Director with the Melbourne Theatre Company where he directed some 23 plays. It was followed by 4 years (1972-1975) as Artistic Director of the South Australian Theatre Company and later as freelance director working with the Australian Opera, the Australian Ballet Company and various Australian theatre companies and teaching at NIDA and Actors Centre Australia.

He directed The Dismissal (in which he also played Senator Jim McClelland), Bodyline, The Shiralee, The Feds, The Last of the Ryans, Touch the Sun, Blue Heelers and films Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, The Crossing and The Place at the Coast. He last appeared on screen in 2014’s The Water Diviner.

In 1983 he was made aMember of the Order of Australia for his services to the theatre and the performing arts.

Source: Australian Plays, Wikipedia, IMDb

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