# Terry McDermott (actor)

Terry McDermott (1928 – 14 December 2018) was an Australian stage, radio and television actor known for his roles in the series Homicide and Bellbird.

## Early life

McDermott was born in Sydney, Australia and his family later moved to Adelaide.

## Career

McDermott's began his career performing in the theatre, appearing in plays for the Adelaide Repertory Theatre and University Theatre Guild.
In Sydney, McDermott was a regular in the ABC radio serial Blue Hills, and also appeared in revues at Phillip Street Theatre. In 1963, McDermott founded Sydney's Q Theatre alongside fellow performers Doreen Warburton, Ben Gabriel, Edward Hepple, Robert McDarra and Walter Sullivan. They contributed five pounds each to establish the company, enabling them to launch the Q Theatre Group’s Lunch Hour Theatre at the AMP Theatrette.
It was in television however, that McDermott made his breakthrough, playing the role of Detective Sergeant Frank Bronson, one of three main characters, in the Crawford Productions police series Homicide from its 1964 debut until 1966. He left the show due to a disagreement over contracts and concerns about performing his own stunts. His character was one of the first detectives killed off by an unknown Gerard Kennedy playing a Ronald Ryan-type escapee in Episode 58 entitled "Vendetta".
After a 1966 return to the stage as Bill Sikes in Oliver! and a 12 month stint in the stage production Man of La Mancha, McDermott joined the cast of the rural soap opera Bellbird as Max Pearson in 1969, remaining with the series until 1973. McDermott and fellow cast member Gary Gray produced Country Town, a feature film based on the series, with their newly formed company AVARGO ('have a go').
He had further television roles in Adventures of the Seaspray, Skippy, Division 4, Matlock Police, Bluey, Young Ramsay, Whiplash, The Sullivans, Skyways, Prisoner, Barrier Reef, Anzacs, Neighbours and Cop Shop. He also made a guest appearance in the Australian-filmed late-1980s reboot of Mission: Impossible, reuniting him with American actor Peter Graves, with whom he had worked on Whiplash 30 years earlier.
McDermott also continued to work extensively in theatre, in both plays and musicals. He toured nationally with J. C. Williamson's productions of Cactus Flower, The Amorous Prawn, The Constant Wife and Man of La Mancha. He was also involved numerous productions with Melbourne Theatre Company including London Assurance, The Doctor's Dilemma, Desire Under the Elms, The Play's the Thing, Freeway, Cyrano de Bergerac, Shindig, The Misanthrope and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He was also in a revival of Guys and Dolls and performed in the comedy Flexitime, which toured Australia for almost two years.

## Personal life

McDermott met his wife, teacher Nathalie Kavanagh in 1956, who was working on a production of The Glass Menagerie that he was performing in. They were married the same year. The couple had five children – Amanda, Bernadette, Guy, Michael and Tara. They lived between Sydney and Adelaide, before eventually settling in Upwey, an outer eastern of Melbourne. The family were churchgoers, attending Catholic Church of St Thomas More in Belgrave.
McDermott was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in his late 70s and died from the disease on 14 December 2018, at the age of 90. At the time of his passing, he had 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1963 | Prelude to Harvest | James Ruse | TV movie |
| 1963 | Cruise of the Magi | | Short film |
| 1966 | Ashes to Ashes | Tregembo | TV movie |
| 1966 | Antigone | Chorus member | TV movie |
| 1967 | A Ride on the Big Dipper | Clive Denning | TV movie |
| 1971 | Country Town | Max Pearson | Feature film |
| 1973 | Squeaker's Mate | Doctor | Short film |
| 1977 | The Mango Tree | Somers | Feature film |
| 1978 | The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith | M.P. | Feature film |
| 1979 | Dimboola | Darcy | Feature film |
| 1984 | Niel Lynne | Rob Lynne | Feature film |
| 1986 | A Single Life | Judge | TV movie |
| 1989 | Against the Innocent | Senator / Journalist | Feature film |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1957 | The Adventures of Long John Silver | Man in tavern | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1960–1961 | Whiplash | Jack Sheridan / Tom / Slyter | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1962–1964 | Consider Your Verdict | Detective Sgt Bronson / William Draper | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1963 | Tribunal | Walter Schwieger | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1964–1973 | Homicide | Detective Sergeant Frank Bronson / Lew Church | TV series, 60 episodes |
| 1966–1967 | Australian Playhouse | Detective Hilton / Ben Peters / Detective / Alan Byers | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1967 | Adventures of the Seaspray | | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1968 | Skippy | Hilton | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1969–1973 | Bellbird | Max Pearson | TV series, 836 episodes |
| 1971 | Barrier Reef | Commander Finch | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1971–1974 | Matlock Police | Thomas / Hank Turner / Neil King | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1972 | Boney | Jim Oliver | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1973 | Ryan | Matt | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1973–1974 | Division 4 | Snr Sgt Clive Benson / Duff | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1974 | Marion | Mr Smith | TV miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1976–1981 | Cop Shop | Jacob Friedman / Jim Faulkner / Dr Murdoch / Sgt Alec McEwan / Harvey Miller | TV series, 11 episodes |
| 1977 | Bluey | Inspector Bill Dermott | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1977 | Young Ramsay | Mr Eastwood | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1977 | The Sullivans | Mr Logan | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1979 | Skyways | Fred Manning / Captain Gardner | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1980–1985 | Prisoner | Brian Williams / Father Lennon / Mr Gardiner | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1981 | Holiday Island | Max Costello | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1983–1984 | Carson's Law | Mr Ernie Watson / Robson | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1984 | Special Squad | Inspector | TV series, episode 13: "Jacko" |
| 1985 | Anzacs | Colonel | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1989–1992 | Tanamera – Lion of Singapore | Fire Chief | TV miniseries, 7 episodes |
| 1990 | Mission: Impossible | Mayor | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1990 | Col'n Carpenter | Terrence Berry | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1990 | Neighbours | John Bryce | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 1994 | Time Trax | John Barnett | TV series, 1 episode |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1951 | First Series Short Plays, 1951 season | | Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre |
| 1951 | Family Honour | | Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre |
| 1952 | Flowers for the Living | | Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre |
| 1952 | The Life and Death of King John | English Herald | Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre |
| 1952 | The Brontes | | Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre |
| 1953 | Fireworks in the Morning | Josef Hoksa | University of Adelaide |
| 1954 | Traveller Without Baggage | | University of Adelaide with Adelaide Repertory Theatre |
| 1954 | The Circle | Edward Lutton | University of Adelaide |
| 1955; 1956 | Happy Returns | | Phillip Street Theatre, Sydney |
| 1955 | Nightmare Abbey | | Genesian Theatre, Sydney |
| 1956 | The Glass Menagerie | The Gentleman Caller | Genesian Theatre, Sydney |
| 1956 | The Family Reunion | | Genesian Theatre, Sydney |
| 1956 | The Proposal | | Genesian Theatre, Sydney |
| 1958 | Titus Andronicus | | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| 1959 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | | Independent Theatre, Sydney, Theatre Royal, Adelaide |
| 1959 | The Merchant of Venice | The Prince of Morocco | Theatre Royal, Adelaide, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1959 | King Lear | Duke of Albany | Theatre Royal, Adelaide, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1959 | The Winter’s Tale | Polixenes | Theatre Royal, Adelaide, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1964 | George | | AMP Theatrette, Sydney with Q Theatre Company |
| 1966 | Oliver! | Bill Sikes | Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Canberra Theatre with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1966 | Cactus Flower | | Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal Sydney with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1967 | Luv | | St Martins Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1967 | Man of la Mancha | The Innkeeper | Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1973 | The Play's the Thing | | St Martins Theatre, Melbourne, Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1974 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Big Daddy | St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1974 | The Doctor's Dilemma | | St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1974 | The Misanthrope | Philinte | St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1974 | London Assurance | | St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1975 | Shindig! | | Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1975 | Much Ado About Nothing | | Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1975 | The Freeway | | Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1976 | Man of La Mancha | The Innkeeper | Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Newcastle Civic Theatre with J. C. Williamson's |
| 1977 | Desire Under the Elms | Ephraim Cabot | Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC |
| 1978 | The Ship's Whistle | | Pram Factory, Melbourne with Australian Performing Group |
| 1979 | Flexitime | The Boss | WA, VIC, SA & TAS tour |
| 1982 | Minna Von Barnhelm | The Landlord | Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC |
| 1982–1983 | Last of the Red Hot Lovers | Barney Cashman, Director | Melbourne Athenaeum |
| 1985 | Footrot Flats - The Musical | Cooch / Major | Australian tour with John Manford & Associates |
| 1985 | Cyrano de Bergerac | Carbon de Castel-Jaloux | Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1986; 1987 | Guys and Dolls | Lt. Brannigan | Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Opera Theatre, Adelaide with National Theatre of Great Britain |
| 1990 | The Night Visitor | | Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Workers Theatre |
| 1994; 1995 | Me and My Girl | Charles, The Butler | Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, Princess Theatre, Melbourne, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney |
| 1995 | Tresno | Musician | Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1995 | Halter of This World | | Roar 2 Studio, Melbourne |
| 1996 | Anne of Green Gables | | Rippon Lea, Melbourne with Performing Arts Projects |
| 2003 | Hello, Last Page of My Life | | La Mama, Melbourne with Performing Arts Projects & Fly on the Wall Theatre |