INSPIRED DIRECTOR, INSPIRATIONAL TEACHER
Obituary. George Ogilvie. 1931–2020.
In January 1982, three productions were running at the Sydney Opera House: the opera Lucrezia Borgia in the Concert Hall; the ballet Coppélia in the Joan Sutherland Theatre; and the play You Can’t Take it With You in the Drama Theatre. All three were directed by George Ogilvie, who died peacefully in his sleep on April 5 at the age of 89.
A renowned teacher and director of film, TV, ballet, opera and theatre, George Buchan Ogilvie was born in Goulburn NSW on March 5, 1931. Four years later, the family moved to Canberra, where George grew up in a household full of song, dance, stories and poetry.
He was drawn to theatre at an early age, acting in plays as a teenager with the Canberra Rep. His father thought he should be an accountant, so George tried that, but the theatre had too strong a hold and he sailed for England on the SS Otranto when he was 21. He learned valuable lessons by acting in the regional Jimmy James fit-up company that toured England, with a new town and a new play every night.
“I have never forgotten the fact that for me, creativity — in terms of entertainment or performing — is a family affair, has always been, whether it’s in my family or in the family I found in England,” he said. “And ever since then, as an actor and director, I think I’ve searched for family.”
George studied mime in Paris with the legendary stage coach Jacques Lecoq. He and fellow star student Julian Chagrin created and starred in a hit mime vaudeville review called Chaganog at the Strand in London.
John Sumner coaxed George back to Australia in the 1960s to join him in creating the Melbourne Theatre Company, where he directed 23 plays and received three Melbourne Theatre Critics’ Awards. Many of his productions were designed by the late Kristian Fredrikson, with whom he shared a creative partnership for 40 years.
George went on to become artistic director of the State Theatre Company South Australia, where he was at the helm of dozens of memorable productions.
Over the years, George directed many ballets, his Coppélia being a huge success. In opera, he directed the great Joan Sutherland, among many others. His numerous film and TV credits include Bodyline, The Dismissal, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (with George Miller), The Shiralee, The Crossing and The Place at the Coast.
But it was theatre that George loved best. And actors. Although he helped launch the careers of many stars, he especially loved ‘everyday’ actors ‒ the ones who worked hard at their craft, often for little money or recognition. Over the last 50 years, George helped train hundreds, probably thousands, of actors who carry his advice and teaching with them today.
His credo was: “Teach and direct with love and respect for the effort made, not for the talent observed. Talent is a mystery understood by none and should be treated with awe and wonder. Effort opens a window; talent will fly. Effort is palpable and measurable; reward this with a glad heart.”
He was appointed a member of the Order of Australia in 1983 for services to the performing arts, and received the Byron Kennedy Award in 1988 from the Australian Film Institute for services to the film industry. Currency Press published his autobiography, Simple Gifts: A Life in the Theatre, in 2006.
George’s lifelong friends are too many to name ‒ Helmut, Lyndel, Gail, Justin, Julie and so many more. They will miss him daily.
George was part of a large family, with three brothers, including his identical twin Jim, and three sisters. He is survived by two sisters: Jean in Kiama NSW, and his youngest sister Carol, with whom he happily shared a cottage in Braidwood NSW for the last three years of his life. He is also survived by dozens of nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews ‒ the Ogilvies are a big clan and George was much loved by them all.
Obituary by Justin Monjo.
