Nicholas Eadie

Nicholas Eadie (1958 – 22 January 2025) was an Australian television, film and theatre actor.

Early life and education

Born in Sydney, New South Wales to actor and Australian Broadcasting Commission radio announcer Mervyn Eadie, he attended Waverley College from 1968 to 1976, studied Arts at University of New England for one year in 1977, and studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art from 1978 to 1980.

Career

Film and television

Eadie’s career began shortly after his graduation from NIDA, landing the role of Constable Sam Phillips on ''Cop Shop'' (1981–1982). He stayed on the series for two years. He then appeared in several films, including ''Undercover'' (1983), '' Kindred Spirits'', ''Run Chrissie Run!'' (both 1984), and '' Jenny Kissed Me'' (1986). He gained further success in family drama series ''The Henderson Kids'' (1985) alongside Kylie Minogue and Ben Mendelsohn, playing the part of the protagonists' uncle, Mike Henderson.

He won the Australian Film Institute's Best Actor in Miniseries award in 1987 for ''Vietnam'', in which he co-starred with Nicole Kidman and Barry Otto. In 1988, he played a rich would-be suitor in '' The Man from Snowy River II'' endeavouring to court Jessica Harrison (played by Sigrid Thornton). Eadie was nominated again for his 1988 portrayal of World War II Academy Award-winning cameraman Damien Parer in John Duigan's '' Fragments of War''

Further notable television roles included a recurring role in medical drama '' Medivac'' (1996), as well as appearing in long-running series ''A Country Practice'' (1993). In 2002, Eadie was nominated for yet another AFI Award for '' Halifax f.p.'' (for one of two episodes he appeared in).

Eadie's final screen role was as Father John Brosnan in the 2011 TV film, '' Underbelly Files: The Man Who Got Away'', the story of Australian drug smuggler David McMillan.

Theatre

Eadie worked with all the major Australian theatre companies with over 45 credits to his name. He appeared in leading roles in plays as diverse as Tennessee Williams' ''The Glass Menagerie'' as The Gentleman Caller in a highly acclaimed performance in 1985, ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' as Brick (opposite Victoria Longley as Maggie and Bud Tingwell as Big Daddy) in 1991. He played John Proctor in three separate productions of ''The Crucible'' ( Royal Queensland Theatre Company in 1991, STC in 1993, and STCSA in 2002).

In Sydney’s Botanical Gardens, Eadie performed for three seasons as Oberon in Glenn Elston's production of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. He played Sam in the original cast of '' Mamma Mia!'' in Australia for two years. He was in the world premiere productions of Michael Gow's '' Furious'', Hannie Raison's ''Two Brothers'', Tommy Murphy's ''Holding the Man'' and the highly acclaimed ''Myth, Propaganda and Disaster in Nazi Germany and Contemporary America'' by Stephen Sewell.

Further stage credits included ''Macbeth'', '' Three Sisters'', ''Summer of the Aliens'', '' Two Weeks with the Queen'', '' Furious'', and '' Third World Blues''.

Eadie's final acting role before his death was a 2015 stage production of '' Cock'' at the Old Fitzroy Theatre in Sydney.

Personal life and death

In 2016, Eadie was robbed at knifepoint whilst on holiday in Barcelona, and was admitted to hospital for three days. In 2017, he was again in hospital for a major operation, resulting in a slow and difficult recovery, rendering him unable to return to acting on stage.

In his later years, Eadie worked as an Uber driver, which he claimed to love, enjoying the freedom of being 'his own boss' – while also stating he did not miss acting.

Eadie died in Sydney on 22 January 2025, aged 66. His death was announced by fellow actor Will Conyers on social media.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

Film

TV series

Theatre

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eadie, Nicholas
1958 births
2025 deaths
AACTA Award winners
Australian male television actors
Logie Award winners
Male actors from Sydney
20th-century Australian male actors
21st-century Australian male actors
Australian male film actors
Australian male stage actors