Jon Finlayson Movies, TV Shows, and Filmography
Jon Finlayson
Acting
Biography
Jon Douglas Finlayson (23 March 1938 - 12 September 2012) was an Australian stage and screen character actor and writer, director, producer and singer He was known for his roles in the films Lonely Hearts and The Magic Show. At the age of eight, Jon began his long career in the performing arts, touring all over Australia for many years as a boy soprano for the Australian Boys Choir. He was actively involved in theatre throughout school and, as a teenager, began performing weekly on The Fakermagangees, the long-running children's radio serial on 3DB. This was followed by many other Australian radio dramas over the years. After matriculating Finlayson threw himself into amateur theatre productions for some years. He spent many years performing in musicals at the Comedy Theatre, Her Majesty's, the Princess and Russell Street Theatre, including The Fantasticks, Robert and Elizabeth, Bells Are Ringing, For Amusement Only, Lock Up Your Daughters and Auntie Mame. He was also well-known from his numerous television roles, such as Colonel Archibald Spencer in Zoo Family (1985) and as James Gleeson in Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1995–1996). He wrote sketches for The Mavis Bramston Show. He was noted for his hospitality as well as his 'Sunday Soirees' in the Melbourne show business community.
Filmography Movies
Acting
Alvin Purple
Alvin is your average guy, except for the fact women find him irresistible and chase him everywhere. He tries to avoid them and get psychiatric help but gets used by the psychiatrists as a gigolo to treat other patients instead.
Alvin Rides Again
Alvin Purple, a man who can't hold down a job because of his voracious sexual appetite, impersonates a dead American Gangster.
Melvin, Son of Alvin
A shy young man is irresistible to women.
Girl Toy
A seductive motorcycle girl helps a geeky guy overcome his fear of women, until he is kidnapped by a cult of sex-obsessed women!
Skin Deep
Drama and tensions rise as two determined partners in a successful Australian fashion empire will stop at nothing to achieve individual success.
The Magic Show
The Magic Show is a one-act musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Bob Randall. It starred magician Doug Henning. Produced by Edgar Lansbury, it opened on May 28, 1974 at the Cort Theatre in Manhattan, and ran for 1,920 performances, closing on December 31, 1978. Henning was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and director Grover Dale was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. In 2001, a filmed performance staged especially for the cameras in 1980, directed by Norman Campbell at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto, was issued on DVD by Image Entertainment. This production, originally intended for cinema release, differed notably from the original Broadway production, with several of the most memorable songs, such as "West End Avenue" and "Solid Silver Platform Shoes", removed. Doug Henning reprised his original starring role, while Didi Conn co-starred as Cal.
Evil Angels
Based on the true story of Lindy Chamberlain who, during a family camping trip to Ayers Rock in central Australia, claimed she witnessed a dingo take her baby daughter, Azaria, from their tent. Azaria's body was never found and, after investigations and two public inquests, she is charged with murder.
A Kink in the Picasso
Two crooked gallery officials swap a Picasso for a fake hoping to make a fortune. When thieves break into the gallery to steal the Picasso, an amusing chain reaction snowballs into a hilarious romp.
Lonely Hearts
In this offbeat comedy, an unlikely romance develops between a flamboyant, middle-aged piano tuner and an extremely timid office worker.
My First Wife
My First Wife is about the dramatic collapse of the marriage between John and Helen. It is also a film about our children and the future we offer them. Helen has decided to leave, and it is John who lacks the inner resources to cope with the impending tragedy. Slowly he is sucked into a tunnel of despair – fighting his conservative nature and the romantic memories of his married life.
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