Kim Gyngell (born 1952), sometimes also credited as Kym Gyngell, is an Australian comedian and film, television and stage actor. Gyngell won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1988 for his role as Ian McKenzie in Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
Early life and education Kim Gyngell was born in Melbourne, Victoria.
He attended Ashwood High School before transferring to Camberwell Grammar School.
He had not considered a career in acting until his high school English teacher suggested it to him, and he soon went for an audition. He said that he was not a very good student at school.
Career
Television In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Gyngell appeared in The Comedy Company and developed several popular characters, one of whom, Col'n Carpenter, went on to have his own sitcom of the same name. Gyngell also appeared (as Carpenter) in a series of public service announcements for the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand.
Gyngell was a regular on Australian comedy series Full Frontal during the mid-1990s, where he starred alongside Eric Bana before Bana attained Hollywood fame. His most notable characters included; 'Leon' (an art critic who used to frequently utter the word 'crap'); and as characters sending up Kerry O'Brien and John Laws. After Full Frontal, Gyngell had guest roles, in comedy programs The Micallef Program and Pizza, and on drama series’ The Secret Life of Us, CrashBurn, Love My Way and Underbelly.
From 2007, Gyngell played Father Harris in the comedy The Librarians. In 2008, he featured in the comedy series Very Small Business. In 2012, Gyngell played Paddy the accountant in The Straits. More recently he has starred in Top of the Lake, Rake, a second season of Very Small Business, Love Me, Crazy Fun Park, Black Snow (featuring Travis Fimmel), Wakefield, No Activity, and The Artful Dodger.
Film In 1985, Gyngell starred in Wills & Burke playing William John Wills. In 1988, his role in Boulevard of Broken Dreams, earned him an AFI award for Best Actor. Likewise, his 1990 star turn in Heaven Tonight earned him an AFI nomination. In 2000, he starred in the surprise comedy hit of the year, The Wog Boy. Post-2000, he featured in The Hard Word, Macbeth and Salvation. More recent film appearances include The Little Death and Brothers' Nest.
Theatre Gyngell played with various theatre collectives in the 1970s, such as La Mama, The Pram Factory, Hoopla (the predecessor of the Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne) and the Sydney Theatre Company. In 2003, he played Robert in a production of David Auburn's play Proof. In 2008 Gyngell starred in Joanna Murray-Smith Ninety and Molière's The Hypocrite at the Melbourne Theatre Company."Gyngell finds his rhythm" by Tonya Turner, The Courier-Mail, Supplement etc, p. 10, (18 July 2009) In 2012, he performed in Sydney Theatre Company's production of Pygmalion.
Personal life Gyngell has been married twice, and has an adult daughter from his first marriage. He later married Melinda Butel, and has three sons with her, the first of whom was born when he was around 57 years old.
Filmography
Television Year Title Role Type 1974 Division 4 Rabbit TV series, 1 episode 1974 Homicide Greg / Kenny TV series, 1 episode 1974-75 Matlock Police Sam / Alf Moore / Moses Lane / Clarry Adams TV series, 4 episodes 1978-81 Cop Shop Oswald Prowse / Cliff Scully / George Edmunds / Lenny Wilson / Steve Ricketts TV series, 7 episodes 1980 The Sullivans Reporter TV series, 1 episode 1983 The Daryl Somers Show Undertaker in ‘Detergent Place’ TV series, 1 episode 1985 The Eleventh Hour Various characters (including Col’n Carpenter) TV series 1985 The Dunera Boys Private Bruce Miniseries, 2 episodes 1986 Kaboodle Magic Mirror TV series,Episode: Snow White and the Dreadful Dwarves (Season 1) 1986 The Fast Lane Lynch TV series, 1 episode 1987 The Petrov Affair Harry Pitt Miniseries, 2 episodes 1987 The Flying Doctors Dan Divine TV series, 1 episode 1988-89 The Comedy Company Colin Carpenter TV series 1990-91 Col'n Carpenter Colin Carpenter TV series, 61 episodes 1992 All Together Now Louie Little TV series, 1 episode 1992 Bligh The Prince TV series, 1 episode 1992 Embassy Richardson TV series, 1 episode 1993-97 Full Frontal Various characters TV series, 107 episodes 1993 Seven Deadly Sins William Miniseries,Episode: Greed 1994 Wedlocked Harold TV series, 2 episodes 1995 Fire Jimmy Runyon TV series, 5 episodes 1999 The Micallef Program Various Characters TV series, 1 episode 1999 Chuck Finn Mr Jones TV series, 1 episode 2000 Blue Heelers Shane Donnelly TV series, 1 episode 2000 The Games Alan Ronaldson TV series, 1 episode 2000 SeaChange Dennis Dreeble TV series, 1 episode 2000 Eugenie Sandler P.I. Dancer TV series, 1 episode 2001 Pizza Bank Manager TV series, 1 episode 2001-02 BackBerner Self TV series, 10 episodes 2003 Welcher & Welcher Opening Narration Miniseries, 1 episode 2003 CrashBurn Wally TV series, 1 episode 2003 The Secret Life of Us Dr. Vander TV series, 7 episodes 2005 Scooter: Secret Agent Cole Bunker TV series, 1 episode 2006 Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King Will Tabor, Literary Agent Miniseries, 1 episode 2007 City Homicide Adam Boldt TV series, 1 episode 2007 Love My Way Curtis Manning TV series, 3 episodes 2007 Wilfred Dr. Jack Underwood TV series, 3 episodes 2007 The Librarians Father Harris TV series, 12 episodes 2008 Underbelly Keith Faure (‘Mr X’) TV series, 1 episode 2008 Very Small Business Ray Leonard TV series, 6 episodes 2010 Lowdown Howard Evans TV series, 16 episodes 2012 The Straits Paddy TV series, 2 episodes 2013 Upper Middle Bogan Mr Widdicombe TV series, 1 episode 2015 Hiding Warwick Darmody TV series, 8 episodes 2016 Rake Reggie TV series, 1 episode 2016 No Activity Rainer TV series, 1 episode 2016 Jack Irish Warren Tissot TV series, 3 episodes 2017 Top of the Lake Bootie TV series, 4 episodes 2017 Sunshine Rev. Neil ‘The Peacock’ Skelton Miniseries, 4 episodes 2018 Picnic at Hanging Rock Charlie Seymour-Baker Miniseries, 1 episode 2018 Back in Very Small Business Ray Leonard TV series, 8 episodes 2021 Wakefield Zelco Miniseries, 2 episodes 2021-23 Love Me Richard Miniseries, 4 episodes 2022-23 Black Snow Sergeant Troy Turner TV series, 6 episodes 2023 Crazy Funpark Edmund Henley TV series, 3 episodes 2023–present The Artful Dodger Professor Alistair McGregor TV series
Film Year Title Role Type 1980 The Chain Reaction Crabs Feature film 1985 Wills & Burke William John Wills Feature film 1986 Just Us The Mouth TV film 1987 Ground Zero Detective Feature film 1987 With Love to the Person Next to Me Wallace Feature film 1987 Bushfire Moon Hungry Bill Feature film 1988 Backstage Paarvo Feature film 1988 Evil Angels (A Cry in the Dark) Feature film 1988 Boulevard of Broken Dreams Ian McKenzie Feature film 1988 Bachelor Girl Karl Stanton TV film 1988 Grievous Bodily Harm Mick Feature film 1989 The Humpty Dumpty Man Tape Operator Feature film 1990 What the Moon Saw Jim Shilling Feature film 1990 Heaven Tonight Baz Schultz Feature film 1993 The Making of Nothing Davo TV film 1996 Love and Other Catastrophes Professor Leech Feature film 1996 Shaun Micallef’s World Around Him Various characters TV film 1997 Kangaroo Palace Spider TV movie 1997 Amy Wax Stevens Feature film 2000 Arctic Adventure Tek (voice) Short film 2000 The Wog Boy Supervisor Feature film 2002 The Hard Word Paul Feature film 2002 Blow Richard Short film 2003 Roundabout Dr Patrick O’Roarke Short film 2003 The House of Names Eleanor Short film 2004 Josh Jarman Stan Billows Feature film 2005 The Writer Jonathan Short film 2006 Macbeth Doctor Feature film 2007 The Lone Rider Lone Rider Short film 2008 Salvation Tony Feature film 2014 The Little Death Steve Feature film 2015 Force of Destiny Dr James Feature film 2017 Bleeding Steel Dr. James Feature film 2018 Brothers' Nest Rodger Feature film
Theatre Year Title Role Company/Venue 1971 The Day the Whores Come to Play Tennis New Theatre, Sydney, Pram Factory 1972 You’ll Come to Love Your Sperm Test 1972 Driftwood Claremont Theatre 1973 The One Day of the Year Alexander Theatre 1973 Oedipus Rex Oedipus Claremont Theatre 1974 Waves Claremont Theatre 1974 The Bald Prima Donna Claremont Theatre 1974 Theatre in Education Arena Theatre Company tour 1976 Obsessive Behaviour in Small Spaces La Mama Theatre 1977 Dr Faustus Sydney Town Hall with Performance Syndicate 1978 Freaks Maggott Playbox Theatre, Melbourne 1978 The Ship's Whistle Pram Factory with Australian Performance Group 1979 The Caucasian Chalk Circle Ironshirt Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company 1979–81 Boys Own McBeth Paris Theatre, Sydney, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre, Hobart, Regal Theatre, Perth, Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, Opera Theatre, Adelaide, Westwood Theatre LA 1985 Nine Little Australians! (Season Two) YMCA, Melbourne 1992 A Dickins' Christmas Jack Gruel Malthouse Theatre with Playbox Theatre, Melbourne 1993 Much Ado About Nothing Dogberry Playhouse, Melbourne, Theatre Royal, Hobart, Princess Theatre, Launceston with Melbourne Theatre Company 1994 Cosi Doug Glen Street Theatre, Playhouse, Canberra, Geelong Arts Centre, The Capital, Bendigo, Monash University, West Gippsland Arts Centre, Russell Street Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company 1996–98 Sylvia Tom / Phyllis / Leslie Wharf 1 Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company, Fairfax Studio with Melbourne Theatre Company 1997 The Real Inspector Hound Moon Playhouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Theatre Company 1998 Twelfth Night Malvolio Playhouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Theatre Company 1998 The Misanthrope The Critic Fairfax Studio with Melbourne Theatre Company 1999 Pride and Prejudice Mr Collins Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Theatre Company 2000 Art and Soul Artist (Untitled) Rembrandt (The Slaughterhouse) Zod (Whispering Death) Fairfax Studio with Melbourne Theatre Company 2001 Art Yvan Playhouse, Melbourne, Regal Theatre, Perth, QPAC with Melbourne Theatre Company 2002 Blue/Orange Robert Fairfax Studio with Melbourne Theatre Company 2002 The Simple Truth Hirst Malthouse Theatre 2003 The Visit The Teacher Playhouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Theatre Company 2003 Proof Robert Cremorne Theatre with Queensland Theatre 2004 Hinterland Frank Gruel Fairfax Studio with Melbourne Theatre Company 2004 Cruel and Tender Richard Fairfax Studio with Melbourne Theatre Company 2005 Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom Fortyfivedownstairs 2005 The Metamorphosis Gregor's boss / Harry the cleaner Wharf 2 Theatre, Malthouse Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company 2006 Ray's Tempest Duffy Fairfax Studio with Melbourne Theatre Company 2006 Festen Paul Fairfax Studio with Melbourne Theatre Company 2006 It Just Stopped Franklin Belvoir Street Theatre 2007 The Glory Fairfax Studio, Melbourne 2007 The Pillowman Tupolski Malthouse Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company 2007-09 Ninety William Fairfax Studio, Melbourne, Geelong Arts Centre, Cremorne Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company for Queensland Theatre 2008–09 The Hypocrite Tartuffe Playhouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Theatre Company 2010 The Ugly One Scheffler Southbank Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company 2010 God of Carnage Alan Reille Dunstan Playhouse Adelaide, Hopgood Theatre, Noarlunga Centre with State Theatre Company of South Australia 2011 The Laramie Project - Ten Years Later Dennis Shepard Red Stitch Actors Theatre 2011 Return to Earth Cleveland Waster Fairfax Studio with Melbourne Theatre Company 2012 Pygmalion Colonel Pickering Sydney Theatre Company 2013 A Number Salter Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre with Perth Theatre Company 2013 The Dragon The Mayor Malthouse Theatre 2017 Hay Fever David Bliss Southbank Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company
Music