Hayes Gordon

{{Infobox person

| name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1920|2|25|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, United States

| death_date = {{death date and age|1999|10|19|1920|2|25|df=yes}}

| death_place = Sydney, Australia

| occupation = {{hlist|Theatre actor, producer, and director|film actor|singer|drama teacher}}

| spouse = Katrina Van Oss (div.)
Helen Terry

| children =

}}

Hayes Gordon AO, {{post-nominals| country=AUS|OBE}} (25 February 1920{{spaced ndash}}19 October 1999) was an American-born actor, theatre entrepreneur, theatre producer and director and acting teacher with a considerable career in Australia.

Early life

Gordon was born on 25 February 1920{{ cite web | title= Hayes Gordon AO, OBE|website= AusStage | url= https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/3733| access-date=26 December 2023}} in Boston, Massachusetts.{{cite web | author=The Broadway League | title=Hayes Gordon| website=IBDB | date=25 February 1920 | url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/hayes-gordon-88727 | access-date=26 December 2023}}

Early career in the United States

He was mentored by Oscar Hammerstein II, and appeared on Broadway in several musicals, including the original production of Oklahoma! (1943), Show Boat and Brigadoon. He also appeared in America's first television soap opera Fashion Story. He was named in Red Networks, a newsletter which specialised in naming alleged communists and sympathisers. After he refused in 1951 to sign a loyalty oath declaring that he was not a communist, work dried up completely.Katrina Strickland. "An ideal life", in ''The Weekend Australian, 23–24 August 1997, p. 11.

Emigration to Australia and career

Gordon went to Australia in 1952 to star in J. C. Williamson's musical Kiss Me, Kate.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23155262 |title='KATE' STAR BROUGHT A BIKE |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |issue=32,865 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=3 January 1952 |accessdate=12 June 2017 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite web | title= Hayes Gordon AO OBE 1920–1999 |first=Frank |last=Van Straten|date= 2007| website=liveperformance.com.au | url=https://liveperformance.com.au/hof-profile/hayes-gordon-obe-ao-1920-1999/ | access-date=26 December 2023}}

He stayed in the country and established the Ensemble Theatre in North Sydney with a group of young students he tutored from the Independent Theatre. It was a cooperative-style theatre and Australia's first theatre-in-the-round.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

He founded an acting school, Ensemble Studios, in 1958,{{cite web| url=http://www.ensemble.com.au/company_history.asp| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060918102156/http://www.ensemble.com.au/company_history.asp|archive-date= 18 September 2006| title= Company history|website= Ensemble Studios}} and remained its artistic director until 1986, when Sandra Bates became director.

Toward the end of his life, he published Acting and Performing, which outlined his Stanislavsky-influenced acting methods.

He played Tevye in the original Australian cast of Fiddler on the Roof from 1967 to 1970, and later in a 1985-86 revival for the Australian Opera. He also played 'Daddy' Warbucks in the original Australian cast of Annie which opened in 1978.

Honours

1997: Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the Australia Day Honours, "In recognition of service to the arts, particularly the acting profession and the theatre and to the community"{{Cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869860 |title=Mr Hayes GORDON, OBE| website=Australian Honours Search Facility| publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia) | access-date=26 December 2023}}
1979: Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year's Honours, "In recognition of service to the performing arts".{{Cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1106817 |title=Mr Hayes GORDON: The Order of the British Empire - Officer (Civil) (Imperial)| website=Australian Honours Search Facility| publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia) | access-date=26 December 2023}}

Death and legacy

Gordon died on 19 October 1999 in Sydney.

In 1999 The Glugs named one of their awards the Hayes Gordon Memorial Award for Important Contribution to Theatre.{{cite web | title=Awards | website=Glugs | date=1 April 2014 | url=https://glugsofgosh.wordpress.com/awards/ | access-date=26 December 2023}}

Personal life

Gordon married and divorced American music theatre performer Katrina Van Oss in the U.S. In 1972 he married former student Helen Terry, and had one daughter.

Gordon was a great friend and mentor to Australian actress Denise Roberts, who taught film and television at the Ensemble Studios for Hayes for over six years. In September 2000, Denise established Screenwise and began teaching the Hayes Gordon philosophy for screen acting.{{cn|date=December 2023}}