Bruno Lawrence
| Bruno Lawrence | |
|---|---|
 Bruno Lawrence |
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| Born | 12 February 1941 Worthing, West Sussex, England |
| Died | 10 June 1995 (aged 54) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Actor, Musician |
Bruno Lawrence (12 February 1941 – 10 June 1995) was a New Zealand musician and actor.
Initially notable as founder of 1970s musical and theatrical "Blerta", he had well-regarded roles in several major films, and starred on the 1990s Australian satirical TV series Frontline.
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[edit] Biography
Born David Charles Lawrence in Worthing, West Sussex, England, his family migrated to New Zealand in 1946, settling in New Plymouth before moving to Wellington in 1948. He spent most of his life in New Zealand but also worked extensively in Australia. Bruno was a renowned jazz and rock drummer, playing drums in many bands, including Max Merritt & The Meteors, Quincy Conserve,[1] Blerta, and The Crocodiles. His last recording was with Bernie McGann, Larry Gales and Jonathan Crayford on "Jazz at the St. James" in 1989.[2]
In the 1970s, Lawrence founded Blerta ("Bruno Lawrence's Electric Revelation and Travelling Apparition"), a musical and theatrical co-operative active. There he performed with many of those he would work with later as an actor, including future film director Geoff Murphy and actor Ian Watkin.
Lawrence gradually moved into TV and film, and by the late 1980s had become one of the most famous actors on his own soil. His films included feature drama Smash Palace (1981). Also that year he starred in the film Race for the Yankee Zephyr, Geoff Murphy's end of the world tale, The Quiet Earth (1985), Utu (1983), about the land wars of the 1860s, a cameo role in Murphy's Goodbye Pork Pie (1981), and Heart of the Stag (1984). He was a constant and much loved feature in almost every film made in New Zealand from 1981 to 1985.
Lawrence's last and, in Australia at least, best-known screen role was as the devious, golf-loving TV producer Brian Thompson in 1990s Australian satirical TV series Frontline. In 1995 during the filming of Australian feature Così, which was scheduled to be his next role, Lawrence was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and died in Wellington, New Zealand the same year.
A biography Bruno: The Bruno Lawrence Story by Roger Booth, a television documentary Numero Bruno (2000, directed by Steve La Hood),[3] and a film documentary Blerta Revisited (2001, directed by Geoff Murphy) cover his life and work.[4]
[edit] See also
- Blerta, "Bruno Lawrence's Electric Revelation and Travelling Apparition"
[edit] References
- ^ "Quincy Conserve". http://www.sergent.com.au/music/quincyconserve.html. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^ John Clare (11 May 2002). "Jazz at the St James: Gales, Lawrence, McGann and Crayford". SMH. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/10/1021002387493.html. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ "Numero Bruno (available for download)". NZ On Air. http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/numero-bruno-2000. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^ Calder, Peter (19 July 2000). "Film Festival: Numero Bruno". New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=144450. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
[edit] External links
- Bruno Lawrence at the Internet Movie Database
- Bruno Lawrence on australianscreen online
- Bruno Lawrence on nz onscreen
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