John McTernan is an Australian actor, known for several theatre and television roles.

Early life A former sailor, McTernan emigrated to Australia from the United States in 1968. After graduating from university with an Economics degree, he began studying at Sydney's Ensemble Theatre.

Career

Theatre McTernan's first job was singing and dancing in cabaret shows. One of his earliest professional jobs was in a vocal comedy act with friend Timothy Bean, both writing and performing their material. He went on to work in theatre for seven years in Sydney, performing "everything from Godspell to Shakespeare".

He has appeared with all of Australia's major theatre companies. His Sydney Theatre Company credits include The Sunny South and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. His work at the Melbourne Theatre Company includes Born Yesterday, Twelfth Night, Into the Woods, Assassins, The Glass Menagerie, The Real Thing, Serious Money, High Society, Art, Take Me Out and Boy Gets Girl. Plays for Nimrod Theatre Company include Young Mo, Volpone, Inside the Island, The Orestia, Clouds, Romeo and Juliet, Henry IV and Comedy of Errors. He has also appeared in several productions at Ensemble Theatre, including Lovers, The Comedians, Boy Meets Girl, 6 Rms Riv Vu, Sonny and Same Difference and more recently, Wrong Turn at Lungfish in 2008.

In 2014, McTernan took over the lead role of Shelley Levine at the last minute in a Melbourne Theatre Company production of Glengarry Glen Ross, after Steve Bisley had to relinquish the role during the play's opening week, due to illness.

McTernan is also well known for his work in musical theatre. He performed in a Harry M. Miller production of Grease at Melbourne's Metro Theatre, in 1972, just three months after its Broadway debut. In 1975, he took on the task of the narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, in a production that featured Mark Holden in the titular role of Joseph. In 1979, he appeared in two-act musical comedy The Venetian Twins, for the inaugural season of the Sydney Theatre Company, which premiered at the Sydney Opera House. The production went on to tour throughout 1981 to Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne and Geelong.

In 1986, McTernan played Benny Southstreet in an Adelaide Festival Centre production of Guys and Dolls, alongside Anthony Warlow, which was consistently met with standing ovations and rave reviews in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. He reprised the role in a fundraiser concert spectacular at Melbourne Concert Hall in 1990, and then again for The Production Company in 2000. More recently, McTernan has appeared as Grandfather in a 2019 staging of Ragtime, once again for The Production Company.

McTernan's other musical credits include Godspell, Sunset Boulevard, The History of Australia, Shout, Into the Woods, and Assassins, She Loves Me, Gypsy and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Film and television McTernan is best known to television audiences for his roles in popular Australian drama series and soap operas. He played the regular role of Rob Forsyth, a gay man, later revealed to be a psychopathic blackmailer, in soap opera Number 96 in 1977. He took on a recurring guest role as prison teacher, Tom Lucas in Prisoner in 1986. The same year, he portrayed music promoter Lee Gordon in two-part biographical miniseries Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe, about the life of musician Johnny O'Keefe (played by Terry Serio).

McTernan's long-running series credits included a role in long-running police drama Cop Shop, as Irish Detective Sergeant Tom Shannon from 1981 to 1994, and a main role in medical drama G.P. as Dr Robert Sharp, who ran a suburban medical practice together with his uncle William Sharp (played by Michael Craig) in its first four seasons from 1989 to 1992. He won Logie Awards for his roles in both series. In 2005, he played a main role as villain Mackenna in children's drama series Scooter: Secret Agent.

McTernan's numerous other television credits have included The Young Doctors, The Flying Doctors, City Homicide, All Saints, Blue Heelers, Stingers, Something in the Air, Good Guys, Bad Guys, MDA and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.

McTernan's work in feature films and made-for-television movies has included The Understudy (1977), ABC feature Fuzzy (1984), The Brown Out Murders (1988), The Four Minute Mile (1988) and Evil Never Dies (2003).

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Type 1988 The Brown Out Murders Philippe Mora 2002 Guru Wayne Professor Barret 2007 Pension Day The Pensioner Short film

Television Year Title Role Type 1974 The Toy Factory Sustaining Lead 1976 The Understudy TV movie 1977 Number 96 Rob Forsyth 36 episodes 1978 Barnaby and Me (aka Fuzzy) Secretary TV movie The Young Doctors The Oracle Co-lead 1981–1983 Cop Shop Detective Tom Shannon 282 episodes 1984 Five Mile Creek Father Jenkins 1 episode The Last Bastion Colonel Willoughby Miniseries, 3 episodes1985 Special Squad Ted Episode 22: "Mates" Zoo Family Mr Macleod 1 episode 1986 Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe Lee Gordon Miniseries, 2 episodes Death of a Soldier Colonel Williams TV movie1987 Prisoner Tom Lucas 6 episodes The Flying Doctors Jim Brett 1 episode Nancy Wake Antoine Miniseries, 2 episodes 1988 The Four Minute Mile Dave Garroway TV movie 1989–1991 G.P. Dr Robert Sharp 123 episodes1995 The Feds: Abduction Alan Guinnane Miniseries, 1 episode Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (aka The Man from Snowy River) Connor O'Shea 1 episode 1995; 2000 Blue Heelers Peter Carlson / Father Michael Carlyle 2 episodes 1997 Good Guys, Bad Guys Chief Commissioner Fuller 1 episode 1999 All Saints Geoff Cavendish 1 episode 2000–2003 Stingers Jim Duncan / Prosecutor / Dr Dan Fraser 10 episodes 2001 Something in the Air Owen Young 5 episodes 2002 MDA Dr Michael Forsythe 2 episodes 2003 Evil Never Dies Dr Calvert TV movie 2005 Scooter: Secret Agent Mackenna 26 episodes 2006–2007 City Homicide Assistant Commissioner Bill Mulholland 5 episodes 2010 Killing Time Justice Shepherd / Ian Watson 1 episode Judith Lucy's Spiritual Journey Parish Priest 1 episode 2013 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Larry Dunn 1 episode Source:

Theatre Year Title Role Type 1971 Lovers Joe Ensemble Theatre, Sydney Same Difference St Martins Theatre, Melbourne, Ensemble Theatre, Sydney 1972 Grease Kenickie Harry M. Miller Productions 1973 Godspell Canberra Theatre, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Princess Theatre, Launceston, Theatre Royal, Hobart with J. C. Williamson's1974 What Did We Do Wrong? Marian St Theatre, Sydney Scandals of '74 Macleay Theatre 6 Rms Riv Vu Ensemble Theatre, Sydney Sonny 1974–1975 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Narrator York Theatre, Sydney with Paradine Productions1976 It's Called the Sugarplum Wallace Zuckerman Bankstown Town Hall, AMP Theatrette, Sydney with Q Theatre A Who's Who of Flapland AMP Theatrette, Sydney with Q Theatre Comedians Gethin Price Ensemble Theatre, Sydney1977 Boy Meets Girl Robert Law Young Mo Barman / Lawyer Nimrod Theatre, Sydney1978 Stubble Marxisms Everyman 1979 The Comedy of Errors Dromio of Ephyesus Henry IV Gower / Silence / Peto / Edmund Mortimer The Amazing Optissimo's Revue Tasmanian Theatre Company Romeo and Juliet Peter Octagon Theatre, Perth, Nimrod Theatre, Sydney The Caucasian Chalk Circle Galinski Delegate / Doctor / Old Man, Jussup / Irakli the Bandit / Old Man Sydney Opera House with STC / NIDA The Venetian Twins Arlecchino Sydney Opera House with STC / Nimrod Theatre, Sydney1980 The Sunny South Johnny Jinks Sydney Opera House with STC Clouds Angel Nimrod Theatre, Sydney The Orestia Watchman / Aegisthus / Old Person of Aros – Agamemnon / Aegisthus – Elektra / Fury – Orestes Inside the Island Peter Blackwood Volpone Corbaccio 1981 The Venetian Twins Arlecchino Festival Theatre, Adelaide with Nimrod Theatre Company 1983 The Real Thing Max Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC1984 Pax Americana The Journalist / Actor V Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC The Glass Menagerie Tom 1986 The Norman Conquests Simon Hopkinson MTC 1986–1987 Guys and Dolls Benny Southstreet Adelaide Festival Centre & National Theatre of Great Britain1987 Twelfth Night Feste Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC The Common Pursuit Humphrey Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC Wet and Dry George1988 Manning Clark's History of Australia – The Musical Captain Cook / Captain Bligh / Henry Parkes / Peter the Possum Princess Theatre, Melbourne Serious Money Durkfeld / Greville / Duckett / Goat / Gleeson Wharf Theatre, Sydney, Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC1990 Gershwin – The Musical Ira Gershwin Melbourne Concert Hall with Victorian Arts Centre Guys and Dolls Benny Southstreet Melbourne Concert Hall fundraiser concert 1992–1993 High Society C.K. Dexter Haven Australian tour with QTC / MTC 1993 A Rare Jewel Perce Civic Theatre, Newcastle with Hunter Valley Theatre Company 1994 Oleanna John Subiaco Theatre Centre, Perth with Swy Theatre Company & Theatre West1995 Assassins Guiteau Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC Sanctuary Bob King Playhouse, Perth with New England Theatre Company 1996–1997 Sunset Boulevard Manfred Regent Theatre, Melbourne with Really Useful Productions 1998 Into the Woods Baker Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC1999 Born Yesterday Ed Devery Shark Fin Soup Frank Harrow Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC She Loves Me Ladislav Sipos Melbourne Concert Hall with The Production Company 2000 Gypsy Herbie State Theatre, Melbourne with The Production Company Guys and Dolls Benny Southstreet2001 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Twimble / TV Announcer The Irish and How They Ciaran O’ International Concert Attractions Shout! The Musical! Lee Gordon Jacobsen Entertainment 2002–2003 Art Australian tour with MTC 2004 Take Me Out Skipper / Danziger / Reporter Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC 2005 Boy Gets Girl Howard Siegel Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC 2008 Wrong Turn at Lungfish Peter Ravenswaal Ensemble Theatre, Sydney 2011 Xanadu Danny Maguire / Zeus Grand Xanadu Marquee, Melbourne 2013 The Crucible Giles Corey Southbank Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 2014 Glengarry Glen Ross Shelly Levene 2019 Ragtime Grandfather State Theatre, Melbourne with The Production Company Sources:

Awards Year Work Award Category Results Ref. 1981Cop ShopLogie AwardsBest Lead Actor in a Series 1983 1987 Twelfth Night Green Room Awards Best Supporting Actor 1990 G.P.Logie Awards Best Lead Actor in a Series 1991Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actor 1992

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