# Graeme Blundell

Graeme Blundell (born 7 August 1945) is an Australian actor, director, producer, writer, playwright, lyricist and biographer.

## Early life

Blundell was born on 7 April 1945 in Melbourne; he grew up in the suburb of Clifton Hill. He was educated at Merrilands College and Coburg High School, where he served as a Prefect. He then studied arts at the University of Melbourne, where he resided at Ormond College and became involved in student theatre. He has a younger brother, Dennis, and two younger sisters, Margaret and Kathryn.

## Career

In his early years, Blundell worked at La Mama Theatre, the Pram Factory, Hoopla, the Playbox Theatre Company, and the Melbourne Theatre Company. He directed and acted in the premiere performance of Jack Hibberd's play Dimboola at La Mama. His first television appearance was as an uncredited extra in the debut episode of Homicide (1964). He is best known as playing the title character in the 1973 sex-comedy film Alvin Purple and its 1974 sequel, Alvin Rides Again.
He has written extensively in The Australian newspaper as well as writing biographies of Brett Whiteley (Brett Whiteley: An Unauthorised Life, 1996, with his then wife Margot Hilton), and Graham Kennedy.
From March 2011, Blundell hosted Sunday Night at the Movies with Graeme Blundell on Foxtel's Fox Classics channel.
On 29 January 2015, Margaret Pomeranz signed with Foxtel to present a new film and television program on Foxtel Arts, along with Graeme Blundell, a series called Screen. The series was renewed in 2018. As of 2021, Blundell continues to appear in Screen, and past episodes are uploaded to YouTube. He is also TV writer for The Australian newspaper.

## Personal life

Blundell has been married to playwright Kerry Dwyer, author Margot Hilton, and journalist Susan Kurosawa.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 1965 | Watt’s Last Voyage | | Short film |
| 1966 | The Garden of Eden in Winter | | Short film |
| 1968 | The Girl-Friends | | Short film |
| 1969 | Two Thousand Weeks | Journalist (uncredited) | |
| 1970 | The Naked Bunyip | Himself | Documentary Film |
| 1970 | Brake Fluid | | Short film |
| 1971 | Carson’s Watermelons | | Short film |
| 1971 | Stork | Westy | Feature film |
| 1973 | Alvin Purple | Alvin Purple | Feature film |
| 1974 | Alvin Rides Again | Alvin Purple / Balls McGee | Feature film |
| 1974 | Three Old Friends | Ron | Short film |
| 1976 | Mad Dog Morgan | Italian Jack | |
| 1976 | The Sentimental Bloke | The Bloke | |
| 1976 | Don's Party | Simon | |
| 1978 | Weekend of Shadows | Bernie | |
| 1979 | The Odd Angry Shot | Dawson | |
| 1979 | Kostas | John | |
| 1980 | Going Home | Jim | TV movie |
| 1981 | Pacific Banana | Martin | |
| 1981 | Doctors and Nurses | Mr X | |
| 1982 | The Best of Friends | Tom | |
| 1983 | Midnite Spares | Sidebottom | |
| 1984 | Melvin, Son of Alvin | Alvin Purple | |
| 1985 | From Opera with Love | Self | TV movie |
| 1986 | Australian Dream | Geoffrey Stubbs | |
| 1987 | Those Dear Departed | Dr. Howie | Feature film (aka Ghosts Can Do It!) |
| 1987 | The Year My Voice Broke | Nils Olson | Feature film |
| 1992 | The Distant Home | Dr Chambers | Short film |
| 1993 | Joh's Jury | Nicholas Cowdery | TV movie |
| 1994 | Gino | Larry Stone | |
| 1996 | Idiot Box | Detective Eric | Feature film |
| 1999 | Looking for Alibrandi | Ron Bishop | Feature film |
| 2000 | The Love of Lionel's Life | Stan | TV movie |
| 2002 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | Ruwee Naberrie | Feature film (scenes deleted) |
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | Ruwee Naberrie | Feature film |
| 2009 | In Her Skin | Ivan | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 1964-77 | Homicide | John Clark / George Jackson / Duncan / Jason Nash / Tony Guest / Mick Thompson / Freddy Hall / Hazy | TV series, 12 episodes |
| 1969-73 | Division 4 | Reg White / John Wilson / Alec Mason / Tom Blackett / Jimmy Richard / Ray Cooper / Roy Brown / Jerry Fletcher | TV series, 11 episodes |
| 1972 | A Time for Love | Adam | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1973 | Ryan | Slade / Flip Mitchell | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Matlock Police | Jim Andrews | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1974 | Marion | Drunk | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1974 | Behind the Legend | Ray Parer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1974 | The Box | Don Cook | TV series, 162 episodes |
| 1976 | Power Without Glory | Snoopy Tanner | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1976 | Alvin Purple | Alvin Purple | TV series, 13 episodes |
| 1978-82 | Cop Shop | Various characters | TV series, 14 episodes |
| 1980 | Young Ramsay | Bob O’Hara | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1980 | Lawson's Mates | | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1980 | Spring & Fall | Garth | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1980 | Water Under the Bridge | Ralph | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1982-84 | Kingswood Country | Warren Florin / Doug C. Horse | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1983-84 | A Country Practice | Antony York / Hilton Mercer | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1984 | Brass Monkeys | Noddy | TV series |
| 1987 | Vietnam | Miles | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Richmond Hill | Mick Fryer | TV series |
| 1989 | Rafferty's Rules | Bill Wiley | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1992 | G.P. | Dr Peter Swift | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1996 | Naked: Stories of Men | Hughie | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1996-97 | Fire | Snr. Station Officer Druce | TV series, 35 episodes |
| 1996-97 | Medivac | Harry Edwards | TV series, 35 episodes |
| 1998 | Murder Call | Morgan Mason | TV series, season 2, episode 9: Deadfall |
| 2001 | All Saints | Peter Hurst | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2001 | Pizza | Judge | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2002 | The Secret Life of Us | Alex’s Dad | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2003 | Ocean Star | Clive ‘Swampy’ Marsh | TV series, 10 episodes |
| 2003 | Marking Time | Ralph Dave | Miniseries |
| 2004 | Through My Eyes | Rex Kuchel | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Chandon Pictures | John | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2008 | The Hollowmen | Geoff | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2009 | East West 101 | Shock Jock | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Underbelly | Jack Long | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Sunday Night at the Movies | Host | TV series |
| 2011-12 | Laid | Graham McVie | TV series, 12 episodes |
| 2015-2021 | Screen | Co-presenter (alongside Margaret Pomeranz) | TV series |
| 2018 | Saturday Night at the Movies | Host | TV series |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 1969 | Dimboola | Mutton | La Mama Theatre (premiere performance) Also director |

## Writing

* Brett Whiteley: An Unauthorised Life, with Margot Hilton (Macmillan, 1996)
* King: The Life and Comedy of Graham Kennedy (Pan Macmillan, 2003)
* Australian Theatre: Backstage with Graeme Blundell (edited) (Oxford University Press, 1997)
* The Naked Truth: A Life in Parts (Hachette Australia, 2008)
* The Australian newspaper - TV writer