Michael Veitch (born 29 November 1962 in Melbourne) is an Australian author, actor and broadcaster, best known for his roles on the
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
aviation, marine science and travel.
Life and career
Television
Veitch attended
Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School is an Australian private school, private Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Day school, day and boarding school. It comprises a co-educational preparatory school from Prep to Year 6 and a middle school and senior s ...
and the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...
(where he completed an arts degree) where he participated in Melbourne University Revues. After one performance, producers from the ABC in 1985 commissioned '' The D-Generation'', a half-hour weekly sketch comedy series. It was followed by a second season in 1987. Veitch performed a variety of characters over both seasons of the show, and went on to write and perform in the sketch comedy shows '' Fast Forward'' and '' Full Frontal'' on the
Seven Network
Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
between 1989 and 1995.
As one of the lead performers, Veitch became known for impersonations and characterisations of current film and TV personalities such as Sonny ('' Skippy'' parody), Clive Robertson and
Clive James
Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.Steve Vizard.
In 2005, Veitch made a short-lived return to sketch comedy in '' Let Loose Live''. Prior to the show's debut, Veitch had said in an interview with the '' Melbourne Age'' that
From 2006 to 2009, Veitch presented ABC Television's flagship arts magazine program, '' Sunday Arts''; this was one of the roles which he had performed in parody a decade before on '' Fast Forward''.
In 2012, Veitch starred in the award-winning short film ''Best Kept Secret'', a mockumentary spoof on tourist promotion, filmed in Tasmania and directed by David Pyefinch.
Veitch joined the ensemble cast of the sketch comedy series ''
Open Slather
''Open Slather'' is an Australian sketch comedy television series which first aired on The Comedy Channel on Foxtel on 24 May 2015. The 20 episode series is executively produced by Laura Waters and Rick McKenna. After the first ten episodes air ...
'' which began airing on
Foxtel
NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...
Veitch has written eleven books on the topics of history, military history, travel and Australia's role in the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
. He has also pursued a lifelong interest in the aviation of the Second World War, the subject of his first three books. ''Flak – True stories from the men who flew in World War II'' published in 2006 by Pan Macmillan and later, ''Fly: True stories of courage and adventure from the airmen of World War II'' published by Penguin Australia in August 2008.
A third book, ''The Forgotten Islands'', exploring the lesser-known islands of Bass Strait, was published by Penguin Australia in August 2011. In 2015, Veitch wrote ''Southern Surveyor'', a book about the CSIRO's Marine National Facility's research vessel.
Also in 2015, Veitch produced a third volume of Second World War airman stories, ''Heroes of the Skies'', published by Penguin Books. In July 2016, he released ''44 Days – 75 Squadron and the Fight for Australia'' through Hachette Australia. This work explores the six-week period in early 1942 when a single squadron of RAAF airmen defended Port Moresby against the ascendant Japanese. His seventh book, detailing the ordeal of an Australian airmen fighting with the French Resistance in 1944, was released by Hachette in late 2017.
Radio
In 2010, Veitch moved to Hobart, Tasmania, to host afternoons on 936 ABC Hobart local ABC radio. At the beginning of 2012, he began hosting the evening program across Tasmania. Later that year, he left ABC local radio to commence working with a theatre production, with his final broadcast occurring on 20 September 2012.
Theatre
In 2003, Veitch played one of the lead roles in the Australian production of the musical ''
The Full Monty
''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film is set ...
'', based on the 1997 film. In 2004, he starred in the musical comedy ''It's a Dad Thing'' which toured nationally.
In 2009, Veitch played the lead role of Molly Meldrum in the Melbourne musical comedy ''Countdown'', a tribute to the iconic '' Countdown'' TV show of the 1970s and '80s. Veitch was praised for his performance, one reviewer remarking (of the show's return in 2011), "renowned Australian actor Michael Veitch brings the role of Molly Meldrum to life – his portrayal is nothing short of outstanding. One would be forgiven for thinking that Meldrum himself was back on stage. Veitch's imitation skills are flawless and his comic timing is second to none."
In 2014 and 2015, Veitch toured Australia in ''Flak – True stories from the men who flew in World War Two'', a one-man stage version of his aviation books, in which he performs, in character, several of the men whose war stories he uncovered in his books ''Flak'' and ''Fly''.
Personal life
Veitch has a daughter who edited the student magazine '' Farrago'', and two sons. In 2020, he was admitted into the RAAF as a Special Reservist officer, joining the History and Heritage Branch as a Community Liaison Officer with the rank of Squadron Leader.
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
Bibliography
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*, also presented as a one-person play
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