Hayes Gordon

Hayes Gordon AO, (25 February 192019 October 1999) was an American-born actor, theatre entrepreneur, theatre producer and director and acting teacher with a considerable career in Australia.

Early life

Gordon was born on 25 February 1920 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Early career in the United States

He was mentored by Oscar Hammerstein II, and appeared on Broadway in several musicals, including the original production of ''Oklahoma!'' (1943), ''Show Boat'' and ''Brigadoon''. He also appeared in America's first television soap opera ''Fashion Story''. He was named in ''Red Networks,'' a newsletter which specialised in naming alleged communists and sympathisers. After he refused in 1951 to sign a loyalty oath declaring that he was not a communist, work dried up completely.

Emigration to Australia and career

Gordon went to Australia in 1952 to star in J. C. Williamson's musical ''Kiss Me, Kate''.

He stayed in the country and established the Ensemble Theatre in North Sydney with a group of young students he tutored from the Independent Theatre. It was a cooperative-style theatre and Australia's first theatre-in-the-round.

He founded an acting school, Ensemble Studios, in 1958, and remained its artistic director until 1986, when Sandra Bates became director.

Toward the end of his life, he published ''Acting and Performing,'' which outlined his Stanislavsky-influenced acting methods.

He played Tevye in the original Australian cast of ''Fiddler on the Roof'' from 1967 to 1970, and later in a 1985-86 revival for the Australian Opera. He also played 'Daddy' Warbucks in the original Australian cast of '' Annie'' which opened in 1978.

Honours

*1997: Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the Australia Day Honours, "In recognition of service to the arts, particularly the acting profession and the theatre and to the community"
*1979: Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year's Honours, "In recognition of service to the performing arts".

Death and legacy

Gordon died on 19 October 1999 in Sydney.

In 1999 The Glugs named one of their awards the Hayes Gordon Memorial Award for Important Contribution to Theatre.

Personal life

Gordon married and divorced American music theatre performer Katrina Van Oss in the U.S. In 1972 he married former student Helen Terry, and had one daughter.

Gordon was a great friend and mentor to Australian actress Denise Roberts, who taught film and television at the Ensemble Studios for Hayes for over six years. In September 2000, Denise established Screenwise and began teaching the Hayes Gordon philosophy for screen acting.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Hayes
1920 births
1999 deaths
American male musical theatre actors
American male stage actors
American male film actors
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American singers
20th-century American male singers
American emigrants to Australia
Australian male musical theatre actors
Australian male stage actors
Australian male film actors
20th-century Australian male actors
20th-century Australian singers
20th-century Australian male singers
Drama teachers
Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Officers of the Order of Australia