Trevor Kent (24 April 1940 – 4 November 1989) was an Australian actor, director, playwright, and singer.
Early life and education Trevor Kent was born on 24 April 1940.
Kent initially worked as a primary-school teacher, teaching for three years in Nambour and Buderim in Queensland while acting in amateur theatre groups.
He moved to Sydney to train as an actor with the Independent Drama School in the early 1960s, supporting himself during this time with teaching.
Career After training, he worked as an actor, director, playwright, and singer.
In Sydney, he understudied the role of Rolfe in the Tivoli Theatre's production of The Sound of Music, and acted in Becket and Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad with the Independent.
After two years in Sydney, he emigrated to the UK and spent ten years there.Atterton, Margot. (Ed.) The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Australian Showbiz, Sunshine Books, 1984. p 123 In the UK, Kent worked with director Bil Keating and later with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
On returning to Sydney in 1974, Kent played Frank'N'Furter in a stage production of The Rocky Horror Show.
Several appearances on Australian television followed, including roles in Rush, The Sullivans, Cop Shop and Carson's Law. He moved to Melbourne in 1984, and in 1984–1985, appeared in television soap opera Prisoner as the villainous Frank Burke for several months.
Death Kent, who was gay, learned he was HIV positive in the mid-1980s and at that time volunteered as a carer for people living with HIV and AIDS. He was public about his HIV status and directed two theatre productions for Out Theatre Company that addressed HIV and AIDS. One of these, Unnatural Acts, toured pubs, theatres, and colleges in Melbourne and Sydney.
Kent continued to work with the theatre group until a few weeks before his death in 1989 as a result of HIV. His final acting appearance was a scene with Meryl Streep in the film A Cry in the Dark (1988).
He died on 4 November 1989.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1977Straight Enough TV movie 1988 Evil Angels (aka A Cry in the Dark) Bomb Scare Policeman Feature film
Television Year Title Role Notes 1969 Theatre Date Giles Cadwallader TV series, 1 episode: "The Man Most Likely to ..."1971 Scene Shop assistant TV series documentary, 1 episode: "Mates" BBC Play of the Month Yakov, servant TV series, 1 episode: "Platonov"1976 The Sullivans Allister McConnell TV series, 1 episode Rush Vinnie TV series, 1 episode: "McKellar R.I.P." 1978 Case for the Defence The Rabbi TV series, 1 episode: "The Man Who Died Twice" 1981 Sporting Chance Eddie TV series, 1 episode: "Eating Dirt" 1981–83 Cop Shop Frank Gilmore TV series, 3 episodes: "Episode #1.281", "Episode #1.282" and "Episode #1.500" 1982 Der schwarze Bumerang Richard Duffy TV miniseries, 4 episodes 1983 / 1984 Carson's Law George Royston / Simpkins TV series, 7 episodes 1984 Special Squad Doggy Barker TV series, 1 episode: "Easy Street" 1984–85 Prisoner Frank Burke TV series, 33 episodes 1985 Colour in the Creek Brother Paul TV series, 2 episodes: "Return to Coorumbong Creek" & "Gold Fever"
Theatre His plays and performances on stage include: As actor Year Title Role Venue / company 1962 The Sound of Music Rolfe Tivoli Theatre, Sydney 1963 Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad Independent Theatre 1964 Becket Independent Theatre 1967 As You Like It Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Aldwych Theatre, London, Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles with Royal Shakespeare Company 1967 The Relapse Aldwych Theatre, London with Royal Shakespeare Company 1974 The Rocky Horror Show Frank'N'Furter New Art Cinema, Glebe 1974 The Chinese Prime Minister Marian Street Theatre 1975 The Miser UNSW Parade Theatre 1976 The Public Eye Julian Crisoforou Bankstown Town Hall, AMP Theatrette, Sydney 1977 Confusions: Mother Figure / Between Mouthfuls / Gosforth's Fete / A Talk in the Park Terry / Martin / Stewart / Ernest Marian Street Theatre 1977 The Lower Depths Vassily Pepel Sydney Opera House 1977 The Tempest Adrian Sydney Opera House 1978 Black Comedy Harold Gorringe Sydney Opera House 1978 Miss Julie Jean Sydney Opera House 1978 The Misanthrope Acaste Sydney Opera House 1978 King Lear Edmund Seymour Centre 1979 You Never Can Tell Valentine SGIO Theatre 1979 Breaker Morant Captain Taylor SGIO Theatre 1978 Hedda Gabler Eilert Loevborg SGIO Theatre 1979 Gone with Hardy Stanley Jefferson SGIO Theatre 1980 Bedroom Farce Trevor University of New England, Glen Innes Town Hall, Inverell Town Hall, Moree War Memorial Town Hall, Narrabri High School, Coonabarabran Shire Hall, Smithurst Theatre Gunnedah, Tamworth Town Hall 1980 Loot Truscott Playhouse, Perth 1981 Outside Edge Bob Marian Street Theatre 1981 Trap for a Lonely Man Priest Bondi Pavilion 1981 The Revenger's Tragedy Ambitioso Playhouse Adelaide 1986 Pommies Forster Russell Street Theatre 1986 Tom & Viv Maurice Russell Street Theatre 1986 The Dumb Waiter Arena Theatre, Melbourne 1987 Two Dark Comedies of the Mind: The Flaw / Is This Where We Came In? La Mama
As writer / director Year Title Role Venue / company 1988 Unnatural Acts Director Universal Theatre, Melbourne with Out Theatre Company 1990 No Thrills No Spills Playwright Footscray Community Arts Centre
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