Ben Gabriel (25 February 1918 – 25 April 2012) was an English Australian character actor, director, voice artist and theatre founder. Gabriel had numerous appearances in stage and radio roles and in film and television.
Early life Gabriel was born as James Vernon Gabriel in Weymouth, Dorset, England. His mother Ethel Florence McConnell, was born in Kent, England and was an actress and costume designer, who was professionally known as Ethel Gabriel (31 October 1888 – 23 May 1967) Ethel came to Australia in 1919 as a war bride and worked as an actress with the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, featuring in such productions as Ray Lawler's Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. and also toured in that production in the West End and on Broadway, she appeared also in the 1959 film adaptation.
Gabriel grew up in Sydney and Wollongong and saw war service as a lance-sergeant for six years with the 9th division during World War II. He officially changed his stage name to Ben Gabriel, a name he had always used on a personal basis.
Career Gabriel's career began in theatre in the late 1930s and he appeared with his mum in touring productions of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll in 1959 and 1960, continuing roles with the Sydney Theatre Company in Three Sisters and The Lower Depths and also the Ensemble Theatre as a holocaust survivor in a A Shayna Maidel. In 1963, he founded the Q Theatre with his wife-to-be and others, originally operating at Circular Quay and then in Penrith.
Gabriel's television career spanned from the early 1960s until the late 1980s. One of his early roles was as the alien leader, 'the Soshun', in the ABC science fiction series The Stranger. Gabriel appeared in numerous early productions of Homicide, Matlock Police and Division 4, all part of the Crawford Productions banner.
He became best known for his role in Contrabandits as Jim Shirley, winning the Penguin Award for Best Supporting Actor. Character roles were aplenty in soap operas and serials from Sons and Daughters, Prisoner, Home and Away, All Saints, and Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.
His film repertoire extended with roles in such gems as The Office Picnic, The Mango Tree, Break of Day and Fighting Back.
Filmography
Television Year Title Role Type 1961 Whiplash Ted Cammidge TV series, 1 episode 1961 The Outcasts Dr Jamieson TV miniseries, 1 episode 1964 Consider Your Verdict TV series, 1 episode 1965 The Stranger Soshun TV series, 4 episodes 1965–1975 Homicide Father Coghlan / Grant / Clarrie Lucas / Ronald Marshall / Maleski / Robert Morton / Billy Garret / Joe Johnston / Chester Bradley / Gordon Carstairs / Stan Harris / Charles Kemp / Tim Latimer TV series, 13 episodes 1966 The Interpretaris Parta Beno TV miniseries, 6 episodes 1967 My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? TV series, 1 episode 1967 Australian Playhouse Old Man TV series, 1 episode 1967 Love and War Fred TV miniseries, 1 episode 1967–1968 Contrabandits Jim Shirley TV series, 30 episodes 1968 Skippy the Bush Kangaroo Receptionist TV series, 1 episode 1969 Riptide Fenwick TV series, 1 episode 1969–1975 Division 4 Various roles TV series, 11 episodes 1970 The Rovers Horace Soames TV series, 1 episode 1970 Delta Lawson TV series, 1 episode 1971 The Group Mr Sebel TV series, 1 episode 1971 Barrier Reef Sergeant Dwyer TV series, 1 episode 1970–1971 Dynasty 'Unk' Martel TV series, 22 episodes 1972 Lane End Chris Pappas TV miniseries, 7 episodes 1972 Boney Snr Constable Sassoon TV series, 1 episode 1972 The Far Country TV miniseries 1972–1973 Over There Pop TV series, 7 episodes 1972, 1975 Behind the Legend John Monash TV anthology series, 2 episodes 1973 Ryan Vedat Avdi TV series, 1 episode 1973 The Evil Touch Dr Phillips TV series, 1 episode 1974 This Love Affair Anthology TV series, 1 episode 1974 Rush Reverend Smith TV series, 1 episode 1974 A Touch of Reverence TV miniseries 1971–1975 Matlock Police Various roles TV series, 7 episodes 1975 The Last of the Australians Arnold Harris TV series, 1 episode 1975 Cash and Company Lucky TV miniseries, episode 5: "Intersection" 1975 Ben Hall MacKenzie TV miniseries, 3 episodes 1975 Quality of Mercy TV series, 1 episode 1975 Shannon's Mob Aklov TV series, 1 episode 1975 King's Men Marshi TV series, 1 episode 1978 Glenview High Dr Watts TV series, 1 episode 1978 Case for the Defence Edward Freeman TV series, 1 episode 1978 Chopper Squad The Lighthouse Keeper TV series, 1 episode 1979 Prisoner Edward Warner / Ted Warner TV series, 6 episodes 1982 MPSIB Tom TV series, 1 episode 1983 Sons and Daughters Bert Wilkins TV series, 254 episodes 1988 Australians San Francisco Doctor Anthology TV series, episode 6: "Lola Montez" 1988 Rafferty's Rules George TV series, 1 episode 1989 G.P. Vittorio TV series, 2 episodes 1989 E Street William Jackman TV series, 2 episodes 1983–1990 A Country Practice Dr Hamish Wood / Snow Brennan / Billy Perkins TV series, 10 episodes 1991 The Flying Doctors Franz Josef TV series, 1 episode 1996 Home and Away Harry Prendegrast TV series, 3 episodes 1997 Fallen Angels Giuliano Mazzoni TV series, 1 episode 1998–2002 All Saints Mr Henderson / Mr Kucharski TV series, 2 episodes
Film Year Title Role Type 1955 Three in One: Joe Wilson's Mates The Priest Anthology film 1957 The Three Drovers TV movie 1960 Turning Point Steve Pringle TV movie 1961 A Little South of Heaven Eddy TV movie 1963 The Dreaming Narrator Short film 1964 Bertrand Mr Watson TV movie 1966 The Man Who Saw It Whit Morgan TV movie 1970 Strange Holiday TV movie 1972 The Office Picnic Mr Johnson, the Boss Feature film 1973 Flashpoint Mine Manager Feature film 1976 Let the Balloon Go Mr Sumner Feature film 1976 Break of Day Mr Evans Feature film 1976 God Knows Why, But It Works First Doctor Short film 1977 The Mango Tree Wilkenshaw Feature film 1977 The Claim Documentary 1979 Vox Pop Short film 1981 A Step in the Right Direction TV movie 1981 Hoodwink Martin's Father Feature film 1982 Fighting Back Moreland Feature film 1985 I Can't Get Started Lazarus Feature film 1988 Touch the Sun: Princess Kate Taxi Driver TV movie 1992 Resistance Quincy Feature film 2001 My Husband, My Killer Andrew Kalajzich TV movie
Theatre Year Title Role Type 1939 1066 And All That Theatre Royal, Sydney 1945 The Doctor's Dilemma Independent Theatre, Sydney 1949 A Marriage of Convenience Independent Theatre, Sydney 1950 Bound East for Cardiff Independent Theatre, Sydney 1950 The Long Voyage Home Independent Theatre, Sydney 1950 Moon of the Caribees Independent Theatre, Sydney 1950 In the Zone Independent Theatre, Sydney 1950 S.S Glencairn Independent Theatre, Sydney 1951 Madam Louise Palace Theatre, Sydney with Ben Fuller 1954 The Two Bouquets Julian Bromley Independent Theatre, Sydney 1957 The Willow Pattern Plate Fisherman / Coolie Phillip Street Theatre, Sydney 1958 The Shifting Heart Donny Pratt National Theatre, Launceston, Theatre Royal, Hobart, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne with AET Trust 1958–1960 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Barney Theatre Royal, Adelaide, Regional Australian tour, Theatre Royal, Adelaide, Grand Opera House, Wellington, Gisborne, New Zealand, His Majesty's Theatre, Auckland with AET Trust, J. C. Williamson & New Zealand Players 1960 The Square Ring Joe ABC TV Studios, Sydney 1960 Hunger of a Girl Independent Theatre, Sydney 1961 Roots Independent Theatre, Sydney 1961 A Little South of Heaven Eddie ABC TV Studios, Sydney 1961, 1966 The One Day of the Year Wacka Arts Council tour, Cooma Town Hall & Tokyo 1963 Macbeth Tasmania with Curtain Theatre Company & AET Trust 1963 Henry V Tasmania with Curtain Theatre Company & AET Trust 1963 Rashomon Independent Theatre, Sydney with AET Trust 1963 The Dumb Waiter AMP Theatrette, Sydney with Q Theatre Company 1964 George AMP Theatrette, Sydney with Q Theatre Company 1964 The Proposal AMP Theatrette, Sydney with Q Theatre Company 1964 The End of the Beginning AMP Theatrette, Sydney with Q Theatre Company 1964 Rusty Bugles Independent Theatre, Sydney 1964 Sweet Day of Decision Old Tote Theatre, Sydney with AET Trust 1965 The Dock Brief Herbert Fowle West End Rialto, Brisbane with Q Theatre Company 1965 The Proposal Stephan Stepanovich Choobukov West End Rialto, Brisbane with Q Theatre Company 1965 The Business of Good Government Assembly Hall, Sydney with Q Theatre Company 1966 Tiny Alice Julian Old Tote Theatre Company 1966 The Gents AMP Theatrette, Sydney with Q Theatre Company & AET Trust 1966 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll AMP Theatrette, Sydney 1968 Dick Whittington and His Cat Independent Theatre, Sydney 1969 Narrow Road to the Deep North Independent Theatre, Sydney 1970 Death of a Salesman Willy Loman Old Tote Theatre, Sydney 1972 The Dock Brief AMP Theatrette, Sydney 1974 Lear King Lear Old Tote Theatre, Sydney 1975 The Department Gordon Marian Street Theatre with Northside Theatre Company & AET Trust 1975 A Breeze from the Gulf The Australian Theatre, Sydney with Peter Williams Productions 1976 All Over The Doctor Nimrod Theatre, Sydney 1976 Perfectly All Right Nimrod Theatre, Sydney 1976 The Joss Adams Show Nimrod Theatre, Sydney 1976 Sextet Nimrod Theatre, Sydney 1976 Equus Frank Strang Seymour Centre, Sydney with Old Tote Theatre Company 1977 The Business of Good Government Assembly Hall, Sydney 1977 The Three Sisters Chebutykin Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company 1977 The Entertainer Voice of Brother Bill Q Theatre, Penrith 1977 The Lower Depths Luka Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company with Old Tote Theatre Company 1978 Don't Piddle Against the Wind, Mate Bob Davies SGIO Theatre, Brisbane with Queensland Theatre 1978 King Lear Gloucester SGIO Theatre, Brisbane with Queensland Theatre Company 1979 King Richard 'King' Richard Brown ABC Radio Sydney 1979 Kookaburra Bill Clare ABC Radio Sydney 1979 The Department Bobby Q Theatre, Penrith, Marsden Theatre, Parramatta, Bankstown Town Hall 1979 The Devil's Disciple Lawyer Hawkins / Rev Brudenell Sydney Opera House 1980 A Night with the Q: The Dock Brief / The Sponge Room / The Proposal Q Theatre, Penrith with AET Trust 1980 Measure for Measure Escalus Q Theatre, Penrith 1980 Travelling North Freddy Q Theatre, Penrith 1980 The Homecoming Max Q Theatre, Penrith 1980 Happy End Reverend Q Theatre, Penrith 1981 War Horse Jack Armstrong Q Theatre, Penrith, Orange Civic Theatre 1981 No Names... No Pack Drill Browning Q Theatre, Penrith 1981 Buried Child Dodge Q Theatre, Penrith, Bankstown Town Hall, Sydney, Orange Civic Theatre 1981 On Our Selection Dad Rudd Q Theatre, Penrith, Orange Civic Theatre 1982 What the Butler Saw Q Theatre, Penrith 1982 The Club Q Theatre, Penrith 1982 Molly Dies Q Theatre, Penrith 1982 Charley's Aunt Brassett Q Theatre, Penrith, Orange Civic Theatre 1983 The Cherry Orchard Sydney Opera House with STC 1983 Sweeney Todd Beadle Q Theatre, Penrith 1984 The Pillars of Society Aune Sydney Opera Househttps://ibsenstage.hf.uio.no/pages/event/85795 1985 Reedy River Alf Q Theatre, Penrith (also Director) 1985 What If You Died Tomorrow? Marian Street Theatre, Sydney with Northside Theatre Company 1986 No Sugar Sergeant & Neal National Arts Centre, Ottawa, West End Community Centre, Vancouver for Vancouver Expo, Fitzroy Town Hall, Melbourne with AET Trust & Western Australian Theatre Company 1987 Down an Alley Filled With Cats Q Theatre, Penrith 1987, 1988 The Department Gordon Seymour Centre, Sydney, Melbourne Athenaeum with Elston, Hocking and Woods,