Norman Coburn

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Norman Coburn
Born (1937-03-06) 6 March 1937 (age 87)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia [1]
Education Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust
OccupationActor
Years active1955–2008, 2019

Norman Coburn (born 6 March 1937) is an Australian former actor and playwright best known for his television serial and soap opera roles. He started his early career in theatre, film and television in the United Kingdom in the mid-1950s.

Contents

Coburn became famous as High School English teacher and Deputy/headmaster Donald Fisher in the early years of the soap opera Home and Away . As one of 16 original cast members, he appeared from the pilot episode in 1988 until 2003, and reprised the character in brief sporadic returns between 2004 and 2007. Coburn retired in 2008, with the exception of a TV series guest appearance in 2019 with Home and Away co-star Debra Lawrence.

Early life

Coburn was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia [2] and trained with the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in North Sydney, Australia, before travelling to Britain in the 1950s to pursue an acting career. He appeared briefly in iconic British TV shows such as Dixon of Dock Green and Coronation Street . [3] He quit acting for a time and worked as a restaurateur in London before moving to Cornwall in the south west of the country. Here he owned a vineyard and was involved in converting BBC ventriloquist and artist Francis Coudrill's studio in St Ives into The Mermaid Seafood Restaurant. [4] [5] After being in Cornwall for a number of years in the 1970s, he returned to Australia in the early 1980s and decided to take on acting roles again, one of which, would be the role of Donald Fisher in soap opera Home and Away.

Career

Coburn is best known for his portrayal of Donald Fisher, the principal of Summer Bay High School, in the Australian soap opera Home and Away. He appeared from the show's pilot episode in 1988 until 2003. [6] Coburn was featured in the Guinness World Records as the longest serving actor in an Australian serial, along with co-stars Ray Meagher and Kate Ritchie. [7] Since his departure from Home and Away, he has returned in consecutive guest appearances, the last being in 2007. [3]

In 2014, 11 years after leaving Home and Away, he was featured in a photo shoot for New Idea, in a reunion with former cast members Nicolle Dickson who played his daughter Bobby, Ross Newton (Greg) and Ryan Clark who played his grandson.

Coburn has also appeared briefly in guest roles in soap opera including The Young Doctors , A Country Practice , Sons and Daughters , Special Squad , The Hollowmen and Rosehaven .

Personal life

Coburn originally resided in Perth, and later Brisbane, Queensland. He currently resides on Bruny Island, and located off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. His daughter Nana Coburn, (born 28 September 1971) is an actress best known her two roles as Vicki Baxter and Lisa Matthews on Home and Away .

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1960 Circle of Deception Carter (uncredited)Feature film
1961 On the Fiddle UncreditedFeature film
1962 Carry On Cruising Wireless Operator (uncredited)Feature film
1962The Ghost SonataCoffin BearerTV movie
1963 Tomorrow at Ten Desk ManFeature film
1981 A Step in the Right Direction TV movie
1983 At Last... Bullamakanka: The Motion Picture Walter WilliamsFeature film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1958 Dixon of Dock Green JimmySeason 5, episode 3
1962 Suspense 2nd Ambulance ManSeason 1, episode 1
1962 The Andromeda Breakthrough Crowd ExtraSeason 1, episode 2
1962 Compact James CrownEpisodes 73-75
1982 A Country Practice Neville RoebuckSeason 2, episodes 1-2
1982 1915 English P.O.W.Miniseries, episode 7
1983 Five Mile Creek Stage Coach PassengerSeason 1, episode 1
1984 Special Squad GriffinSeason 1, episode 5
1986 Sons and Daughters Fred SykesSeason 5, episode 42
1987 Rafferty's Rules Const. Skeggs / Doug2 episodes
1988-2003, 2004-05,
2007, 2019		 Home and Away Donald Fisher Seasons 1-16 (main; 1,489 episodes)
Seasons 17-18, 20 (recurring; 36 episodes)
2008 The Hollowmen JeffSeason 2, episode 6
2019 Rosehaven GarethSeason 3, episode 2

Theatre

sourced from AusStage
TitleYear
Happy Returns1955/1956
Twelfth Night 1956
The Rivals1956
Blood Orange1956
Hamlet 1957
The Relapse1957
White Nancy1982
A Night in the Arms of Raeleen1982
Once in a Blue Moon1983
Quartermaines Terms1983
Hanging Together 1984
Visitor from Mamaronick1985
Whose Life Is It Anyway?1987
D Week1987
The Diary of Anne Frank1987
Married Together1992
Humble Boy2004
Retreat From Moscow2005
Death of a Salesman 2008

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Donald Fisher is a fictional character in the Australian television soap opera Home and Away played by actor Norman Coburn as a regular character, from the soap's inception in 1988 to 2003. The role initially had the name Raymond Phillips however producers changed the name prior to final filming. He acts as the main antagonist in the show's pilot episode, willing to go to any lengths to ensure local teen Bobby Simpson is locked up, however his character soon softens. He spends almost his entire tenure on the show as the Principal of Summer Bay, where he is stern but fair to all the students. Although departing as a main character in 2003, Coburn has since returned for brief appearances in 2004, 2005 and 2007. Coburn's long-running portrayal of Fisher earned him a place in the 2002 Guinness World Records alongside castmates Ray Meagher and Kate Ritchie as the longest serving cast member of an Australian soap opera.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucinda Croft</span> Soap opera character

Lucinda Claire "Lou" Croft is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Dee Smart. The character made her first screen appearance on 13 June 1991. Smart successfully auditioned for the role in her final year of drama studies and began filming in April 1991. Lucinda is characterised as a "tomboy" who rides a motorbike and has a self-assured persona. Lucinda arrives in Summer Bay to live with her uncle, Donald Fisher. Writers soon introduced her estranged brother David Croft and set up a romance with Nick Parrish.

References

  1. ↑ "Norman Coburn".
  2. ↑ "Norman Coburn".
  3. 1 2 O'Leary, Abigail (4 May 2016). "What happened to the stars of Home and Away? From major Hollywood success to devastating tragedy". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "Mermaid Seafood Restaurant".
  5. ↑ "Wine hopes for UK". The Canberra Times. 21 July 1970. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  6. ↑ Bellman, Annmaree (27 February 2003). "Preview". The Age . Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  7. ↑ Barnier, Linda (17 January 2003). "Channel surfing – The TV week". Newcastle Herald . Retrieved 2 August 2017.
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