"Effie" (full character name "Effie Stephanidis") is an outrageous comedic character played by Australian actress Mary Coustas. Coustas depicts a stereotypical second-generation Greek Australian.

The character originated in the comedy program ''Acropolis Now'', which ran from 1989 to 1992. Since then, the character has appeared in ''Effie, Just Quietly'' (2001), and hosting the short-lived 2003 talk show ''Greeks On The Roof'' (based on the British series ''The Kumars at No. 42'') in character with other actors playing her family. She has also appeared in a number of television commercials (most recently for AAPT).

Effie's catchphrases include "How embarrassment!" in response to any potentially embarrassing situation. She greets people with "Hello, good thanks" before they have even asked her how she is feeling.

In 1992, Effie released a novelty single: a duet with another fictional character, Garry McDonald's Norman Gunston, recording their version of Andrew Lloyd-Webber's "Amigos Para Siempre", the official song of the 1992 Summer Olympics (originally performed by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras). The single reached the Top 20 chart in Australia.

Coustas wrote a book based on the character: ''Effie’s Guide to Being Up Yourself'' (ISBN 0-7336-1761-1), published in September 2003 by Mark McLeod Books.

2007

Effie returned to television with a new 90 minute variety series on Channel Five which premiered on 14 September and ran until to December. The series average ratings was 1.4 million. The success was quickly taken into account and a second series started on 12 June 2009. The series continued to December. Series two ratings average was 1.3 million. Effie announced in October that she will not continue with the show after that current series. A special on New Year's Eve aired called Effie's NYE Party. This was the last show produced. But on 7 October she announced she will air another special on NYE 2009.

References

External links

Official Effie website

Effie hosts "Greek Dancing With The Stars" at the 2007 Paniyiri Festival, Brisbane, Australia

Effie and Norman Gunston sing ''Amigos Para Siempre'' on ''Hey, Hey, It's Saturday''

Category:Australian comedy and humour Category:Australian people of Greek descent Category:Comedy characters

Norman Gunston was a satirical TV character performed by Australian actor and comedian Garry McDonald. Norman Gunston was primarily well known in his native Australia, and to a lesser extent, the United States during the mid to late 1970s.

Early years

The Gunston character was originally conceived by comedy writer Wendy Skelcher and first appeared as a minor character in the second series of the cult Australian TV comedy series ''The Aunty Jack Show'' in 1973. Cast member Garry McDonald portrayed Gunston as a dull and talentless local TV reporter from the industrial city of Wollongong – a locale that was the butt of many jokes throughout the series. The Gunston character made enough of an impression for him to be revived in a subsequent comedy mini-series made by the Aunty Jack team, ''Wollongong the Brave'' (1974), in which he starred in a satirical mock documentary ''Norman Gunston: The Golden Weeks''. His segments as Norman in ''What's On In Wollongong'' became one of the most popular parts of the Aunty Jack Show, and Norman appeared on the ''Aunty Jack Sings Wollongong'' album along with McDonald's other character, Kid Eager.

National Fame

In his later and most famous incarnation, Gunston had evolved to become the unlikely host of his own national TV variety show, ''The Norman Gunston Show'', which premiered with a live broadcast on ABC television on 18 May 1975. Dubbed "the little Aussie bleeder", (a play on the term "Aussie battler"), he satirised parochial Australian culture, media "personalities", and egocentric talk show hosts.

After a faltering start, the Norman Gunston show rapidly gained a huge national audience and the series became the pre-eminent Australian TV comedy program of its day, with McDonald winning a Gold Logie scoring several pop hits. He is, notably, the only Logie recipient who has received the award in the name of his character, rather than in his own name.

According to McDonald, the Gunston character and his show were initially devised as a parody of an (unintentionally bad) late-night Sydney TV variety show of the early 1970s hosted by expatriate American club entertainer Tommy Leonetti.

Format

The Gunston show was a subversive parody of the established variety "Tonight Show" format, centering on a weekly roster of celebrity guests who were 'interviewed' by Norman. Genuine musical performances by guest stars were countered by Norman's own unique interpretations of popular songs – he specialised in portraying his lyrics through mime and sign language and frequently punctuated the song with 'dramatic' interjections. Among his memorable performances were his histrionic rendition of the Tom Jones hit "Delilah", his hilarious version of "Send in the Clowns" and his heroic interpretation of the Liza Minnelli's theme-song "Liza with a Z", which Norman introduced by guilelessly expressing surprise at the fact that no-one except "Miss Lisa Minnulli" had ever attempted the song. McDonald is in real life an accomplished blues harmonica player (he jammed with Frank Zappa in an interview recording during Zappa's second Australian tour) and many of Norman's musical performances were regularly punctuated by poorly executed and inappropriate harmonica playing, such as in his rendition of the Billy Joel signature tune "Piano Man".

Norman's distinctive interview "shtick" included several recurring features. He habitually presented himself as ill-prepared and under-researched, seeming largely ignorant of and/or uninterested in his guests' achievements, although he was always quick to exploit any chance that their celebrity status might enable him to achieve one of his ambitions, such as being chosen to star in a cigarette ad (which he eventually achieved with 'Dukes' Cigarettes), or winning a Gold Logie.

Norman would further undercut his guests's star status by linking any aspect of their lives and careers to the most mundane features of his own life; he also habitually employed malapropisms and made a particular feature of mis-pronouncing stars' names, or apparently mistaking them for someone else. In his debut show he repeatedly referred to wealthy Sydney socialite Lady Mary Fairfax as "Mrs Lady Fairfax" and in a later show he introduced progressive union leader Jack Mundey as "Mister Jack Mondaay" – a satirical inversion of the Australian habit of pronouncing the morphograph '-day' as '-dee' in the days of the week (e.g. "Sat'dee" for "Saturday").

As the series developed McDonald and his team introduced additional live and pre-taped segments including:

"Norman's Dreamtime" – a mock-fairytale segment in which Gunston regaled a group of increasingly bored children with readings from a book of iconic Australian fables, with titles such as "Why Underpants Ride Up"

"Consumer Straight Talk" – helpful tips on alternative uses for everyday household items, which later evolved into the even more grandiose-sounding "Spaceship Southern Hemisphere"

a weekly review of the show's ratings over previous weeks, with suggestions on how viewers and the studio audience might help them skyrocket; later in Series 1 this focused on Norman's increasingly desperate campaign to win the coveted Gold Logie – which is, ironically, exactly what transpired at the 1976 Logies.

in Series 2 Gunston presented (but did not appear in) a 3-minute satirical 'micro-soap' called ''Checkout Chicks'', which parodied current Australian TV soap operas and starred actresses well known for their appearances in such programs, including ''Number 96'' stars Abigail and Philippa Baker, ''Class of 74'' star Anne Louise Lambert, who went on to star in ''Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (in which McDonald also appeared in a 'straight' role).

Stage settings were defiantly downmarket and rooted in Australian suburbia and kitsch RSL club stylings — after being introduced, bemused guests were offered their choice of dubious delicacies (such as pineapple doughnuts or the infamous Chiko Roll) from Norman's hot food bar, before being invited to sit on his vinyl-clad "night-and-day" (a venerable Australian term for sofa bed). Perhaps the most memorable example of this was his interview of Edward Woodward and Michele Dotrice, during which he performed his version of Othello 'for the rugby leagues clubs', which involved him squirting tomato sauce over a ventriloquists's dummy, reducing Woodward to helpless laughter.

Gunston's personal appearance satirised club performers and TV interviewers of the time — for the studio segments he wore an ill-fitting blue lurex tuxedo jacket (wrongly buttoned) and the fly on his (too short) trousers was habitually left undone, with the shirt-tail poking out through the zip. Gunston also adopted a deliberately bad comb over hairstyle to partially cover his balding head. One of his visual trademarks was the small pieces of tissue paper applied to his pasty white face to cover supposed shaving cuts. This comic device led to his memorable exchange with visiting American actress Sally Struthers – noting Norman's apparent shaving cuts, she kindly suggested that perhaps Gunston should use an electric razor; the nonplussed Norman replied "Uh, I do", at which point Struthers collapsed in a fit of laughter.

Gunston performed subversive TV interviews with many major celebrities – during a Wings press conference he quipped to Linda McCartney: 'That's funny, you don't look Japanese.' (referencing Yoko Ono); other famous victims included Mick Jagger, Warren Beatty, Charlton Heston, and Muhammad Ali. Perhaps Norman's most well known interview was with Keith Moon at Charlton stadium in 1976. Moon famously ended his brief encounter with Norman by tipping Vodka over his head and yelling "Piss off, you Australian faggot" (it's debatable who ended up looking sillier).

McDonald was one of the pioneers of the satirical "ambush" interview technique, which was founded on his considerable improvisational acting skills and precise comic timing. The "Gunston Method" relied on the fact that, especially in the early days of the series, the Norman persona was still relatively unknown in in his home country, and completely unknown outside Australia. Thus, he was successfully able to hide behind the guise of a fully rounded and highly plausible character who appears to be stupid in order to throw his otherwise media-savvy quarry off their guard. This caused various results, from hilarity (Sally Struthers and Cheech and Chong), to clever play-alongs like Muhammad Ali ("I'm punchy – what's your excuse?") to bewilderment (Warren Beatty), to complete outrage (Rudolf Nureyev, Michael Cole).

The Gunston technique has since been employed by many comedians. In both style and appearance, Paul Kaye's character Dennis Pennis was strongly reminiscent of Gunston. It later had a very successful revival thanks to the British satirist Sacha Baron Cohen through his characters Ali G, Borat and Brüno. Canadian comedian and actor Martin Short also employed a similar technique with his best-known character, the fawning, morbidly obese celebrity interviewer Jiminy Glick; another notable resemblance between Glick and Norman is the Glick show's "fairytale" segment "Lalawood Fables", which is very similar to the "Norman's Dreamtime" segments of the Gunston show, in which the host reads a satirical mock-fable (intercut with pre-produced vision) to a group of assembled children. The Australian satirical comedy team The Chaser have also frequently used the Gunston Method to ambush unwitting targets—examples include the Julian Morrow character the "Citizens' Infringment Officer", and the team's now-legendary stunt in which they managed to penetrate a tight security cordon around the APEC Forum, despite the fact that Chas Licciardello was masquerading as Osama Bin Laden.

Through sheer good luck, Gunston was immortalised in Australian political history when, on the morning of 11 November 1975, McDonald and his film crew – who happened to be in Canberra at the time – found out that the Labor government led by Gough Whitlam had just been dismissed by the Governor-General Sir John Kerr. On hearing the news, McDonald and his crew raced to Parliament House, where they were able to film McDonald (as Gunston) briefly addressing the assembled crowd, only moments before Whitlam and the Governor-General's Official Secretary David Smith appeared for the reading of the now-famous proclamation announcing Whitlam's dismissal.

In 1976, the ABC aired a third season of ''The Norman Gunston Show''. By this stage, increased production budgets afforded Gunston more opportunities for overseas interviews, including Malcolm Muggeridge, Michael Caine, John Sturges, Glenda Jackson, John Stonehouse, and Rudolph Nureyev. One memorable encounter with Frank Zappa ended with Zappa and Norman duetting respectively on guitar and harmonica in a spontaneous blues jam (McDonald is in fact a proficient harmonica player). As the jam concluded, McDonald threw in a witty musical quote from the well-known ABC news theme, an action which also gave a clever nod to Zappa's well-known proclivity for inserting musical quotes such as TV themes into his work.

In November 1976, a specially prepared 45 minute UK Gunston TV special was screened on BBC2 TV. Some of Gunston's guests on the show included Diana Dors and Tony Greig.

After the third and final ABC TV season finished in late 1976, Gunston was popular enough to approach commercial TV networks. In particular, the Seven Network showed interest in producing another ''Norman Gunston'' series. Because of McDonald's other commitments, the series did not commence production until early 1978.

Between July–September 1977, Norman Gunston was included in the 8-episode ABC TV series, ''The Garry McDonald Show''. Other characters were also played by McDonald, including Harry Butler (Harry Butler in the wild), and Mo McCackie.

Channel 7 years

In 1978, the Australian Seven Network aired another Norman Gunston series, which continued over an 18-month period till 1979. Ten 60 minute episodes were produced by John Eastway and ATN7. Highlights of this series were also screened on UK Channel 4 TV from November to December 1982.

In February and March 1981, Channel 7 aired a program called ''Gunston's Australia'', which intended to show the Gunston character approaching the end of his shelf life. In a satirical reference to personalities like former ABC current affairs host Bill Peach, the series parodied the perennial Australian TV practice of hiring celebrities to host magazine-style programs after leaving the show that had brought them to fame. Wearing a safari jacket and shorts, Gunston travelled around outback Australia, interfering and adventuring in high and low places in his usual cack-handed manner. This series was later screened from February to March 1983 on UK Channel 4 TV.

In 1985, a 2-hour video was released titled, ''The Gunston Tapes''. This was a compilation of interviews and comic sketches from the first, second and third 1975–1976 ABC TV series. McDonald also temporarily revived the Gunston character for the purpose of narrating the video.

In February and March 1993, McDonald briefly revived the Gunston character for the Channel 7 network. However, by the time the series premiered McDonald was suffering from severe depression, and his much-publicised nervous breakdown and abrupt departure saw the series prematurely terminated. A 3-set DVD compilation of the 1993 series was subsequently released in 2003.

During the late 1990s, Foxtel's The Comedy Channel repeated all but the premiere episode from the 1975–76 ABC series. (A previously unaired pilot was screened in place of episode one, which is presumed lost.) This marked the first time the series had been aired since the late 1970s. The same episodes have been screened again, albeit in random order, from 2008 as part of the channel's Aussie Gold block hosted by Frank Woodley.

Recording career

Gunston's single record releases sold sufficiently well to enter the Australian top 40 charts. Parody tributes included Punk rock (''I might be a Punk but I love ya baby''), Sherbet (''Howzat''), ABBA (''Salute to ABBA''), KISS (''KISS Army''), Boz Scaggs (''Nylon Degrees''), Billy Ray Cyrus (''Achy Breaky Heart''), and Peter Allen (''I Go to Rio)'' (Allen was present when Gunston parodied him on ABC's pop show Countdown, and didn't seem amused, although he would have been aware of the character having previously appeared on Gunston's ABC show as a guest.)

In 1976, Gunston released an album titled ''The Popular Ballad Animal'', which covered both contemporary and classic era compositions, several of which Norman had performed on his show, including his theme song, "I Who Have Nothing". In particular, notable tracks include Gunston's bizarre but inspired interpretations of Liza Minnelli's "Liza With a Z", David Gates' "If", Tom Jones' "Delilah", Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns", "Jailhouse Rock", "Piano Man", "Vesti La Giubba", "A little love and understanding", "Daddy what if?", and the Judy Garland classic "Over the Rainbow".

In 1978, Gunston released another covers album ''Nylon Degrees'' (sending up Boz Scaggs' ''Silk Degrees'' in both title and cover art). His next album, 1984's ''Join The Dots'', included out-takes and previously unreleased rare recordings, title and cover art parodying Culture Club's ''Colour By Numbers''.

Gunston appeared as a guest harmonica player at Frank Zappa's concert at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia on 20 January 1976 which was later released as ''FZ:OZ'' (2002).

Program History

1973 The Aunty Jack Show (ABC TV – six B/W episodes).

1974 Wollongong the Brave (ABC TV).

1975 The Norman Gunston Show – season 1 (ABC TV – nine 30 minute colour episodes).

1975 The Norman Gunston Show – season 2 (ABC TV – eight 30 minute colour episodes).

1976 The Norman Gunston Show – season 3 (ABC TV – eight 30 minute colour episodes).

1976 The Norman Gunston Show (UK BBC TV one-off 60 minute special).

1977 The Garry McDonald Show (ABC TV – eight 30 minute colour episodes).

1978–79 The Norman Gunston Show (7 Network – ten 60 minute episodes).

1981 Gunston's Australia (7 Network 1981 – eight 30 minute episodes).

1993 The Norman Gunston Show (7 Network – five 30 minute episodes).

1975 season 1 ABC TV Episodes

Series 1 episode 1 (18 May 1975)

Premier Norman Gunston Show episode filmed at ABN2 Gore Hill, Sydney TV studios. Norman Gunston interviews Mary Fairfax, Kerrie Biddell, and Rolf Harris.

Series 1 episode 2 (May 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Prince Leonard and Lord Davies from the Hutt River Province, Western Australia; Rick Morosi (Junie Morosi's brother); Colleen Hewett before her departure overseas; Mrs Phillis Johnson; and Edward Woodward. Norman's dreamtime segment. Gunston concludes the show by performing "Keep You Satisfied".

Series 1 episode 3 (June 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Stratford Johns; Chelsea Brown; Mrs Andrea (local talk back radio personality); and Fred Nile. Norman's dreamtime: "How Josyln Mathew got her spots". Consumer straight talk: Chewing gum special report. Gunston concludes the show by performing "If (They Made Me a King)".

Series 1 episode 4 (June 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Ray Barrett; Edith Dahl, and Jack Thompson. Australian rock group Skyhooks perform "Horror Movie". Norman's dreamtime segment: "Why underpants ride up". Consumer straight talk: Venus flytrap.

Series 1 episode 5 (June 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Jack Mundey; Paul Graham, Warren Beatty. Australian harmonica performing trio, The Horrie Dargie Trio, perform Theme From "Shaft" by Isaac Hayes. Paul Graeme wrestles alligator. Gunston performs "Sweet Caroline".

Series 1 episode 6 (June 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews the Carlton Football team in their dressing room; Mike Willesee; Marcia Hines; and Dr. Bertram Wainer. Gunston reports on "The joys of funny business". Gunston concludes show by performing "Liza with a Z".

Series 1 episode 7 (July 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Al Grassby; Bobbie Sykes; Little Pattie; and Cheech & Chong. Norman's dreamtime segment: "The beach umbrella finds Mr. Right". Consumer straight talk segment. Gunston closes show by performing "I Got You Babe" with Little Pattie.

Series 1 episode 8 (July 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Michele Dotrice; Edward Woodward; Beatrice Faust, and Peter Wherrett. Consumer straight talk segment: super shopping trolley reviewed by Peter Wherrett. Gunston closes show by performing "Out of Sight, Out of Mind".

Series 1 episode 9 (July 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Garry Glitter. Norman Gunstan stands outside Parliament House Canberra. Gunston performs "Here Come the Jets". Gunston promotional film for "Something or Other" brand cigarette commercial. Norman's nymphette 1975 competition final. Consumer straight talk – Norman's last eight video tapes. ABC chairman, Professor Downing announces new Norman Gunston series due to commence in early September 1975. Gunston concludes show by performing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me".

1975 season 2 ABC TV Episodes

Season Two featured recurring sketch, ''The Checkout Chicks''. This sketch, a send-up of melodramatic soap operas set in a supermarket, mostly featured former cast members of the then-popular serial ''Number 96'': Abigail, Vivienne Garrett, Candy Raymond, Philippa Baker, Judy Lynn, Anne Louise Lambert.

Series 2 episode 1 (September 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Joe Frazier; Muhammad Ali, Lady Fairfax; and Winifred Atwell. Special report on GI cordial nutrition. Norman's $400,000 slice of the good life competition. Gunston commences show with "Colour my world" and concludes with "Pinball Wizard".

Series 2 episode 2 (September 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Ray Charles; Junie Morosi; Peter Allen; and Telly Savalas. Episode one of Checkout Chicks. Spaceship Southern Hemisphere incorporating consumer straight talk. Gunston concludes show with "Send in the clowns".

Series 2 episode 3 (September 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Australian rock group Ayers Rock; Denise Drysdale; and President Nixon's security guard. Special announcement to the nation regarding Norman's false girlfriend. Norman's dreamtime: "Why the orange juice gets swished around in that glass thing". Junior jaws kitchen tidy bin review.

Series 2 episode 4 (September 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Hugh Hefner, Don Dunston, and Barry Crocker.

Series 2 episode 5 (October 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Renée Geyer; Paul & Linda McCartney; Denny Laine; and radio talk-back priest Fr. Jim McLaren. Special report on keeping pets in units.

Series 2 episode 6 (October 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews John Gorton; The Seekers; and Miss Australia 1975; Sally Struthers. Checkout chicks. Special report on LA smog verses Australia smog. Gunston concludes show by performing Vesti La Giubba.

Series 2 episode 7 (December 1975)

Norman Gunston interviews Debbie Byrne; Senator Albert Field; Michael Cole; and Vidal Sassoon. Norman Gunston appears on the steps of Parliament House with Gough Whitlam – 11 November 1975. Gunston concludes show with "Delilah".

Series 2 episode 8 (January 1976)

Norman Gunston interviews Edith Head; and Frank Zappa. Norman's dreamtime: "Why Aunty Pat took the kittens to the vet". Norman look alike awards 1975. Gunston concludes show with "I who have nothing".

1976 season 3 ABC TV Episodes

Series 3 episode 1 (September 1976)

Norman Gunston interviews Malcolm Muggeridge; Frank Hardie; The Ink Spots; and Rudolf Nureyev. Gunston reports on the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. Gunston concludes show with ABBA melody.

Series 3 episode 2 Norman Gunston interviews Julie Ismay, Miss Australia 1976; Michael Caine; Brenda Kristen; Tim Taylor; and Tony Greig (from BBC2 UK special). Norman attempts to speak with UK prime minister. Special report on Cambridge University life. Gunston concludes show with "A taste of water".

Series 3 episode 3

Norman Gunston interviews Australian Olympic team; Diana Trask; Margaret Fulton; and John Stonehouse. Norman's dreamtime: "How the garden hose got where it is today". Special report on storing food under the house. Gunston concludes show with "Howzat".

Series 3 episode 4

Norman Gunston interviews 1976 ABC chairman; Fred Daley; and Glenda Jackson. 1976 budget report. Royal marines song contest. Norman will do his best segment: "How hundreds and thousands are made". Report on farming in your own flat. Gunston concludes show with "Don't tell me what to say".

Series 3 episode 5

Norman Gunston interviews Leyland Brothers; John Sturgess; Donald Smith; and Mary Whitehouse. Gunston concludes show with "Jailhouse Rock".

Series 3 episode 6

Norman Gunston interviews Jack Brabham; and Malcolm Fraser. Gunston concludes show with "Piano Man".

Series 3 episode 7

Norman Gunston interviews Caroline Jones; Delilah; and Diana Dors (from BBC2 UK special). Marathon telethon 1976. Norman's dreamtime: "How the shaving cream gets in a lather". Gunston concludes show with duet with Delilah.

Series 3 episode 8

Norman Gunston interviews Vera Lynn, Margaret Thatcher, and George Davis. Keith Moon pours vodka bottle over Norman's head.

BBC2 45-minute Norman Gunston special

(19 November 1976)

Michael Caine, Diana Dors, Tony Greig, Glenda Jackson, Malcolm Muggeridge, Diane Solomon.

1978–1979 ATN7 Episodes

Series 1 episode 1 (5 April 1978)

Interviews: Henry Winkler, Phil Silvers, Charles Collinson, Billy Carter. Guests include: John Singleton, and Colleen Hewett.

Series 1 episode 2 (1978)

Interviews: James Garner, James Franciscus, Robert Stack, Elke Summer. Guests includes: Bob Simpson, Judy Connelly, 'Saturday Night Fever' take off.

Series 1 episode 3 (1978)

Interviews: Dawn Fraser, Ian 'Molly' Meldrum, John Farnham and Martin Landau.

Series 1 episode 4 (11 October 1978)

Series 1 episode 5 (1978)

Series 2 episode 1 (1979)

Series 2 episode 2 (1979)

Series 2 episode 3 (29 August 1979)

Series 2 episode 4 (1979)

Series 2 episode 5 Xmas special (December 1979)

Summary: Norman Gunston's Christmas special includes take off of Blondies' single "Heart of Glass"; interviews with Karen Black; Lee Marvin; hippies in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco; Leif Garrett; Elliott Gould; Henry Winkler; Ed Asner; George Segal; Zsa Zsa Gabor; Ricky Schroder; the Bee Gees; Robert Stigwood. Also shows Norman Gunston doing songs "Use Your Hanky" and a take-off of the "Rocky" theme.

Gunston's Australia 1981 ATN7 episodes

Series 1 episode 1 (February 1981)

Summary: Garry Mcdonald (Norman Gunston) in a runners starting position under a banner with 'GI book of records' wearing summer clothing and a backpack.

Series 1 episode 2 (1981)

Summary: Garry Mcdonald (Norman Gunston) wearing safari jacket and shorts crouching as he uses spakfilla on a red dirt hill. An Ansett-ana bag sits nearby (the same bag appears in the 1993 series).

Series 1 episode 3 (1981)

Summary: Garry Mcdonald (Norman Gunston) as Dr. Strange 1981; Grammy awards report.

Series 1 episode 4 (1981)

Series 1 episode 5 (1981)

Series 1 episode 6 (1981)

Series 1 episode 7 (1981)

Series 1 episode 8 (1981)

The Norman Gunston Show

(Seven Network – February to March 1993)

episode 1

Shirley MacLaine, Ian Botham, Dr John Hewson, musical guest Girlfriend, Gunston sings 'Acky Breaky Heart'

episode 2

Paul Mercurio, Billy Crystal, Julian Clary, musical guest Sonia Dada, Gunston sings 'Simply Irresistible '

episode 3

Guns N' Roses, Lionel Richie, Laurie and Noeline Donaher, musical guest Mahotella Queens, Gunston sings 'I will always love you'

episode 4 (hosted by Mary Coustas as Effie)

Paul Keating, Bryan Brown, Sam Neill, Gough Whitlam, Warwick and Joanne Capper, Brian Austen Green, musical guest The Dukes

episode 5 (hosted by Maryanne Fahey as Kylie Mole)

Jeff Fenech, Jane Flemming, Corbin Bernsen, Colonel Tom Parker, musical guest Peter Andre

episode 6 (Top Gunston part 1)

repackaged highlights from previous series

episode 7 (Top Gunston part 2)

repackaged highlights from previous series

References

External links

Norman Gunston on nostalgia central

Search the National Film and Sound Archive National Collection of Screen & Sound for Gunston's radio interview and television appearances

''Norman Gunston'' at Laughterlog.com – Article, episode guide and list of recordings

Category:Australian comedians Category:Australian male singers Category:Australian satirists Category:Gold Logie winners

birthname	Elizabeth Irene Mitchell
birth date	February 10, 1974
birth place	Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	1998–present
spouse	Max Handelman (2003–present)
children	1 son
homepage	}}

Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress. Banks made her film debut in the low-budget independent film ''Surrender Dorothy''. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Definitely, Maybe'', ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'', ''W.'', ''Role Models'', ''Wet Hot American Summer'', and ''The Uninvited''. She co-starred as Effie Trinket in the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' novel, '' The Hunger Games'', released on March 23, 2012.

On television, Banks had a recurring role of Avery Jessup on the sitcom ''30 Rock'', which gained her a nomination for an Emmy Award. Previously, Banks had starred in the recurring role of Dr. Kim Briggs on ''Scrubs'' from 2006 to 2009.

Early life and education

Banks was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the eldest of four children of Ann (née Wallace) and Mark P. Mitchell. Her father was a factory worker for General Electric and her mother worked in a bank.

As a girl, she loved playing baseball and riding horses. She played little league until she broke her leg sliding into third at a game. Looking for something else, she tried the school play. After that, acting became her passion. . She graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1992 and attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority. Banks graduated ''magna cum laude'' in 1996. In 1998, she completed schooling at the American Conservatory Theater and earned an MFA.

Career

Banks changed her name to avoid confusion with actress Elizabeth Mitchell. She debuted in the 1998 independent film ''Surrender Dorothy'', as Elizabeth Casey, appeared in various films over the next seven years before gaining more prominent widespread exposure through the 2005 comedy film ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin''.

In August 2005, at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Banks starred in William Inge's ''Bus Stop'' as Cherie, the sexy, blond, aspiring nightclub singer. Jeffrey Borak wrote that Banks' portrayal was acted "with poise, clarity and a shrewd feel for Cherie's complexities. Her performance is all of a piece and in harmony, stylistically, with the performances around her...." In 2005, she appeared on the show ''Stella'', and in May 2006, she had a role in the season five finale of the NBC comedy ''Scrubs'' as Dr. Kim Briggs, the love interest of J.D. (Zach Braff). The character appeared throughout seasons six, seven and eight as a recurring guest star.

In 2006, Banks appeared in the American football drama film ''Invincible'', in which she played Mark Wahlberg's love interest. Later, she and co-star Wahlberg were nominated for the "Best Kiss" award at the MTV Movie Award. Also that year, she landed the starring role in the comedy-horror ''Slither''.

In 2007, she played the female lead in the comedy ''Meet Bill'', alongside Aaron Eckhart and Jessica Alba. Also that year, Banks had a small role in the Christmas comedy film ''Fred Claus'', co-starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti. In 2008, she played a love interest in the comedy ''Definitely, Maybe'', alongside Isla Fisher and Ryan Reynolds, starred with Seth Rogen as the eponymous female lead in the Kevin Smith comedy ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'', and played United States First Lady Laura Bush in ''W.'', Oliver Stone's biopic of George W. Bush.

In 2009, Banks appeared in the thriller ''The Uninvited'', a remake of the Korean horror film ''A Tale of Two Sisters''. The film was about an intrusive stepmother who makes life miserable for the teen daughters of her new husband. Banks based her character, Rachel, on Rebecca De Mornay's character in ''The Hand That Rocks the Cradle''". "It was very important to me that every line reading I gave could be interpreted two ways," says Banks of her role, "So that when you go back through the movie you can see that".

Banks is a frequent co-star of actor Paul Rudd, the two having appeared in five films together to date (''Wet Hot American Summer'', ''The Baxter'', ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'', ''Role Models'' and ''Our Idiot Brother'').

Banks was cast as a love interest for Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) in the fourth season of the Emmy-winning sitcom ''30 Rock''. Intended to appear in four episodes in 2010, Banks went on to become a recurring character with thirteen appearances by the end of the fifth season, including her marriage in the episode ''Mrs. Donaghy''. Her performance in season five earned her a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards.

Banks appeared in the movie ''The Hunger Games'', playing Effie, a woman who originates from "The Capitol" and organizes the District 12 tributes.

Personal life

Banks met her future husband, sportswriter and producer Max Handelman, on her first day at college, September 6, 1992; they married on July 5, 2003. She was raised in a family of both Irish Catholic and Anglo-Saxon Protestant background, and has converted to Judaism, her husband's faith. She and her husband welcomed their first child, Felix, who was born via a surrogate in March 2011.

Filmography

+ Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1998		Vicki	Credited as Elizabeth Casey
2000		Trey's friend	Credited as Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell
2001	''Wet Hot American Summer''	Lindsay
2001	''Ordinary Sinner''	Rachel
2002		Betty Brant
2002		Debi
2002	''Catch Me If You Can''	Lucy Forrest
2002		Woman at yoga class	Short films; direct-to-DVD release
2003	''The Trade''	Sioux Sever
2003		Marcela Howard	Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2004	''Spider-Man 2''	Betty Brant
2005		Isabel
2005	''Sexual Life''	Sarah
2005		Nancy Pecket
2005	''The Baxter''	Caroline Swann
2005	''The 40-Year-Old Virgin''	Beth
2005	''Daltry Calhoun''	May
2006		Starla Grant
2006		Janet Cantrell	Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss
2007	''Spider-Man 3''	Betty Brant
2007		Jess
2007	''Fred Claus''	Charlene
2008	''Definitely, Maybe''	Emily Jones
2008	''Meet Dave''	Gina Morrison
2008	''Lovely, Still''	Alex
2008	''Zack and Miri Make a Porno''	Miriam "Miri" Linky
2008		Laura Bush
2008	''Role Models''	Beth Jones
2009	''Big Breaks''	Starlet	Short film
2009		Rachel Summers
2009			Executive producer
2010	''The Details''	Nealy Lang
2010	''The Next Three Days''	Lara Brennan
2011	''Just a Little Heart Attack''	Director and star
2011	''Our Idiot Brother''	Miranda
2012	''Man on a Ledge''	Lydia Mercer
2012		Effie Trinket
2012	''Movie 43''		Also directorPost-production
2012		Wendy	Post-production
2012		Frankie	Post-production
2013	''Catching Fire''	Effie Trinket

+ Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1999	''Third Watch''	Elaine Elchisak	1 episode: "Patterns"Credited as Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell
2000	''Sex and the City''	Catherine	1 episode: "Politically Erect"
2001	''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''	Jaina Tobias Jansen	1 episode: "Sacrifice"
2002	''Without a Trace''	Clarissa	1 episode: "Snatch Back"
2005		Tamara	1 episode: "Meeting Girls"
2006–2007, 2009		Dr. Kim Briggs	Recurring role
2007–2008	''Wainy Days''	Shelly	3 episodes: "Shelly", "The Date", "Shelly 2"
2007–2008	''American Dad!''	Becky AranginoLisa Silver	3 episodes: "The Vacation Goo", "1600 Candles", "Escape from Pearl Bailey"
2008		Maggie Tilton	TV mini-series
2009	''Modern Family''	Sal
2010-2011	''30 Rock''	Avery Jessup	Recurring roleNominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

References

External links

Category:1974 births Category:Actors from Massachusetts Category:American film actors Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American Jews Category:American television actors Category:Converts to Judaism Category:Jewish actors Category:Living people Category:People from Berkshire County, Massachusetts Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni

af:Elizabeth Banks ca:Elizabeth Banks cs:Elizabeth Banksová da:Elizabeth Banks de:Elizabeth Banks el:Ελίζαμπεθ Μπανκς es:Elizabeth Banks fa:الیزابت بنکس fr:Elizabeth Banks fy:Elizabeth Banks ko:엘리자베스 뱅크스 id:Elizabeth Banks it:Elizabeth Banks he:אליזבת' בנקס lv:Elizabete Benksa nl:Elizabeth Banks ja:エリザベス・バンクス no:Elizabeth Banks pl:Elizabeth Banks pt:Elizabeth Banks ru:Бэнкс, Элизабет sq:Elizabeth Banks simple:Elizabeth Banks fi:Elizabeth Banks sv:Elizabeth Banks th:เอลิซาเบท แบงส์ tr:Elizabeth Banks uk:Елізабет Бенкс vi:Elizabeth Banks

name	Jennifer Lawrence
birthname	Jennifer Shrader Lawrence
birth date	August 15, 1990
birth place	Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	2006–present }}

Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American film and television actress. She had lead roles in TBS's ''The Bill Engvall Show'' and in the independent films ''The Burning Plain'' and ''Winter's Bone'', for which she received nominations for the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Satellite Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award. At age 20, she was the second youngest actress ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also plays Mystique in the ''X-Men'' series. In 2012, Lawrence achieved recognition starring as the heroine Katniss Everdeen in ''The Hunger Games'', an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-selling novel of the same name. The film marked her as the highest grossing action heroine of all time and garnered her commercial success and notable critical praise. Lawrence's performances have prompted ''Rolling Stone'' to define her as "the most talented young actress in America."

Early life

Lawrence was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and has two older brothers. Her parents are Karen (née Koch), who runs a children's camp, and Gary Lawrence, who once owned a concrete construction firm, Lawrence & Associates. She acted in local theater and, by the age of 14, had decided to pursue an acting career, persuading her parents to take her to New York City to find a talent agent. Prior to finding success in Hollywood, Lawrence attended Kammerer Middle School. She graduated from high school two years early in order to begin a career in acting.

Career

Early work

Lawrence was in the main cast of the TBS comedy ''The Bill Engvall Show'', playing the eldest daughter of Lauren Pearson. Written and created by Bill Engvall and Michael Leeson, the show is set in a Denver suburb and follows the life of 'Bill Pearson' (played by Engvall), a family counselor whose own family could use a little dose of counseling. The series went on the air in September 2007 and was canceled in 2009 after three seasons. Lawrence received the Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series for her role in the show.

Lawrence had guest-roles in the television series ''The Devil You Know'', ''Cold Case'', ''Medium'', and ''Monk''.

In 2008, she appeared in a small role in the film ''Garden Party'' as Tiff. It was directed by Jason Freeland. The same year, Lawrence appeared on the big screen in Guillermo Arriaga's film directorial debut ''The Burning Plain'', opposite Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. Her performance in the film earned her the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best young emerging actor/actress during the Venice Film Festival in 2008.

Still in 2008, she had the lead role in another film director's debut, Lori Petty's family drama ''The Poker House'', opposite Selma Blair and Chloë Moretz, where Lawrence starred as Agnes, a young girl victim of abuse. She appeared in the music video for the song "The Mess I Made", from the 2009 album ''Losing Sleep'' by Parachute.

2010–present

Lawrence's lead role in Debra Granik's ''Winter's Bone'', which won best picture at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010, is generally cited as a breakout performance for her. She portrays Ree Dolly, a seventeen-year-old in the Ozark Mountains who cares for her mentally ill mother and her younger brother and sister. Ree then discovers that her father put their house and land up as a bond for a court appearance before he disappeared, and the family now faces eviction. The performance was highly acclaimed by film critics. David Denby, writing in ''The New Yorker'', said "the movie would be unimaginable with anyone less charismatic playing Ree." Peter Travers from the ''Rolling Stone'' also spoke highly of her and noted that "her performance is more than acting, it's a gathering storm. Lawrence's eyes are a roadmap to what's tearing Ree apart". Receiving accolades for her performance, Lawrence was awarded the National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress on January 25, 2011, becoming the second-youngest actress to date to be nominated for the category, and also accrued nominations from the Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Satellite Awards among others.

Lawrence had a role in ''The Beaver'', a dark comedy starring Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson that was filmed in 2009, but which spent an extended period of time stalled due to controversies surrounding Gibson. It was released on May 6, 2011. Lawrence co-starred in the independent film ''Like Crazy,'' which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and received a wider release by Paramount Pictures.

In June 2011, Lawrence appeared as shape-shifting villain Mystique in ''X-Men: First Class'', a prequel to the rest of the ''X-Men'' film series. Lawrence's Mystique is a younger version of the character played by Rebecca Romijn in earlier ''X-Men'' films. Lawrence is also set to star alongside Elisabeth Shue in Mark Tonderai's thriller ''House at the End of the Street'', which completed filming in 2010 and is in post-production.

Lawrence has never taken any drama classes/lessons for acting. She lived in New York City for the first few years of her career, but resides in Santa Monica, California. Lawrence was cast in ''The Silver Linings Playbook'', opposite Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro. She was originally cast to play "O" in the film ''Savages'', but dropped out to film ''The Hunger Games'' instead.

On June 18, 2011, it was announced that Lawrence was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

''The Hunger Games''

In March 2011, Lawrence was offered the part of Katniss Everdeen in the film ''The Hunger Games'', based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. Despite being a fan of the books, Lawrence took three days to accept the role because she was initially intimidated by the size of the movie and what it may mean for her fame. She underwent extensive training to get in shape for the role, including archery, rock and tree climbing, combat, running, parkour, pilates, and yoga. The film was released on March 23, 2012, and set the record for the third-largest opening weekend of all time, making a record-breaking $152.5 million opening weekend for a non-sequel film.

The fact that ''The Hunger Games'' emerged as a big box office hit with a female lead represents a dramatic shift for the action film genre. Historically, among the "top 200 worldwide box-office hits ever ($350 million and up), not one has been built around a female action star" and for the first time ever, Lawrence contradicts that. She is currently the highest grossing action heroine of all time.

Though the film generally received positive reviews, Lawrence's strong portrayal of Katniss Everdeen was the most highly praised with Todd McCarthy from ''The Hollywood Reporter'' saying Lawrence embodies Katniss, "just as one might imagine her from the novel" and "anchors" the whole film "with impressive gravity and presence", ultimately calling her "the ideal screen actress". Kenneth Turan from the ''Los Angeles Times'' stated that Lawrence is the "best possible performer as Katniss and is the key factor in making 'Hunger Games' an involving popular entertainment with strong narrative drive that holds our attention". ''Chicago Sun-Times'' film critic Roger Ebert also agreed that "Lawrence is strong and convincing in the central role".

Lawrence will start filming the film adaptation of the second novel in the ''The Hunger Games'' trilogy, ''Catching Fire'', this summer, which is scheduled to be released on November 23, 2013.

Personal life

Lawrence likes to paint, knit sweaters and scarves, surf, and play the guitar. She has been dating English actor Nicholas Hoult since 2011.

Filmography

+ Film	! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2006	''Company Town''	Caitlin	Television film
2007	''Not Another High School Show''	Frantic Girl	Television film
2008		Tiff
2008	''''	Agnes
2008	''''	Mariana
2010	''Winter's Bone''	Ree Dolly	Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising PerformerDetroit Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressFlorida Film Critics Circle – Pauline Kael Breakout AwardSan Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNational Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough PerformanceSeattle International Film Festival Award for Best ActressStockholm International Film Festival Award for Best ActressToronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActressWashington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Academy Award for Best ActressNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Chlotrudis Award for Best ActressNominated—Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated—Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Female LeadNominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the YearNominated—Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated—Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film Leading Young Actress
2011	''Like Crazy''	Sam
2011	''''	Norah
2011	''X-Men: First Class''		IGN Award for Best Ensemble CastNominated—Scream Award for Best Fantasy ActressNominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Star – FemaleNominated—People's Choice Award for Favorite Ensemble Movie CastNominated—People's Choice Award for Favorite Movie Superhero
2012	''''	Katniss Everdeen
2012	''Devil You Know''	Young Zoe
2012	''House at the End of the Street''	Elissa	Completed
2012	''''	Tiffany	Post-production
2013	''''	Serena Pemberton	Filming

+ Television	! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2006		Mascot	1 episode: "Mr. Monk and the Big Game"
2007–2008		Claire ChaseYoung Allison	2 episodes: "Mother's Little Helper" and "But for the Grace of God"
2007		Abby Bradford	1 episode: "A Dollar, a Dream"
2007–2009	''''	Lauren Pearson

References

External links

Category:1990 births Category:Actors from Kentucky Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Louisville, Kentucky

af:Jennifer Lawrence ca:Jennifer Lawrence cs:Jennifer Lawrence da:Jennifer Lawrence de:Jennifer Lawrence et:Jennifer Lawrence es:Jennifer Lawrence fa:جنیفر لارنس fr:Jennifer Lawrence ko:제니퍼 로렌스 hr:Jennifer Lawrence is:Jennifer Lawrence it:Jennifer Lawrence he:ג'ניפר לורנס ka:ჯენიფერ ლოურენსი lv:Dženifere Lorensa nl:Jennifer Lawrence ja:ジェニファー・ローレンス no:Jennifer Lawrence pl:Jennifer Lawrence pt:Jennifer Lawrence ru:Лоуренс, Дженнифер simple:Jennifer Lawrence sl:Jennifer Lawrence fi:Jennifer Lawrence sv:Jennifer Lawrence th:เจนนิเฟอร์ ลอว์เรนซ์ tr:Jennifer Lawrence uk:Дженніфер Лоуренс vi:Jennifer Lawrence zh:珍妮佛·勞倫斯

name	Liam Hemsworth
birth date	January 13, 1990
birth place	:Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Relatives	Chris HemsworthLuke Hemsworth
occupation	Actor
yearsactive	2007–present
url	www.LiamHemsworth.com }}

Liam Hemsworth (born 13 January 1990) is an Australian actor. He took the role of Josh Taylor in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' and as "Marcus" on the children's television series ''The Elephant Princess'' and appeared in the American film ''The Last Song'', released on March 31, 2010. Hemsworth's elder brothers, Luke and Chris, are also actors and provided a path for Hemsworth to emulate.

Early life

Hemsworth was born in Melbourne, Australia, the son of Leonie, an English teacher, and Craig Hemsworth, a social-services counselor. His elder brothers are actors Chris Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth. Hemsworth has said that though there is competition for jobs among them, it is friendly: "We are brothers and we are always competitive, but it is a good thing, it pushes us and we are always happy whenever someone books something."

When Hemsworth was in year 8, he and his family relocated to Phillip Island, a small island. Hemsworth says he spent much of his time there surfing with his brothers. In March 2009, Hemsworth moved to the United States to pursue his career there. He and his brother Chris first stayed in the guest house of Chris's agent William Ward before renting their own Los Angeles apartment in which they currently reside.

Career

Prior to becoming an actor, Hemsworth laid floors for six months. He began to seriously consider following his elder brothers' footsteps and become an actor in high school, when he took on an agent. He attended his first audition at the age of sixteen and began his career in 2007 with guest spots on the shows ''Home and Away'' and ''McLeod's Daughters''. The week of 8 July 2007, Hemsworth began filming episodes for ''Neighbours'', an Australian soap opera his brother Luke had previously starred in. Hemsworth's character, Josh Taylor, was a recurring character from 2007 to 2008. In the show, Josh was an athletic parapalegic who supported and began a relationship with character Bridget Parker after she was paralyzed down one side of her body in a car crash. In 2008, Hemsworth began acting on the children's television show ''The Elephant Princess'', playing "Marcus", the attractive lead guitarist of the protagonist's band. Hemsworth later had roles in the television series ''Satisfaction'' and starred in the British film ''Triangle''. He also made a brief appearance as an MIT student in the film ''Knowing''.

In 2009, Hemsworth was selected to act opposite Sylvester Stallone in Stallone's 2010 film, ''The Expendables'', but his character was written out of the script. Hemsworth's brother, Chris, told ''Movieline'' that just a few hours after Hemsworth learned he would not appear in ''The Expendables'', director Kenneth Branagh called to ask him to test for the lead role in the 2011 film ''Thor''. Hemsworth moved to the States in March 2009 for screen tests. Though he eventually lost the part to Chris in May, Disney announced later the same week that Hemsworth had landed the part of Will Blakelee in the 2010 drama ''The Last Song'', based on the Nicholas Sparks novel by the same name. Hemsworth plays the love interest of Miley Cyrus's character in the film. Nikki Finke reported that Hemsworth had been in Los Angeles for just three weeks and had not yet found an agent when he was cast. Hemsworth next appeared in the music video for Cyrus' "When I Look at You" which was recorded on 16 August 2009.

In September 2009, Hemsworth appeared at a dinner event to promote Foxtel, an Australian pay television company. In March 2010, ''Details'' magazine selected Hemsworth as one of their predictions for "The Next Generation of Hollywood's Leading Men". Later that month, it was announced that Hemsworth was in negotiations to star in ''Arabian Nights'', a 3D action film that will be directed by Chuck Russell for Inferno Entertainment. It was later confirmed that he will be starring in the movie. He has also reportedly been offered the lead role in "Northern Lights" after "Twilight" star Taylor Lautner withdrew from the David Ellison-financed project.

It was announced in August 2010, that Hemsworth had been offered the role as Isaac Gildea in the movie "The Throwback" a sports drama with Dennis Quaid.

Hemsworth was the Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2010 host. He and Miley Cyrus won the "Fave Kiss" category.

Hemsworth stars in the music video Colder Weather for the Zac Brown Band. The music video premiered on 14 February 2011.

On 4 April 2011, Lionsgate announced Hemsworth to be one of the leads, Gale Hawthorne, in ''The Hunger Games'' film adaptation, which was released in 2012. In June 2011, he became attached to war drama ''AWOL'' which also stars Aimee Teegarden and Teresa Palmer.

Personal life

While filming ''The Last Song'', Hemsworth began dating his co-star Miley Cyrus. In August 2010, it was confirmed that his relationship with Cyrus had ended. Cyrus and Hemsworth were seen together a month later, and were reportedly back together. It was announced in early November that the couple had split again. They have since rekindled their relationship.

Philanthropy

Hemsworth is the ambassador of the Australian Childhood Foundation. Hemsworth talked about his association with the foundation, "I have the best parents you can have. They have worked in child protection for twenty years and have only ever given me encouragement and support. The world is a scary enough place as it is for children. It is important that home should always be a safe place for them." When asked if he believed he was a hero to children, Liam modestly responded, "I don't know if I'm a hero to children, but I'd like to be. I'd like to be a good role model."

Filmography

Film
! Year !! Film !! Role !! Notes
2009		Spencer
2009		Victor
2010		Will Blakelee	Main role
2011	''The Throwback''	Isaac Gildea	Main role
2012		Gale Hawthorne
2012	''AWOL''	Wright
2012	''The Expendables 2''	Billy "the Kid" Timmons	Filming
2013	''Catching Fire''	Gale Hawthorne	Filming to begin this fall
2014	''Arabian Nights''	Ali Baba	Main role
Television
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
	''Home and Away''	Guest role
''McLeod's Daughters''	Damon
2007–2008	''Neighbours''	Josh Taylor
2008–2009	''The Elephant Princess''	Marcus
2009		Marc
Guest Appearance
	''Young Hollywood Awards''	Himself	"Award show"
''Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards''	Himself	Host
Music video
Year	Title	Artist	Notes
2009	"When I Look At You"	Miley Cyrus
2011	"Colder Weather"	Zac Brown Band"

Awards

Young Hollywood Awards

colspan="5" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Awards
Year	Result	Award	Category	Nominated Work
2010		|	Young Hollywood Breakthrough of the Year	The Last Song (film)>The Last Song
2010	|	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Male Breakout	The Last Song (film)>The Last Song
2010	|	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Liplock (Shared with Miley Cyrus)	The Last Song (film)>The Last Song
2010	|	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Drama	The Last Song (film)>The Last Song
2010	|	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Chemistry	The Last Song (film)>The Last Song
2010	|	Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2010	Kids Choice: Fave kiss	The Last Song (film)>The Last Song

References

External links

Category:1990 births Category:Actors from Melbourne Category:Australian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Australian film actors Category:Australian television actors Category:Living people

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