Greg Fleet
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Gregory Fleet (born 1962) is an Australian
comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...
and
actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
.


Early life

Fleet was born in
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. His father moved the family to Australia when Greg was four. He grew up in
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...
, and as a teenager boarded at
Geelong Grammar School Geelong Grammar School is a private Anglican co-educational boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located in Corio on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay. Establ ...
. Fleet briefly attended Australia's
National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, it offers bachelor's, master's and vocational degrees in subjects including acting ...
(NIDA), but he was kicked out after a year for poor performance.


Career

Fleet began his acting career in the early 1980s with several performances in Australian television series and telemovies. He appeared in '' Matthew and Son'' alongside
Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...
in 1984, and then played the role of "Delivery Man 2" in an episode of ''
Prisoner A prisoner, also known as an inmate or detainee, is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...
'' a role that he discussed on Tony Martin's ''
Get This ''Get This'' was an Australian radio comedy show which aired on Triple M and was hosted by Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee, with contributions from panel operator, Richard Marsland. A different guest co-host was featured nearly every day on the ...
'' radio show in 2010, resulting in him gaining an underground fame and following as "Delivery Man 2". Fleet went on to star as Lt Scott Harris in the Australian mini-series ''
A Thousand Skies ''A Thousand Skies'' is a 1985 Australian mini series about the life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. It was based on the novel ''The Empty Sky'' by Tasman Beattie and was partly financed by Film Victoria. The budget was $4.5 million.Ed. Scott Mu ...
''. He also appeared in the ABC TV police dramas '' Phoenix'' and ''
Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janus (''Ianu ...
'' as well as playing guest roles in ''
The Flying Doctors ''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. Tom Callaghan. ...
'' and '' Stingers''. In 1988, after a guest appearance in ''The Flying Doctors'', Fleet took on the role of Dave Summers in the Australian soap ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
''. His most dramatic sequence in this program involved killing the popular character of
Daphne Daphne (; ; , , ), a figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in which she appears, but t ...
in a car accident. Though Fleet has often commented that he was not sure if the role was supposed to be comedy or drama. Fleet then appeared in the popular Australian comedy sketch show '' Full Frontal'' and was a regular on the live comedy show ''
The Big Gig ''The Big Gig'' was a popular Australian television sketch comedy music/variety series based on the British TV series '' Saturday Live''. It was produced and broadcast on ABC TV in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was produced and directed by ...
''. Since then, Fleet has been a regular stand-up comedian around Australia, and has appeared on many TV and radio comedy programs, including
The Comedy Channel The Comedy Channel (promoted on air as comedy) was an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, and Optus Television. The channel ceased broadcasting on 1 September 2020. History A joint venture between Artist Services ( ...
's '' Stand Up Australia!''. He was the announcer and narrator for the comedy series ''
Real Stories ''Real Stories'' is an Australian satirical television comedy series produced by Carlton Television for Network Ten. It was created by Hamish Blake and Andy Lee. The series was first broadcast on 22 August 2006. Eight episodes were produced. ...
'' on the
Ten Network Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...
, and provided the voice of "Sandy" the Yellow
Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...
in TV commercials for the Home Hardware hardware store chain for 11 years. In 2001, he was flown to London to appear in
Al Murray Alastair James Hay Murray (born 10 May 1968) is an English comedian. After graduating from the University of Oxford, Murray's comedy career began by working with Harry Hill for BBC Radio 4. He regularly performed at the Edinburgh Festival Frin ...
's TV sitcom ''
Time Gentlemen Please ''Time Gentlemen Please'' is a British sitcom primarily written by Richard Herring and Al Murray and broadcast on Sky One from 2000 to 2002. Premise The show is set in a forgotten, unwelcoming pub whose opinionated landlord, "Guv" (short for " ...
''. During 2006 and 2007. Fleet was often heard on
Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 45 radio stations with flagship stations broadcasting a mainstream/classic rock music format in Sydney, Melbourne, and B ...
's ''
Get This ''Get This'' was an Australian radio comedy show which aired on Triple M and was hosted by Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee, with contributions from panel operator, Richard Marsland. A different guest co-host was featured nearly every day on the ...
'' radio program as a frequent guest co-host alongside Tony Martin,
Ed Kavalee Edward Robert Kavalee (born 30 June 1979) is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, podcaster, radio and television presenter and association football commentator. He is a recurring panellist on Network 10's '' Have You Been Paying Attention?'' ...
, and
Richard Marsland Richard Kemble Marsland (5 September 1976 – 6 December 2008) was an Australian comedian, radio and television personality, and writer. He was known for his work on several radio shows, including ''Get This'' on Triple M, and for writing and ...
. On occasions he filled in as a last-minute replacement guest as he only lived a short distance away from the
Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 45 radio stations with flagship stations broadcasting a mainstream/classic rock music format in Sydney, Melbourne, and B ...
studio. In 2011, Fleet commissioned a DVD containing segments of some of his best-known performances. The DVD was sold as ''Bootlegs and Jumperpants'' and was sold for $19.95. Fleet mentioned that the funds from this DVD were going towards financing the filming of his classic 1995 show ''Thai Die'' as a feature-length comedy special. It was scheduled to be filmed on 7 November 2011 at The Comics Lounge in Melbourne, and it was released in 2012. In 2015, Fleet starred in the Australian zombie comedy film '' Me and My Mates vs the Zombie Apocalypse,'' alongside fellow Australian comedians Jim Jefferies and Alex Williamson. In 2013, he appeared in '' Underbelly: Squizzy'' playing Richard Harris "Australia's most violent prisoner" and in 2016 appeared in series one of '' Wolf Creek'' as the bikie "Gundog". In 2018, he wrote and starred in the modern adaptation of Macbeth, ''Signifying Nothing'', the second of his plays to win best theatre and critics choice awards at the Adelaide fringe. In 2021, he co-wrote and acted in the play ''The Twins'' with his old school friend Ian Darling, which opened at the 2021 Adelaide Fringe Festival and won the Mental Health Awareness Award. In 2023, he played in Allan King's psychological horror film ''Vincent'' as the drug dealing paedophile Micky St Peters. In mid 2024, he finished writing his fourth book ''The Last Ride'', which will be in stores early 2025. He also finished work on a screenplay called ''I Know, I Know'' based on his novel ''The Good Son''. The screenplay was co-written with his partner, filmmaker Philippa Bateman. In 2024, Fleet announced his semi-retirement from performing stand up comedy having appeared in 27 consecutive
Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the largest international comedy festival in the world. First held in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starti ...
s, half a dozen
Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
festivals and performing all over the world.


Books

*''Thai Die'' (2002) Random House *''These Things Happen'' (2015) Macmillan 9781743537916 *''The Good Son'' (2018) Random House *''The Last Ride'' (2024)


Personal life

When Fleet was ten, his father faked his own death, only to reappear later in his life. His father changed his name, married, and fathered another child during this absence, and then eventually returned to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Fleet expanded upon these experiences in his live show ''I Wish You Were Dead''. Fleet has also fought a long battle with
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...
addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...
, a subject he has covered in many media interviews, his live show ''10 Years in a Long Sleeved Shirt'', and on the 1997
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
television program ''Smallest Room in the House''. In 2015, Fleet also revealed a six-month-long addiction with
methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...
in 2005. In 2007, Fleet went into drug rehab and returned for the 2 April 2007 episode of ''
Get This ''Get This'' was an Australian radio comedy show which aired on Triple M and was hosted by Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee, with contributions from panel operator, Richard Marsland. A different guest co-host was featured nearly every day on the ...
''. Although Fleet had claimed to be drug-free, he admitted in an interview in April 2011 that he was stoned during that performance. Fleet is a passionate long-distance supporter of the Hibernian Football Club of
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.


References


External links


Official Greg Fleet site
*



{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleet, Greg Australian people of American descent Australian stand-up comedians Living people People educated at Geelong Grammar School Male actors from Geelong 1962 births Comedians from Geelong Australian male comedians Comedians from Michigan American emigrants to Australia