Helmut Bakaitis (born 26 September 1944) is a German-born Australian director, actor and screenwriter and playwright. He is best known for his role in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions as the character the Architect.

Early life Bakaitis was born in Dresden or Lauban, Lower Silesia, Germany (now Lubań, Poland), to Lithuanian parents, Vincas and Eugenia Bakaitis, who were fleeing Lithuania at the time. He spent his first five years in UN transit camps in Germany and Austria, while his father worked as a translator.

Bakaitis arrived in Australia with his family in 1950 at the age of six. They initially lived in immigration centres. His father, an academic, hoped to become a teacher or lecturer, but was forced to dig sewers to support the family. Bakaitis was educated at Fort Street High School, Sydney, where he had earned a scholarship. Bullied at school, he immersed himself in books, language, film and the performing arts. He formed a drama group and performed in and directed school productions, and eventually began to write plays. He left home at 16, and worked as a stenographer while still studying.

Bakaitis won a scholarship to the National Institute for Dramatic Art (NIDA). While there, he formed his own theatre company together with a group of fellow students, including Jim Sharman. NIDA supported the student initiative and toured one of the productions. Before Bakaitis had graduated (in 1965), he was offered his first professional acting role at the Theatre Royal in Hobart.

Career

Bakaitis spent seven years with the Melbourne Theatre Company as an actor and head of the youth workshops, followed by stints with the Old Tote Theatre, the Sydney Theatre Company. and as co-director of Adelaide's Come Out Youth Festival. He subsequently studied a post-graduate diploma in Drama and Education at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and established youth programs in inner London.

On his return to Melbourne, he became founding artistic director of St Martins Youth Arts Centre, Melbourne, where he worked for 5 years, then the Director of the New Moon Company in Cairns for 3 years. Back in Sydney he became Director of Penrith's Q Theatre for 7 years, followed by Head of Directing at NIDA for nine years until 2007. He then started teaching directing at Australian Academy of Dramatic Art (AADA), now the Australian Institute of Music – Dramatic Arts (AIMDA).

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Type 1971 Stork Clyde Feature film 1972 Shirley Thompson vs. the Aliens Harold Feature film 1985 I Can't Get Started Sidney TV film 2000 Drama School Himself 2001 The Farm Judge Wescott 2003 The Matrix Reloaded The Architect Feature film The Matrix Revolutions Feature film Syntax Error Doctor Short film 2005 The Illustrated Family Doctor John Feature film 2006 Happy Feet Live Action Cast Feature film 2009 Lucky Country Connolly Feature film2015 Truth Dick Thornburgh Feature film Crushed Sgt O'Reilly 2016 Hacksaw Ridge Minister Feature film 2018 Jack Irish Thornton Finch TV film

Television Year Title Role Type 1967–70 Homicide Larry Fenton / Tommy Fraser / Don Lambton TV series, 3 episodes "Taken Care Of", "Dead Shot", "The Living Death" 1987 Melba John Lemonne TV miniseries 1988 Home and Away George Morris TV series 1996 Police Rescue Dr. Mayfield TV series, episode: "Nobby's Place" 1997–99 Home and Away Peter Fraser TV series 1998 A Difficult Woman Chancellor #2 TV miniseries 2003 All Saints Salvator Forlano TV series, 3 episodes: "To Forgive, Divine", "Wrong Call", "Older and Wiser" 2005 The Surgeon Dr. Gearhardt TV series 2009 Satisfaction Marty Volkering TV series 2012 Howzat! Kerry Packer's War Bob Parish TV miniseries 2016 Rake Judge Barton TV series

As screenwriter Year Title Role Type 1972 Shirley Thompson vs. the Aliens Screenwriter Feature film

Theatre

As actor Year Title Role Type 1959 Hamlet Hamlet Fort Street High School, Sydney 1964 Extracts from Shakespeare Egeus in A Midsummer Night's Dream / Orlando in As You Like It UNSW 1964 The Caucasian Chalk Circle UNSW Old Tote Theatre 1964 Our Town George Gibbs UNSW Old Tote Theatre 1964 Two Programs of One Act Plays James in The Mask / Colin Arnott in Try it Again UNSW Old Tote Theatre 1964 Two Programs of Short Plays Jeremy in The Zoo Story / Man at the bar in Marty / Revolutionary in The Chinese Wall UNSW Old Tote Theatre 1965 On the Nature of Lo, Etc.'''' || Chorus member || UNSW |- | 1965 || A Series of Dance Pieces || Dancer in Ballad of the Drover's Wife || UNSW |- | 1965–66 || Othello || || UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Tasmania, South Australia with Young Elizabethan Players |- | 1965 || Down in the Valley || Thomas Bouche || UNSW Old Tote Theatre |- | 1965 || The Plough and the Stars || Jack Clitheroe || UNSW Old Tote Theatre |- | 1965 || A Taste of Honey || || Cell Block Theatre, Darlinghurst |- | 1966 || Twelfth Night || || Tasmania, South Australia with Young Elizabethan Players |- | 1966 || Romeo and Juliet || Paris || South Australia with Young Elizabethan Players |- | 1966 || Julius Caesar || || South Australia with Young Elizabethan Players |- | 1966 || Richard II || || South Australia with Young Elizabethan Players |- | 1966 || A Refined Look at Existence || || Jane Street Theatre |- | 1966 || Halloran's Little Boat || || Jane Street Theatre |- | 1967 || Incident at Vichy || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1967 || Where's Daddy? || Tom || St Martins Theatre, Melbourne |- | 1967 || The Importance of Being Earnest || Lane (Manservant) || St Martins Theatre, Melbourne |- | 1967 || Moby Dick – Rehearsed || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1967 || The Flower Children || || A Little Bourke Street Discotheque |- | 1967 || Death of a Salesman || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1967 || A Flea in Her Ear || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1968 || The Crucible || || Russell Street Theatre, Canberra Theatre, Tasmania |- | 1968 || The Magistrate || || Russell Street Theatre, Canberra Theatre, Mildura Arts Centre, Broken Hill, The King's Theatre Mt Gambier, Adelaide Teachers College Theatre |- | 1968 || Burke's Company || Wills || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1968 || The Man in the Glass Booth || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1968 || Three Sisters || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1968 || Major Barbara || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1969 || Henry IV, Part 1 || Edmund Mortimer || Octagon Theatre, Perth, Keith Murdoch Court, Melbourne |- | 1969 || The Country Wife || || Russell Street Theatre, Canberra Theatre |- | 1969 || Loot || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1969 || The Soldiers || || Russell Street Theatre, Canberra Theatre |- | 1969 || A Long View || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1969 || Six Characters in Search of an Author || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1969 || The Unknown Soldier and His Wife || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1969 || Rookery Nook || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1970 || The First Mrs Fraser || Ninian Fraser || St Martins Theatre, Melbourne |- | 1970 || The Caucasian Chalk Circle || Shauva || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1970 || Day of Glory || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1970 || The Devils || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1970 || Son of Man || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1970–71 || All's Well That Ends Well || || Princess Theatre Melbourne, Canberra Theatre, Octagon Theatre, Perth |- | 1971 || King Lear || || Russell Street Theatre |- | 1972 || The Taming of the Shrew || || UNSW Parade Theatre, Canberra Theatre |- | 1972 || Macbeth || || UNSW Parade Theatre |- | 1973 || Crete and Sergeant Pepper || || Union Hall, Adelaide |- | 1973 || Measure for Measure || || Union Hall, Adelaide |- | 1973 || Occupations || || Arts Theatre, Adelaide |- | 1973 || Hans Kohlhaas || || Union Hall, Adelaide |- | 1987 || The Department || Hans || Seymour Centre with Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust / Sydney Theatre Company |- | 1989 || Top Silk || Paul Bradley || Seymour Centre, Melbourne Athenaeum, Canberra Theatre, Playhouse Adelaide with Melbourne Theatre Company |- | 1994 || Dead City || || Belvoir Street Theatre |- | 1995 || King Lear || || Wharf Theatre, Q Theatre, Penrith, Orange Civic Theatre |- | 1996 || Pentecost || || Wharf Theatre |- | 1996 || Macbeth || || Wharf Theatre |- | 1997 || Pygmalion || || Glen Street Theatre |- | 1999 || Glory || Cameo || NIDA Theatre |- | 2001 || My Head Was a Sledgehammer || The Professor || Belvoir Street Theatre |- | 2003 || Sydney Symphony Superdome Spectacular || || Sydney Olympic Park |- | 2006 || The Illusion || || Darlinghurst Theatre |- | 2006 || No Names ... No Pack Drill || Detective Browning || Parade Theatre |- | 2006 || Now That Communism Is Dead My Life Feels Empty || Voiceover artist || Tower Theatre, Melbourne |- | 2011 || Titus Andronicus || || Wharf Theatre |- | 2013 || Liberty Equality Fraternity || Walter Silverstein || Ensemble Theatre |- | 2020 || Liberty, Equality, Fraternity'' Walter Silverstein Online – Australia: NSW

As writer / director