John Gaden

John Gaden was born in Sydney where his father owned a successful legal practice, Gadens. He attended Cranbrook School, Sydney, where he performed in various school plays. After school he studied arts and law at the University of Sydney. After appearing with the Sydney University Dramatic Society, he decided to pursue a theatrical career in lieu of a legal one.^[1]

His professional career started in the early 1960s.^[1] In 1970 he appeared in a production of Hadrian the Seventh in Perth, directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie, and with fellow actors Arthur Dignam and Judy Nunn.^[1][2] Guthrie was impressed enough with Gaden to recommend him to Robin Lovejoy, who cast him in a production of The Crucible, which resulted in a positive review from The Sydney Morning Herald's theatre critic Harry Kippax, which in turn led to a three-year contract with the Old Tote Theatre Company (the precursor of the Sydney Theatre Company).^[1] He has also recorded audiobooks of British children's series Fireman Sam and Australian children's series Magic Mountain.

He performed many roles with Sydney's Nimrod Theatre Company in the 1970s. For three years he was associate director of the Sydney Theatre Company with Richard Wherrett, during which time he directed and co-directed the notable production of The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby.^[1]

From 1986 to 1989 Gaden was artistic director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia based in Adelaide.^[1][3] In Adelaide he co-directed various productions with Gale Edwards. He has also appeared with the Belvoir St Theatre and the Queensland Theatre Company.

Gaden had a strong connection with novelist and playwright Patrick White. He performed in a 1980 ABC TV adaptation of White's play Big Toys, a 1985 production of his play Signal Driver: A Morality Play for the Times and the film of White's novel The Eye of the Storm.^[4] As Artistic Director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia, Gaden commissioned White's final play, Shepherd on the Rocks (1987) and played the lead role in the premiere production, alongside Geoffrey Rush and Kerry Walker.^[5]

Gaden would appear in ABC legal comedy Fisk, Gaden was announced to return for the third series^[6]

John Gaden was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 1986 Australia Day Honours for his services to the performing arts.^[7] He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) at the 2018 Australia Day Honours.^[8]

He was won two Helpmann Awards for Best Male Actor in a Play: in 2001, for Yasmina Reza's The Unexpected Man, and in 2007, for The Lost Echo. In 2005 he won a Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play for Michael Frayn's Democracy.

He is divorced, and has a son and three grandchildren. He lives alone.^[1]

John Gaden on IMDb