Grant Radnor Dodwell is an Australian actor, producer, writer, director, voice artist, and drama teacher. He is best known for his roles in television soap operas including as an original cast member in A Country Practice, Willing and Abel and Home and Away.
Early life Dodwell studied acting at Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1971.
Career Dodwell has over 50 years' experience in the entertainment industry, in theatre, television and film, appearing in many of Australia's best known stage shows and television series.
He appeared as Dr. Sam Wilkinson in The Young Doctors in 1980. He is best known however, for his role playing Dr. Simon Bowen in soap opera A Country Practice, opposite Penny Cook from 1981 to 1986. He is a triple recipient of the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor for the role, which he received consecutively from 1984 to 1986.
Dodwell later played Charles Willing in the comedy series Willing and Abel (1987), in which he co-starred with his former A Country Practice co-star Shane Withington, who played the role of Abel Moore, and Rebecca Rigg, who played Angela Reddy.
In 1992, Dodwell played Leo Riener in the 1992 miniseries Good Vibrations. In 1996, he featured in the recurring role of Dr. James McLaren in the long-running soap opera Home and Away. In 2011, he also played the guest role of Gary O'Connor in the series.
He has also made guest appearances in Homicide, Glenview High, Father, Dear Father in Australia, Skyways G.P., The Girl from Tomorrow, Heartbreak High, Pacific Drive Roar, Fallen Angels, Medivac, Water Rats, Rescue Special Ops and Packed to the Rafters.
Dodwell has appeared in several films, including Cathy's Child (1979) with Bryan Brown, Goodbye Paradise (1983) alongside Ray Barrett, Cops and Robbers (1993) and The Pact (2003). He also performed in the TV movies Cass (1978) and The Distant Home (1992). In 2008, he worked on the feature film Men's Group, produced by John L. Simpson and directed by Michael Joy. He won the Australian IF Best Actor Award and the film won Best Film and Script.
After A Country Practice, Dodwell resumed his theatre career, including a national tour of Noises Off. He also appeared with Hugh Jackman in a production of Sunset Boulevard. When theatre roles and television guest roles no longer provided a sufficient income, Dodwell focussed on corporate theatre and videos.
After filming a live performance of the play Codgers Dodwell co-founded Australian Theatre Live in 2016, advocating for younger generations to have affordable access to theatre. Their first production, Liberty Equality Fraternity screened in cinemas in 2016. Other productions have included David Williamson's Emerald City, STC's Wharf Revue, Rumpelstiltskin, The Dapto Chaser and a STC/Malthouse Theatre production of Michael Gow's Away.
Personal life Dodwell is married to Sian Dodwell, a shoe designer who worked on the Australian production of Billy Elliot. The couple's daughter, Celeste Dodwell, is also an actor, who scored a role on Home and Away immediately after finishing high school and has gone on to work on numerous film, television and stage productions.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1979 Cathy's Child Hot Line Journalist 1983 Goodbye Paradise Seaworld Boy 1994 Cops and Robbers John 2003 The Pact Officer Clem 2008 Men's Group Alex 2009 Dear Diary Charlie Short film
Television Year Title Role Notes 1977Homicide Pratt Season 1, episode 508 1977 Glenview High Season 1, episode 8 1978 Cass TV movie 1978 Father, Dear Father in Australia Ronnie Season 1, episode 5 1979 Skyways Clive Simpson Season 1, episode 151 1980 The Young Doctors Dr. Sam Wilkinson 1981–1986 A Country Practice Dr. Simon Bowen 331 episodes 1987 Willing and Abel Charles Willing 1991 G.P. Evan Lucas Season 3, episode 17 1992 Good Vibrations Leo Reiner Miniseries 1992 The Distant Home Jim Harrison TV movie 1992 The Girl from Tomorrow Mark Johnson 3 episodes 1995 Heartbreak High Jerry Shapiro Season 2, episode 9 1996 Pacific Drive 1996 Home and Away Dr. James McLaren Recurring role 1997 Roar Cormac Season 1, episode 10 1997 Fallen Angels Paul Season 1, episode 7 1998 Medivac Paul Season 3, episode 12 2000 Water Rats Lloyd Tully Season 5, episode 16 2009 Rescue Special Ops Lance Foster Season 1, episode 5 2010 Packed to the Rafters Doug 2 episodes 2011 Home and Away Gary O'Connor Guest role
Theatre
As actor Year Title Role Notes 1971 The Trial of Lucullus Herald / Jury of the Dead NIDA Theatre, Sydney 1971 The Diary of Anne Frank Mr Dussel UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney 1971 You Can't Take It With You Henderson / J-Man UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney 1971 Lady Windermere's Fan Lord Darlington NIDA Theatre, Sydney 1972 The Man, the Spirit Fish and the Rainbow Snake QLD schools tour with QTC 1972 The Badly Behaved Bunyip QLD schools tour with QTC 1972 Twelfth Night Second Officer SGIO Theatre, Brisbane with QTC 1972 The Ruling Class SGIO Theatre, Brisbane with QTC 1972 You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown Schroeder QLD regional tour with QTC & Harry M. Miller 1973 The National Health or Nurse Norton's Affair SGIO Theatre, Brisbane with QTC 1973 The Imaginary Invalid Dr. Purgon SGIO Theatre, Brisbane with QTC 1974 Godspell His Majesty's Theatre, Perth with J. C. Williamson's 1977 The Alchemist Officer UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney 1978 The RSL Show Whitehorse Pub Theatre, Sydney 1988 The Mighty 1978 RSL Talent Quest Whitehorse Pub Theatre, Sydney 1978 The Edna Lint Story Whitehorse Pub Theatre, Sydney 1978 Done to Death Whitehorse Pub Theatre, Sydney 1978 The Knack Tolen UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney 1980 The Collected Works of Billy the Kid Reporter Cell Block Theatre, Sydney with Ian Tasker and Associates 1986 Everybody Makes Mistakes Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, Gold Coast casinos tour 1987; 1988 See How They Run Clive Northside Theatre, Sydney, Marian Street Theatre, Sydney 1988 The Sentimental Bloke Ginger Mick Parramatta Cultural Centre with Q Theatre Company 1988 Relatively Speaking Greg Seymour Centre, Sydney tour 1988 Love Off the Shelf John Universal Theatre, Melbourne 1989; 1990 Anything Goes Lord Evelyn Oakleigh State Theatre, Sydney, Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, State Theatre, Melbourne, Adelaide Festival Centre, Aotea Centre, Auckland 1990; 1991 Noises Off Glen St Theatre, Sydney, Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane, Gold Coast Arts Centre with Theatre of Comedy 1991; 1992 Charley's Aunt Sydney Opera House, Suncorp Theatre, Brisbane, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Laycock St Theatre, Gosford 1992 Love Letters Andrew Makepeace III Tasmania tour with Mummers Theatre Company 1992 Sons of Cain Playhouse, Newcastle with Hunter Valley Theatre Company 1993 Taking Steps Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA 1993; 1994 A Bedfull of Foreigners West End Rialto, Brisbane, Seymour Centre, Sydney, Playhouse, Adelaide, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Canberra Theatre with Les Currie Productions 1994 Whispering Demons David Playhouse, Perth with Perth Theatre Company 1996 Sunset Boulevard 1998 Third World Blues Orange Civic Theatre, Canberra Theatre, IMB Theatre, Wollongong, Monash University, Melbourne, Geelong Arts Centre, Frankston Arts Centre, The Capital, Bendigo, West Gippsland Arts Centre, Theatre Royal, Hobart with STC 2010 Gwen in Purgatory Laurie Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney, Roundhouse Theatre, Brisbane with La Boite 2011 The Business Michael Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney
As director / producer Year Title Role Notes Codgers Co-producer 2019; 2020 The Wharf Revue: Celebrating 15 Years Director Byron Theatre & Online 2022 Norm and Ahmed Producer Riverside Theatres Parramatta & Online
Awards Year Award Category Notes Result1984Logie AwardMost Popular ActorA Country Practice1985Logie AwardMost Popular Lead ActorA Country Practice1986Logie AwardMost Popular Australian ActorA Country Practice2008IF AwardsBest ActorMen's Group2009Film Critics Circle of Australia AwardsBest ActorMen's Group
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