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John Derum | |
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| Born | John Bernard Derum 9 January 1946 East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupations |
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| Blue Mountains City Council | |
| In office 1995–1999 | |
John Bernard Derum AM (born 9 January 1946) is an Australian stage, film and television actor. He is also an artistic administrator and directed and produced for theatre companies throughout Australia and for television. Derum has also been a politician for local council.
John Bernard Derum was born in St Vincent's Maternity Hospital [1] in East Melbourne (now demolished) [2] on 9 January 1946. [1] [3] [4] He is the son of Scottish immigrants.
From the age of 10, Derum studied and performed in choral music and musical theatre, with the Australian Boys Choir. He also performed and competed in Irish and folk dancing. [5]
Derum first appeared on Australian television in the first episode of Homicide in 1964 – a serious role as the delinquent son of a bank security guard. Later, he appeared in another Australian police drama Division 4 (1970–1972). He became well known for his role as Narrator Neville in the first season of the ABC's irreverent satire/comedy The Aunty Jack Show (1972). [6] [7] Derum appeared in a number of comedy and revue series including The Thursday Creek Mob (1971), The True Blue Show (1975), Doctor Down Under (1979) as Doctor Maurice Griffin, [8] and Ratbags (1981). He appeared in the final edition of The Mavis Bramston Show in 1975.
He played B. A. Santamaria in the ABC miniseries True Believers (1988) and Francis James in The Gadfly (1994) [9] and appeared in G.P. and Mother and Son .
For ABC Television, he hosted more than 200 editions of the national quiz The Oz Game and more than 50 episodes of the Australian music and folklore program That's Australia .
Derum lent his voice to the ABC children's animated television series The Adventures of Sam , the animated film Dot and the Kangaroo (1977) and a tv movie version of Wind in the Willows (1988). He also narrated the audio book Sanctuary by Judy Nunn.
His film appearances include Mad Dog Morgan , The Trespassers (1976; as Richard), [6] [10] Kazzam International , and The Night the Prowler (1978; as John). [6] [11]
John Derum has become widely identified with his interpretation of the work of Australian writers, particularly C. J. Dennis. He performed More than a Sentimental Bloke, his tribute to Dennis, more than 500 times around Australia between 1979 and 1994. He has also recorded and performed The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke and the Dennis masterpiece The Glugs of Gosh .
He was twice held offices for Actors Equity and founded an actors support group called "Actor's Forum".
Derum first appeared in theatre the same year he made his TV debut in 1963, after being cast in a production of the George Whaley play Billy Liar at Wal Cherry's Emerald Hill Theatre. Within six months, he was working alongside Googie Withers and Keith Mitchell in a nationwide Shakespeare tour called The First Four Hundred Years. The young actor continued to work and mature and play roles in such productions as The Seagull (Adelaide Festival, 1970), Peer Gynt (Sydney Opera House) and several roles in The Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (Sydney Theatre Company, 1983–1985), and The Crucible (Sydney Theatre Company) and numerous other revues, musicals and variety performance.
Derum was artistic director of the Canberra Theatre Company in 1985 and 1986.
He was awarded a Literary Fellowship by the Australian Defence Force Academy, which enabled an expanded script of More than a Sentimental Bloke.
Derum served as Manager of the Independent Theatre, from 1996 and 1999, overseeing the restoration and re-opening of the historical theatre.
After his return from the Blue Mountains to Sydney in 2007, he resumed his career as an actor and director. He has directed many rehearsed readings of new scripts, including Waiting for Goterson by Sam Atwell. He played Oscar Wilde in Lady Windermere's Fan and Aiden Turner and David Marsh in David Hare's The Power of Yes in 2010.
Derum was elected to Blue Mountains City Council from 1995 to 1999 and worked as a political adviser between 2001 and 2007. He was appointed to the Theatre Committee of the NSW Government Arts Advisory Board, and worked on the staff of the NSW Minister for the Environment and Attorney-General and as electorate advisor for three members of parliament.
Derum was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on 26 January 2019, "for significant service to the performing arts as an actor, director and administrator, and to the community". [12]
Derum is married to Jane Gilling and together they have two children, Clancy and Oliver.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Sidecar Racers | Pete McAllister | |
| The Great Macarthy | Flatulent Man | ||
| 1976 | Mad Dog Morgan | Evans | |
| The Trespassers | Richard | ||
| Kazzam International | |||
| 1977 | Listen to the Lion | Short film | |
| Dot and the Kangaroo | Voice | Animated film | |
| 1978 | The Night the Prowler | John Galbraith | |
| 1999 | Powderburn | Jess Snr | |
| 2009 | Mack and the Boys | Doc | Short film |
| The Fire | Marcus Brown | Short film | |
| 2010 | Perspective | Art Teacher | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The First 400 Years | Miniseries | |
| 1964–1972 | Homicide | Ken Webster / Jason Todd / Hooligan / Ray Healy | 4 episodes |
| 1965 | The Magic Boomerang | The Stand-In | 1 episode |
| 1966 | Antigone | Haemon | TV play |
| Australian Playhouse | Son | Episode: "Objector" | |
| 1968 | Hunter | Chris Frazer | 1 episode |
| 1969 | The Greater Illustrated History of the Glorious Antipodes Show | ||
| 1970 | Delta | Staines | 1 episode |
| Mrs. Finnegan | Sanderson | 1 episode | |
| 1970; 1972 | Division 4 | Eddy Marshall / Malcolm Tanner | 2 episodes |
| 1971 | The Thursday Creek Mob | Corporal Ginger Wiseman | |
| The Comedy Game | Narrator Neville | 1 episode | |
| 1972 | The Aunty Jack Show | Narrator Neville / Various | Season 1, 8 episodes |
| 1973 | Our Man in the Company | Peter Goonasekeria | 1 episode |
| The Evil Touch | Charlie | 1 episode | |
| The True Blue Show | Host | ||
| 1974 | The Spiral Bureau (aka Eye of the Spiral) | TV movie | |
| 1975 | Last Rites | TV movie | |
| Matlock Police | Malcom Newson | 1 episode | |
| King's Men | Wills | 1 episode | |
| The Mavis Bramston Show | |||
| 1977 | The Off Show | Various characters | |
| Young Ramsay | Robert Sutherland | 1 episode | |
| 1978 | Father, Dear Father in Australia | Andrew Stone | 1 episode |
| 1979 | Doctor Down Under | Dr. Maurice Griffin | 3 episodes |
| 1981 | Sporting Chance | 1 episode | |
| Ratbags | Various characters | 13 episodes | |
| 1988 | Australians | Len Mauger | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| Mother and Son | Estate Agent | 1 episode | |
| True Believers | B. A. Santamaria | Miniseries, 8 episodes | |
| Wind in the Willows | Toad / Judge / Rabbit | Animated TV movie | |
| 1988–1989 | The Oz Game | Host | 200+ episodes |
| 1990 | Winners | Mrs Finkel's Niece's Husband | 1 episode |
| 'The Gadfly | Francis James | ||
| That's Australia | Host | 50+ episodes | |
| 1991 | The Last Crop | Carter | TV movie |
| G.P. | Sam Howard | 1 episode | |
| The Last Crop | Carter | TV movie | |
| 1992 | The Time Game | Wylie | TV movie |
| 1997 | The Adventures of Sam | Moon Daughter (voice) | Animated series, 1 episode |
| 1998 | Water Rats | Tony Thomas | 1 episode |
| 2002 | All Saints | John Wheeler | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Young Lions | Magistrate | 1 episode |
| 2003 | Snobs | Mr Alexander | 11 episodes |
| 2011 | Underbelly | Clarry McMahon | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Total Control | Father Harry | 1 episode |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The Dumb Waiter | Stage Manager | Curzon Cinema, Melbourne |
| 1972 | Father Dear, Come Over Here | Director | Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1976 | Same Difference | Director | Bondi Pavilion, Sydney |
| 1979–1983 | More than a Sentimental Bloke | Adaptor | Australian tour |
| 1980–1995 | Piaf: The Songs and the Story | Devisor | Regent Theatre, Sydney, Seymour Centre, Sydney, Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Universal Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1983 | The Zoo Story | Director | Rehearsal Room, Canberra |
| 1985 | Us or Them | Director | Playhouse, Canberra |
| Don't Pay! Don't Pay! | Director | ||
| Benefactors | Director | ||
| 1987 | Farcearting Around: The Purging / Anatol / The Tenor | Director | Flinders University, Adelaide |
| 1988–1989 | Piaf | Devisor | Universal Theatre, Melbourne, Sydney Opera House, Canberra Theatre |
| 1993 | The Glugs of Gosh | Director | Bridge Theatre, Sydney with Theatre South |
| 2008 | Waiting for Gotterson / Nothing Like Old Times | Director | Newtown Theatre, Sydney with Ferknerkle Productions |
| The Waxeuse | Director | [5] | |
| 2009 | Housebound | Director | [5] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | King Richard | Tony Bailletti | ABC Radio Sydney |
| 1979 | Little Lunches | Malcolm | ABC Radio Sydney |
| Year | Title | Author |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Shearers' Motel | Roger McDonald |
| Great Australian Drinking Stories | Jim Haynes | |
| Sanctuary | Judy Nunn | |
| 2017 | The Desert Column | Ion Idriess |
| 2018 | High Voltage | Jeff Apter |
| Down Under | Trevor Conomy | |
| 2019 | Moody's Tale: The Story of Corporal Horrie | James Bell Moodie |
| Heritage | Judy Nunn | |
| Khaki Town | Judy Nunn | |
| Gripped by Drought | Arthur W. Upfield | |
| Killer Instinct: Having a Mind for Murder | Donald Grant | |
| The House of Cain | Arthur W. Upfield | |
| The Great World | David Malouf | |
| Pills, Powder, and Smoke | Antony Loewenstein | |
| A Royal Abduction | Arthur W. Upfield | |
| 2020 | The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter | Adam Courtenay |
| 2021 | Showtime! | Judy Nunn |
| Araluen | Judy Nunn | |
| 2022 | The Sentimental Bloke | C. J. Dennis |
| The Glugs of Gosh | C. J. Dennis | |
| 2024 | Stories from the Otto Bin Empire | Judy Nunn |
| International | |
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| People | |
| Other | |
