George Whaley

George Whaley is an Australian actor, director, producer, and writer born on 19 June 1934 in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia. Initially, George trained himself as an engineer before graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art from 1976 to 1981, with Alexander Hay. George studied with Eilewn O'Keefe; she was the only person who introduced George’s to the Russian Theatre Group and changed George views about life and acting. He was Head of directing at Australian Film Television and Radio School, his best friend, and former director of AFTRS, Storry Walton, said Whaley had a brief career as a great, amazing and wonderful contribution to the Australian Theatre, and films.

In 1962, George opened a 140 seat Emerald Hill theatres with fellow director Wal Cherry in South Melbourne. George appeared in many theatre plays and the stage shows in the Old Tote Theatre, The Nimrod Theatre Company, The Griffin Theatre Company, The Melbourne Theatre Company and The Belvoir Street Theatre. Whaley directed many theatre plays like a Sentimental Bloke, The Perfectionist, Brecht's Mother Courage, Harold Pinter's Old Times. George had made a short film Dancing, set in a Greek dancing School, when he was studying of stage to screen course at Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney, after seeing his short film The director Buckley, appointed him to direct, Harp, for South Network Ten inspired by the novel Ruth Park.

Buckley said that Whaley’s short film Dancing showed Whaley knew how to work with actors and what to do with the camera. Whaley's play drawn which he taken from Steel Dude’s stories, an adaption based on Whaley’s play drawn made with the title Dave, and Dave: On Our Selection, starring Leo Mac Kern, Geoffrey Rush He first appeared in TV Series “Consumer Capers” f >> Read More... and Joan Sutherland. After George’s honest serving as the head of acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, he selected for directing consultant by AFTRS in the 1990s and later as a head until 2002. His wife's name is Georgina, aka Georgie; they have two sons Michael and Matthew. George was also the grandfather of five grandchildren.

George was a flexible director and producer who easily worked on many posts at one time. He collaborates on various projects without any complaint. The director and actors whom he worked with always considered him as a sweet an honest person. John first acted in the play Look Back In Anger in 1960, played the role of an angry young man. In the same year, he met with his future wife Georgina and married to her in the year 1966. In 1968, he won the Best Actor award for his character of John Proctor in the movie The Crucible. After that, he continued acting in films as well as theatre plays in Sydney.

As a teacher of actors, he launched many hit and famous actors at the Jane Street Theatre in 1979 and with his films. One famous actor Geoffrey Rush, George, gave his first stage role in Waiting For Godot play At the Jane Street Theatre, who then joined hand in many projects of Hollywood. George launched many actors in which includes famous actors and directors Judy Davis, Mel Gibson Mel Gibson is an American multitalented filmmaker >> Read More... , Colin Trials, John Howard, Hugo Weaving Hugo Weaving aka Hugo Wallace Weaving was born in >> Read More... , Steve Bisley, Robert Menxines. After becoming a successful director and producer, George became an author in which he wrote the famous 2009 biography of Leo Mac Kern: The Accidental Actor, also known as Rumpole of the Bailey, highly praised by the audience.

His fans and followers say he spoke in a brilliant voice, and we can see a big smile on George's face whenever he addressed the people. George was also supportive of Young actors and directors who have an ambitious ideas. George considered Stanislavsky's method as his God and said that it is the best way of practicing and rehearsing the performances with moment by moment and with beat by beat. George was also nominated for AACTA Award, and Australian Film Institute Award. Cameras, editing and special effects were the little interest to him. In his final years, he paralyzed with Parkinson’s disease, which gave him increasingly pain.Then he moved to Feros Village in Bangalow, where he found extra care, and sadly, he passed away on 6 August 2019.