Simon Chilvers (born 5 April 1939) is an English-born, Australia-based television actor.
Early life Chilvers was born in London in 1939, and discovered art as a young child, drawing images of planes flying overhead during World War II.
He attended Knox Grammar School, in the Sydney suburb of Wahroonga, from 1949 to 1956. Upon leaving school, his parents encouraged him to pursue a career in advertising. Unenthused, he was instead inspired by his grandmother to attend an acting audition, where he was immediately offered a role.
Career Chilvers started off his career acting for the stage, at the Melbourne Theatre Company, playing roles In productions by Shakespeare, Ibsen and Chekhov.
He went on to appear in television series such as A Country Practice, Prisoner, Homicide and Division 4. He also played the main role of Sergeant Julian Flicker in drama series Rafferty's Rules.
Chilvers won the 1986 AFI Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Mini Series for his role in the miniseries The Dunera Boys. He was nominated for the same award in 1988 for political miniseries True Believers (in which he played Doctor Evatt), and for the 1983 AFI Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for comedy-drama film Buddies.
Chilvers' acting career was upended in 1996 when he was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis, after experiencing an incident on stage. He gradually became less mobile and eventually his work was limited mostly to narration work in documentaries.
Personal life Chilvers and his wife Sally met at the ages of 43 and 21, respectively, while working together on a Sydney Theatre Company production of A Happy and Holy Occasion in 1982. Sally was the assistant manager on the production. After conducting a long distance relationship between Melbourne and Sydney, they moved into a flat together in Manly in 1986.
In 1996, Chilvers was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. In 2016, his wife qualified as a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, and treats him on a daily basis.
Chilvers has resided in the Sydney suburb of Fairlight for 30 years.
Awards and nominations Year Work Award Category Result 1983 Buddies Australian Film Institute Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1986 The Dunera Boys Australian Film Institute Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Miniseries 1988 True Believers Australian Film Institute Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Miniseries
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Type 1965 Daphne Laureola TV movie 1972 The Man Who Shot the Albatross Feature film 1974 The End Product Dr Cardios TV movie 1974 The Cherry Orchard TV movie 1977 High Rolling Sideshow Boss Feature film 1983 Buddles Alfred Feature film 1983 A Descent for Gossips Mr. Findlay TV movie 1984 Annie's Coming Out Metcalf Feature film 1984 The Young Wife Peter Barwine TV movie 1985 The Naked Country Inspector Poole Feature film 1986 Sky Pirates Rev. Mitchell Feature film 1986 Robbery Chief Super. Bill Sullivan TV movie 1986 The Big Hurt Algerson Feature film 1986 Windrider Howard Feature film 1989 Home Brew Pat Daley TV movie 1992 Garbo Detective Feature film 1992 The Time Game George Johnson Feature film 1995 Mushrooms Instop Feature film 2004 Jessica Judge TV movie 2005 Hell Has Harbour Views George Hancock TV movie
Television Year Title Role Type 1983 And the Big Men Fly Harry Head TV miniseries 1965 The Magic Boomerang 1973-74 Ryan Henderson / Fat man / Joe TV series 1972-75 Division 4 Joseph Cooper / Charlie Gibson / Brent Nichols TV series 1977 Homicide 3 roles TV series 1976-81 Cop Shop Various TV series 1983 Prisoner Det. Sgt. Terry Farmer TV series 1983 Five Mile Creek Lord Rivers TV series 1983 The Young Doctors Steven Karp TV series 1984 A Country Practice Cameron McPherson TV series 1984 Waterfront Cross TV miniseries 1984 The Last Reunion Earle Page TV miniseries 1984 The Cowra Breakout Major. Horden TV miniseries 1984 Special Squad Maguire TV series 1984 Eureka Stockade Bishop Goold TV miniseries 1985 The Dunera Boys Col. Berry TV miniseries 1987 The Petrov Affair H.V. Evatt TV miniseries 1987 Willing and Abel Pisani TV series 1987 Ground Zero Commission President Film 1987 The Shiralee Thaddeus TV miniseries 1988 True Believers H.V. Evatt TV miniseries 1987-91 Rafferty's Rules Jullian Flicker TV series 1991 Ratbag Hero Baldy TV miniseries 1992 Cluedo Harold Felon TV series 1993 Minder Bill McCabe TV series 1994 The Damnation of Harvey McHugh Douglass TV miniseries 1995 Janus Magistrate. Shearer TV series 1997 Fallen Angels Bernie Levinson TV series 1999 Big Sky Rex TV series 2001 The Farm Phil Reynolds TV miniseries 2001 Always Greener Charlie Parker TV series 2003 Changi Father Keogh TV miniseries 2001 Corridors of Power Lester TV series 1999-2007 All Saints 3 roles TV series 2009 Rogue Nation Child Judge 2019 Rake Albert TV series
Theatre
As actor Year Title Role Notes 1961 Restless Heart Pymble Community Hall, Sydney 1962 Noah NSW tour with Pymble Players Inc 1962 The Desk Set St Martins Theatre, Melbourne 1962 Blithe Spirit Charles VIC & SA regional tour with Union Theatre Repertory Company 1963 Richard II University of Melbourne with Union Theatre Repertory Company 1963 The Devil’s Disciple Major Swindon 1963 A Cheery Soul Mr Furze 1963 The Man Who Came to Dinner Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Repertory Company 1963–1964 And the Big Men Fly Commentator / Harry Head Russell St Theatre, Melbourne, Arts Theatre, Adelaide, Victorian regional tour with Union Theatre Repertory Company 1964 Critic's Choice University of Melbourne with Union Theatre Repertory Company 1964 Hamlet Horatio University of Melbourne, Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Repertory Company 1964 Love Rides the Rails or Will the Mail Train Run Tonight? Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Repertory Company 1964 The Golden Legion of Cleaning Women 1964 After the Fall 1964 Photo Finish Sam at Forty University of Melbourne with Union Theatre Repertory Company 1964 Night of the Auk Colonel Tom Russell 1964–1965 A Thousand Clowns Albert Amundson 1965 Present Laughter Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Repertory Company 1968 The Crucible Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1968 The Magistrate Russell St Theatre, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre, Mildura Arts Centre, Broken Hill, King's Theatre, Mt Gambier, Adelaide Teachers College with MTC 1968 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1968 Burke's Company Wright 1968 The Man in the Glass Booth 1970 Cat Among the Pigeons Russell St Theatre, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre with MTC 1970 A Doll's House Dr Rank 1970 Philadelphia, Here I Come! Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1970 The Caucasian Chalk Circle Shalva 1970 Day of Glory 1970 The Devils 1970 Son of Man 1971 All's Well That Ends Well Captain Dumain Octagon Theatre, Perth with MTC 1971 The Government Inspector Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1971 The Philanthropist 1971 King Lear 1971 The Recruiting Officer 1971 Galileo Russell St Theatre, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre with MTC 1971 The Contractor 1971 The Man Who Shot the Albatross Major Johnston Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre, Elizabethan Theatre, Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide with MTC 1972 Danton's Death Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1972 Macquarie 1972 Sticks and Bones 1972 An Ideal Husband Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane, Playhouse, Perth with MTC & J. C. Williamson's 1972–1973 The Cherry Orchard Elizabethan Theatre, Sydney, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Playhouse, Perth, Canberra Theatre with MTC 1973 Mother Courage Princess Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1973 Batman's Beach-Head Comedy Theatre, Melbourne with MTC & J. C. Williamson's 1973 Paying the Piper Comedy Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1973 Design for Living St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1974 The Doctor's Dilemma 1974 The Removalists Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1974 The Sea 1974 Pericles, Prince of Tyre 1975 Much Ado About Nothing Russell St Theatre, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre with MTC 1975 Thark St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1976 Going Home 1976 Othello Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1977 The Game of Love and Chance Dorante St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1977 The School for Scandal Sir Peter Teazle Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1977 The Wild Duck Hjalmar Ekdal 1977 The Merchant of Venice Antonio 1977 Pygmalion Colonel Pickering 1977 Ring Round the Moon Romainville 1978 Breaker Morant 1978 Departmental Superintendent Spartan Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1979 Bodies Mervyn 1979 Macbeth Macbeth Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1979 Uncle Vanya Ivan Petrovitch Voynitsky (Uncle Vanya) 1979 The Alchemist Face 1979–1980 Hamlet Claudius / Ghost 1980 Hobson's Choice Henry Horatio Hobson 1980 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Claudius 1980 Privates on Parade Acting Captain Terri Dennis 1981 Pete McGynty and the Dreamtime Parson 1981–1982 A Cuckoo in the Nest 1982 Minna von Barnhelm Major Von Tellhelm 1982 A Happy and Holy Occasion Sydney Opera House with STC 1983; 1986 Gulls Bill Clements Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC & Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney with HMQ Productions 1983 The Cherry Orchard Sydney Opera House with STC 1983 The Maid's Tragedy Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1984–1986 Master Class Zhdanov South Australian tour, Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, Melbourne with The Stage Company 1985 Heartbreak House Sydney Opera House with STC 1987 Pericles Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC 1987 A Lie of the Mind Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney 1988 And the Big Men Fly Harry Head / Commentator Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1991 The Mikado Singer Sydney Opera House with The Australian Opera 1991 Sixteen Words for Water Ezra Pound Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC 1992 No Going Back Edvards / Leichhardt Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1992 Diving for Pearls Space Theatre, Adelaide with STCSA 1993 Into the Woods Narrator Sydney Opera House with STC 1993 Coriolanus 1995 Dead White Males Colonel Judd Sydney Opera House, Glen St Theatre, Sydney, Playhouse, Melbourne, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth with STC
As director Year Title Role Notes 1971 The Trial of the Catonsville Nine Assistant Director Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1972 The Tavern Director 1973–1974 The Last of the Knucklemen Director Russell St Theatre, Melbourne, Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, Canberra with MTC 1974 London Assurance Director St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1975 Shindig! Director Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1975 The Freeway Director 1976 Old Flames Director VCA, Melbourne with MTC 1978 Arsenic and Old Lace Director Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1978–1979 The Club Director Playhouse, Perth, Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1980 The Matchmaker Director Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1980 The Man Who Came to Dinner Director 1980 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Associate Director 1981 A Man for All Seasons Director 1981 The London Cuckolds Director 1981–1982 A Cuckoo in the Nest Director 1982 Hedda Gabler Associate Director
Radio (partial credits) Year Title Role Notes 1990 On the Still Air Ezra Pound ABC Radio 2001 Dreams of Hesselmed ABC Radio 2004 Last Days of the Coq D'Or Readings from Hansard and ASIO documents ABC Radio 2009 No Place Like Holmes Watson ABC Radio
References
External links
Biographical cuttings on Simon Chilvers, actor, containing one or more cuttings from newspapers or journals at the National Library of Australia.