Lewis Fiander
{{Short description|Australian actor (1938–2016)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Lewis Fiander
| image = LewisFianderPic.png
| imagesize = 150px
| birth_name = Lewis Ernest Fiander
| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|1|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| death_date = {{death date and age|2016|5|24|1938|1|12|df=y}}
| death_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| othername =
| occupation = Actor
| yearsactive =
| spouse =
}}
Lewis Ernest Fiander (12 January 1938 – 24 May 2016) was an Australian film, stage, and television actor.
Early life
Fiander was born in Melbourne to Mona Jane (née King) and Walter Lewis Fiander, and educated at Trinity Grammar School, Kew.[http://www.filmreference.com/film/96/Lewis-Fiander.html Lewis Fiander Biography (1938–)]
He began his stage career as a schoolboy with the Australian National Theatre Movement in Melbourne.{{cite web | url=https://www.mtc.com.au/discover-more/backstage/farewell-lewis-fiander | title=Farewell Lewis Fiander }}
Career
Fiander became a successful radio actor in Sydney and appeared in the first Australian television play, The Sub-Editor’s Room for ABC TV.{{cite web | url=https://www.mtc.com.au/discover-more/backstage/farewell-lewis-fiander | title=Farewell Lewis Fiander }}
Moving to the UK from his native Australia, initially to appear in the play The One Day of the Year, Fiander appeared in such films as I Start Counting (1970), Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), The Abdication (1974), Who Can Kill a Child? (1976), Not Now, Comrade (1976), Sweeney 2 (1978), The Doctor and the Devils (1985), Georgia (1988) and Paperback Romance (1994). His first major role on television was Mr. Darcy in the BBC's first colour adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (1967).[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3646244/Screen-life-of-a-romcom.html "Screen life of a romcom", The Telegraph, 2 September 2005]. Accessed 22 February 2016
In 1970, Fiander originated the role of John Adams in the London stage production of 1776, a role he reprised in Australia.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} Other stage appearances in West End musicals included the roles of Lord Melbourne and Disraeli in I and Albert, Noël Coward in Noel and Gertie and Puccini in Cafe Puccini.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
During the 1970s, he was cast as Professor Tryst in the Doctor Who episode "Nightmare of Eden" and after discussion with his friend Tom Baker chose to give the character a hybrid accent as would befit an alien in the future.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} In 1974, he appeared as Casimir Dudevant playing opposite Rosemary Harris in the BBC series Notorious Woman and performed the role of Thomas Becket on a cast-album of the musical Thomas and The King.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
On radio, he played the eponymous lead role in the comedy series Patterson.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
He returned to Australia in the early 1980s and continued his acting career.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
In 2004 he contributed the voice for airship engineer Kemp in Anthony Lucas's Oscar nominated animation, The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
Lewis Fiander's last known film appearance was in the Don Percy short film Two Moments in Time. Fiander's scenes were shot in late September 2015. The film was completed in 2017, and premiered at the St Kilda Film Festival in 2018.{{cite web |url=https://stkildafilmfestival.com.au/film/two-moments-in-time/ |title=Two Moments In Time - St Kilda Film Festival |website=stkildafilmfestival.com.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801034508/https://stkildafilmfestival.com.au/film/two-moments-in-time/ |archive-date=2018-08-01}}
Death
Fiander died on 24 May 2016, following a stroke.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mtc.com.au/backstage/2016/05/farewell-lewis-fiander/|title=Farewell Lewis Fiander}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | The Password Is Courage | Pringle | Feature film |
| 1963 | The V.I.P.s | Third Reporter (uncredited) | Feature film |
| 1970 | I Start Counting | Priest at Church | Feature film |
| 1971 | Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde | Howard Spencer | Feature film |
| 1972 | Dr. Phibes Rises Again | Baker | Feature film |
| 1974 | The Abdication | Father Dominic | Feature film |
| 1976 | Who Can Kill a Child? | Tom | Feature film |
| 1976 | Not Now, Comrade | Rudi Petrovyan | Feature film |
| 1978 | Sweeney 2 | Gorran | Feature film |
| 1985 | The Doctor and the Devils | Dr. Thornton | Feature film |
| 1986 | On Wings of Fire | Tansar | Feature film |
| 1988 | Georgia | Scarlatti | Feature film |
| 1994 | Paperback Romance (aka Lucky Break) | Mr. Bruce Wrightman | Feature film |
| 2004 | The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello | Kemp (voice) | Animated film |
| 2015 | Two Moments in Time | Short film (last appearance) |
=Television=
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
| 1967 | Pride and Prejudice | Mr Darcy | TV series |
| 1974 | Notorious Woman | Casimir Dudevant | TV miniseries |
| 1976
|Victorian Scandals |TV series, episode: "The Frontiers of Science" | |||
| 1979 | Doctor Who | Professor Tryst | TV series, episode: "Nightmare of Eden" |
| 1982 | Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House | Ranjeet | TV series, 7 episodes |
| 1989 | Tanamera – Lion of Singapore | Papa Jack | TV miniseries |
Radio
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
| 1981 | Patterson | Patterson | BBC Radio 3 |
Theatre
{{cite web | url=https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/6328 | title=AusStage }} {{cite web | url=https://www.mtc.com.au/discover-more/backstage/farewell-lewis-fiander | title=Farewell Lewis Fiander }} {{cite web | url=https://theatricalia.com/person/4hb/lewis-fiander | title=Lewis Fiander | Theatricalia }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0275595}}
- [http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_contrib_id=6328&f_event_id=64392 Lewis Fiander at Austage]
- [https://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&safe=off&q=%22Lewis+Fiander%22&btnG=Search+Images Lewis Fiander Image Search]
- [http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2016/05/vale-lewis-fiander.html Obituary]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiander, Lewis}}
Category:Male actors from Melbourne
Category:Australian male film actors
Category:Australian male stage actors