Shane Connor

Last updated

Shane Connor
Born (1959-04-03) 3 April 1959 (age 64)
Semaphore, South Australia, Australia
Education Victorian College of the Arts at University of Melbourne
OccupationActor
Years active1981–present
Known for Neighbours as Joe Scully

Shane Connor (born 3 April 1959) also billed/credited as Shane Feeney-Connor, is an Australian actor, who has had extensive experience in stage, television and film productions, both locally and internationally in the United Kingdom and United States.

Contents

Connor is probably best known for his role in TV serial Neighbours as patriarch Joe Scully.

Connor has appeared in the Network Ten TV series Prisoner as well as its re-imagined series Wentworth on Foxtel. [1] In Prisoner , his character was the brother of Glenda Linscott's character, Rita Connors. In the reimagination, Wentworth , he played the partner of Leah Purcell's updated version of the very same character.

Early life

Connor was born in Woodville, South Australia in April 1959 and graduated from University of Melbourne drama division the Victorian College of the Arts in the early 1980s. He worked steadily in film, theatre and television for many years.

Career

Connor's television credits include the Channel Seven series Fire , the Australian Broadcasting Corporation drama Heartland , the miniseries The Harp in the South and Poor Man's Orange and Halifax f.p. (1998). He appeared in the USA television network miniseries Moby Dick as Flask.

Connor also played guest roles in Australian soap operas: He played a guest role of Kevin, husband of Cheryll (Lisa Aldenhoven), in the women's prison drama serial Prisoner . Then in 1986 he returned to the series in the recurring role of biker Bongo Connors. Connor had a brief role as another biker, Angel, in Sons and Daughters in 1986.

Awards include the 1984 Penguin Award for best actor, 1995 Green Room Award for outstanding fringe performer and a nomination for the 1998 AFI Award for best actor in a leading role in a television drama (Halifax f.p.). [2]

Neighbours

In July 1999, Connor joined the cast of Neighbours and began filming the ongoing role Joe Scully of builder and family patriarch, with his first scene's going on air in October. [3] The show's producers invited him to audition for the role, and he decided to accept when he found out that he would be working with actress Janet Andrewartha, who plays Joe's on-screen wife Lyn Scully. [3] Connor had previously played a guest role in the series as character Phil Hoffman debuting on-screen in "Episode 1410" on 26 March and appearing until 16 April 1991. [4] Joe Scully gave Connor the chance to play a character who was not a "bad guy, a confrontational type, a man on the verge". [3] Connor was initially contracted with Neighbours for three years, with 12-month renewal options. [3]

Connor was fired from the series in September 2003, several months after receiving a written warning from producers and overcoming an amphetamine habit. There had been ongoing hostility between him and Andrewartha; who had been the source of the vast majority of complaints about him. [5] He sued the show's producer, Grundy Television, for wrongful termination of his contract, seeking about $200,000. [5]

The court hearing heard that he had an amphetamine drug habit while performing on the show. Connor's older brother died in June 2001 and he had been badly affected by this, leading to the drug habit. Members of the cast and crew had complained about his behaviour at work. This included alleged aggressive behaviour and lateness that delayed production. After being confronted about his problem he met with the cast in May 2003 and admitted the problem and apologised. [5]

Connor won the case and was awarded by the Supreme Court of Victoria over $230,000 in libel damages. [6]

After Neighbours

Connor worked in the United Kingdom in pantomime. [6] He also appeared as a guest in reality TV show The Salon . He also appeared in Killing Time . [1]

He later guested in Nine Network's House Husbands . [1] Connor joined the cast of Wentworth in a recurring role in 2018. [1]

Filmography

Film

TitleYearRoleType
1984 Street Hero Yokel's MateFeature film
1984 Every Move She Makes TonyTV movie
1985 Rooted TV movie
1985 Emerging McNairTV movie
1986 Army Wives GrantTV movie
1988 Tender Hooks WayneFilm
1988 Breaking Loose: Summer City II SampsonFilm
1989Action ReplayFilm
1995 Rainbows End GeorgeFilm
2008Playing for CharlieJoe Ruddock
2013 Wolf Creek 2 Senior Sergeant Gary Bulmer Jnr.Feature film
2016 The Manny DadTV movie
2021OMG DadShort

Television

TitleYearRoleType
1981 Cop Shop Gardener No. 1TV series
1983-84 Carson's Law Clerk / Joe / Gil Bishop / Albert RudgeTV series
1983-86 Prisoner Kevin Armstrong / Maintenance Squad Man / Brian "Bongo" ConnorsTV series
1987 The Harp in the South Charlie RotheTV miniseries
1987Poor Man's OrangeCharlie RotheTV miniseries
1987 Sons and Daughters Angel JonesTV series
1987–91 The Flying Doctors Rick/Ross BecherTV series
1984-91 A Country Practice Peter Neal / Barry Hamilton / Colin ScottTV series
1991 Neighbours Phil Hoffman TV series
1992 Phoenix MannyTV series
1992 Police Rescue GeoffTV series
1994 Heartland Ben LovellTV miniseries
1994 Sky Trackers Sergeant BlakeTV series
1993-94 Law of the Land Harry MilesTV series
1995 Fire David 'Giraffe' SimpsonTV series
1995 Snowy River: The McGregor Saga Tyler MorganTV series
1996The BiteThompsonTV miniseries
1997 Good Guys, Bad Guys BiancoTV series
1998 Raw FM DiggerTV series
1998 Blue Heelers Danny HobsonTV series
1998 Moby Dick Mr. FlaskTV miniseries
1998 Wildside Terry YoungTV series
1998 Halifax f.p. RayTV series
1999 Stingers Terry CollisTV series
1999-2004 Neighbours Joe Scully TV series, 295 episodes
2003 (or 2004) The Salon HimselfTV series
2005 Twisted Tales Ben KettleTV series
2008 Mark Loves Sharon Roy WardTV series, 2 episodes
2009 Dirty Game Max MeesTV miniseries
2009-10 Satisfaction KarlTV series, 6 episodes
2007-11 City Homicide Gareth Nunn / Philip CarterTV series
2011 Killing Time StrawhornTV miniseries
2015 House Husbands Farmer ToddTV series
2018-19 Wentworth Ray Houser6 episodes
2022 The Twelve (Australian TV series) [7] Steve Dokic5 episodes

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Knox, David (16 June 2018). "Shane Connor cast in Wentworth". TV Tonight . Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Neighbours turn nasty, Connor shown door". The Sydney Morning Herald . 27 October 2003. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Enker, Debi (10 February 2000). "Rumblings in Erinsborough". The Age . Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  4. ↑ Fletcher, Mary (20 April 1992). "I'd rather be a stud than a kidnapper!". Woman's Own : 52–53.
  5. 1 2 3 "Sacked from Neighbours over drugs, star sues". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 October 2005. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  6. 1 2 "Sacked Neighbours star gets $230,000". news.ninemsn.com.au. 1 December 2005. Archived from the original on 12 January 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  7. ↑ https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/06/the-twelve.html
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