Roger Oakley (born 21 August 1943) is a New Zealand actor and theatre director noted for his performances in television serials, mini-series, feature and television films. He is also active as a theatre performer, director and voice-over. Oakley has been a professional working actor for over 55 years. He is perhaps best known for his role as the original character of foster father Tom Fletcher between 1988 and 1990, with a brief guest role in 2008 on the Seven Network's soap opera '' Home and Away''. His other notable roles include '' The Sullivans'' television series and film version as Major. Barrington and '' Something in the Air'', as controversial politician Doug Rutherford. Oakley appeared in feature film roles including in 1977 in his native New Zealand in the movie '' Sleeping Dogs'' starring Sam Neill, and in Australia in ''

Sara Dane ''Sara Dane'' is a 1982 Australian television miniseries about a woman transported from England to Australia for a crime she did not commit.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p231 Original novel ...

'', '' Women of the Sun'', '' Travelling North'' and '' My Year Without Sex'' but has also appeared in numerous telemovies and mini-series including the 12-part serial '' The Damnation of Harvey McHugh''.

Early life

Oakley was born in Auckland, North Island, New Zealand on 21 August 1943 and had a regular suburban upbringing. After leaving

Auckland Grammar School Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about It ...

, he studied

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

s in New Zealand, before he moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and appearing on the stage. He emigrated to Australia in 1978, carving out a successful screen career, although he has continued to appear in stage roles, a genre he has been a regular performer since the late 1960s.

Career

Oakley joined the cast of the high rating period drama soap '' The Sullivans'' as Major Barrington. He also appeared in '' The John Sullivan Story'', a spin-off from ''The Sullivans''. He has appeared in numerous mini-series and television movies. He is best known as an original cast member of ''Home and Away'', playing foster father Tom Fletcher from 1988 to 1990, opposite co-star Vanessa Downing who originated the part of wife Pippa Fletcher. He made briefly a guest appearance in 2008. His other role was as Doug Rutherford in ''Something in the Air'' in 2000. Other TV credits include: ''

Cop Shop ''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes. The show The show revolved aro ...

'',

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, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

, A Country Practice, ''

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 of Australia, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. T ...

'', '' Good Guys Bad Guys'', ''

Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for 12 years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted the e ...

'', ''

The Young Doctors ''The Young Doctors'' is an Australian early-evening soap opera originally broadcast on the Nine Network and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation, it aired from Monday, 8 November 1976 until Wednesday, 30 March 1983. The series is prima ...

'' and '' Neighbours''. , he remains active in the industry. He featured in the stage productions of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flowe ...

'', ''The NightWatchman'', ''Circle Mirror Transformation'' by Annie Baker, and ''The Golden Dragon'' by contemporary German playwright

Roland Schimmelpfennig Roland Schimmelpfennig (born 19 September 1967) is a German theatre director and playwright. His plays are performed in more than 40 countries. Biography Schimmelpfennig was born in Gottingen. He began his career as a journalist in Istanbul, b ...

. He also appeared in the television series '' Underbelly'' and ''

Winners and Losers ''Winners & Losers'' is an Australian television drama series first broadcast on the Seven Network on 22 March 2011. It was created by the producers of '' Packed to the Rafters'' and is aired in the show's former time slot. ''Winners & Losers ...

''. Film roles include ''

'', '' Travelling North'', '' The Far Country'' and ''The Last of the Ryan's''.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1943 births 20th-century New Zealand male actors 21st-century New Zealand male actors Actors from Auckland Living people Male actors from Sydney New Zealand emigrants to Australia New Zealand expatriates in England New Zealand film directors New Zealand male film actors New Zealand male television actors New Zealand male voice actors People educated at Auckland Grammar School People from Auckland {{NewZealand-tv-actor-stub