James Thomas Condon (27 September 1923 – 14 February 2014) was an Australian actor of radio and stage, a scriptwriter and voice over, however best known for his numerous television roles in serials and television movies in Australia, particularly for appearing as the title character in the early soap opera The Story of Peter Gray,[1] as well as smaller roles in Number 96 and Neighbours. He was the husband of Neighbours actress Anne Haddy[1][2]

James Condon
Born
James Thomas Condon

(1923-09-27)27 September 1923
Died14 February 2014(2014-02-14) (aged 90)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • scriptwriter
  • voice over
Years active1942–2003
Spouse(s)Joan Cranmer (?-1977); 4 children
Anne Haddy (1977–1999; her death)

Early life

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James Thomas Condon was born in Fremantle, Western Australia. His career started in repertory theatre, before he joined ABC Radio in Perth in 1942. He served with the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II, being promoted to flight lieutenant.[3]

Career

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After the war, Condon worked for the BBC before returning to Australia in 1951 to resume his acting career, working on radio serials, including Portia Faces Life. When TV arrived in 1956 he moved to Sydney and appeared on the opening night of ABN2, Sydney, and in a number of ABC plays, including Tomorrow's Child and A Phoenix Too Frequent.[4]

He played the lead role in ATN7's The Story of Peter Grey, one of the first soap opera dramas produced for Australian television in 1961.[citation needed]

Also in 1961, while hosting his variety show What's Next, Condon hosted an old friend from Perth, Ray Hartley, to talk about his recent successes in London and New York.[5] Hartley was a world-class Australian pianist, composer, arranger and philanthropist.

 
Ray Hartley and James Condon, 1961

He made many other appearances on television, including Homicide, Matlock Police, Number 96 (both the TV serial and the 1974 feature film spin-off, playing different characters), Bellamy, The Young Doctors, Carson's Law, Sons and Daughters, Prisoner, The Flying Doctors, Blue Heelers and Something in the Air.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1958 The Stowaway The Purser Feature film
1959 Desert Conquest Narrator Documentary film
1973 The Three Musketeers Voice Animated TV movie
1974 Number 96 Nicholas Brent Feature film spin-off
1975 Scobie Malone Walter Helidon Feature film
1976 Silent Night, Holy Night Voice Animated TV movie
1978 Cass TV movie
1979 Tim Mr Harrington Feature film
1979 Barnaby and Me The Chairman TV movie
1981 Hoodwink Newsreader Feature film
1984 Supersleuth Dennis Powell TV movie
1985 The Boy Who Had Everything Televisio Newsreader Feature film
1986 Body Business Sir Charles TV movie
1988 Backstage Frank Turner Feature film
1988 Evil Angels Reginald Scholes Feature film
1989 Trouble in Paradise Captain Londstrom TV movie
1990 Bony Tom Hemmings TV movie
1991 The Private War of Lucinda Smith Mr Spencer Grant TV movie
1991 Spotswood ( aka The Efficiency Expert) Executive 1 Feature film
1997 Kangaroo Palace Judge TV movie

Television

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Year Title Role Type
1957 Three Cornered Moon Duke of Mall TV play
1957 Tomorrow's Child TV play
1957 A Phoenix Too Frequent Tegeus TV play
1957 The Importance of Being Earnest John Worthing TV play
1958 Point of Return TV play
1958 Sixty Point Bold President Ortega de Riverde TV play
1958 An Enemy of the People Dr Stockman TV play
1959 Lady in Danger Bill Sefton TV play
1959-60 Shell Presents John Roberts / Dr Davidson TV play series, 2 episodes
1960 Stormy Petrel Colonel Maurice O'Connell TV series, 1 episode
1960 The Life and Death of King Richard II Bolingbroke TV play
1961 The Big Client JG Henderson TV play
1961 Play of Daniel Narrator TV play
1961 The Story of Peter Grey Peter Grey TV series, 156 episodes
1961 The Outcasts Colonel Maurice O'Connell TV series, 1 episode (sequel to Stormy Petrel)
1961 What Next Host TV variety show
1962 The Patriots William Wentworth TV miniseries, 10 episodes
1962 Jonah William Wentworth TV series, 2 episodes: "The Marquis of Mullambimbee", "The Treaty of South Island"
1963 The Long Sunset Arthur TV play
1964 Tribunal James Connolly TV series, 1 episode
1964 The Purple Jacaranda Max Stevenson TV miniseries, 7 episodes
1964 The Play of Herrod Narrator TV play
1966 Point of Departure Molac TV play
1966-72 Homicide Christoper White / Gerard Naismith TV series, 2 episodes
1968 Contrabandits Austin TV series, 1 episode
1969 I've Married a Bachelor TV series, 1 episode
1970 The Link Men TV series, 1 episode
1970 The Rovers John Fleming TV series, 1 episode
1970 Chequerboard Creon TV series, 1 episode
1971-72 Catwalk Ray Shannon TV series, 1 episode
1972 Matlock Police Eric Bard TV series, 1 episode
1972-73 Number 96 S r Arnold Ashton TV series, 9 episodes
1972-75 Behind the Legend Wentworth TV series, 3 episodes
1974 Ryan John Moss TV series, 1 episode
1975 Shannon's Mob Sir Arthur Maitland TV series, 1 episode
1976 McCloud Charles Oakland TV series, 1 episode
1976 Luke's Kingdom Jason Firbeck TV series, 13 episodes
1976 King's Men Petersen TV series, 1 episode
1977 The Young Doctors Sir Thomas Kendall TV series, 40 episodes
1978 Case for the Defence Nathan TV series, 1 episode
1979 Chopper Squad Norman Chambers TV series, 1 episode
1979 Carrots Horace W Hathaway TV series, 1 episode
1980 Cop Shop Doug Francis TV series, 7 episodes
1981 Bellamy Daley TV series, 21 episodes
1982 1915 Mr Gillen TV miniseries, 1 episode
1982 Secret Valley TV series, 1 episode
1982 Der Schwarze Bumerang Arzt TV miniseries, 1 episode
1983 The Catlins Senator Mahoney TV series, 1 episode
1984 Sons and Daughters Sean O'Donnell TV series, 6 episodes
1984 Carson's Law Attorney General / Sir Harold Watson TV series, 3 episodes
1982-88 A Country Practice Flynn / Michael Christie / Doug Abbott / James Saunders TV series, 7 episodes
1985-86 Neighbours Douglas Blake TV series
1985-86 Prisoner James Dwyer TV series, 23 episodes
1987 The Petrov Affair Robert Menzies TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1987 The Flying Doctors Bob Cameron TV series, 1 episode
1989 The Magistrate Sampson TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1991 Boys from the Bush John TV series, 1 episode
1991 Half a World Away (aka The Great Air Race) Sir Macpherson Robertson TV miniseries, 1 episode
1992 The Late Show Oir Man from the Hardly Permanent TV series, 1 episode
1993 Time Trax Sal Mondriano TV series, 1 episode
1995 Neighbours Reuben White TV series, 37 episodes
1998 / 2000 Blue Heelers Doc Bourke / Klaus Schultz TV series, 2 episodes
2000 Something in the Air Gordon Flood TV series, 1 episode
2003 After the Deluge Brian Corstairs (uncredited) TV miniseries

Theatre

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Year Title Role Type
1945 Granite Cathedral Hall, Perth
1949 The Man Who Came to Dinner Sheridan Whiteside Perth Repertory Theatre
1955 Mary of Scotland Somerville Auditorium
1956 Lord Arthur Savile's Crime Lord Arthur Savile Perth
1961 Play of Daniel St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney
1964 Breakfast with Julia Phillip Street Theatre
1964 The Play of Herod Narrator St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney
1965 Poor Bitos Independent Theatre, Sydney
1965 My Life with an Interval for Asprin Independent Theatre, Sydney
1966 Three Sisters University of NSW, Old Tote Theatre
1966 Aspects of Love University of NSW, Old Tote Theatre
1967 Hostile Witness Sir Peter Crossman Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, Princess Theatre, Melbourne
1967 The Cocktail Party Independent Theatre, Sydney
1967 Halloran's Little Boat Terry Byrne Independent Theatre, Sydney
1968 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Independent Theatre, Sydney
1968 The Anniversary Independent Theatre, Sydney
1968 Loot Independent Theatre, Sydney
1968 A Delicate Balance Independent Theatre, Sydney
1968 Wait Until Dark Independent Theatre, Sydney
1969 Everything in the Garden Independent Theatre, Sydney
1969 Treasure Island University of NSW
1970 The Seagull Scott Theatre, Adelaide
1970 Murder in the Cathedral Thomas Becket Independent Theatre, Sydney
1970 King Oedipus University of NSW, Sir John Clancy Auditorium, Sydney, Canberra Theatre, Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Octagon Theatre, Perth, University of Adelaide
1971 Conduct Unbecoming Major Alastair Wimbourne V.C. Theatre Royal, Sydney, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
1971-72 The Man who Shot the Albatross Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre, Elizabethan Theatre, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide
1972 Under Milk Wood Independent Theatre, Sydney
1972 Blop Goes The Weazel University of NSW
1973 The Third Secretary Independent Theatre, Sydney
1974 Love for Love Sydney Opera House
1975 Candida Marian Street Theatre
1975 The Jockey Club Stakes Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Princess Theatre, Melbourne
1976 The Brass Hat Major General Charles Anderson-Green University of NSW
1976 The Shoemaker's Holiday Earl of Lincoln Sydney Opera House
1976 Getting On Marian Street Theatre
1977 The Business of Good Government Assembly Hall, Sydney
1977 Caesar and Cleopatra Rufio Sydney Opera House
1977 Any Fool Can Ernest Seaton Bondi Pavilion
1977 Some Other Town Editor Bondi Pavilion
1977 The Tempest Antonio Sydney Opera House
1979 The Bed Before Yesterday Fred Castle Theatre Royal, Sydney
1980-81 The Magic Pudding Voice Over Artist Sydney Opera House, VIC & WA Country Tour, Playhouse, Adelaide, Regal Theatre, Perth, Monash University
1983 Morning's at Seven Marian Street Theatre
1984 Born Yesterday Norval Hedges Sydney Opera House
1992 The Freedom of the City National Theatre, Melbourne
1993 M. Butterfly M. Toulon / Man 1 / Judge Playhouse, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre, Seymour Centre
1994 A Flea in Her Ear Mietta's, Melbourne
1994 There's One in Every Marriage Mietta's, Melbourne
1995 The Best of British: Rookery Nook / When We Are Married Mietta's, Melbourne

[6]

Radio

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Year Title Role Type
1952 Portia Faces Life Walter Manning 3UZ Melbourne
1957 Jenny Villiers Julian Napier ABC Radio play
1957 Quadrille Hubert, Marquess of Heronden ABC Radio play
1979 Incompletions Father / Barber ABC Radio Sydney
1979 Lies My Father Told Me Father ABC Radio Sydney
1979 Laura and the Angel Azrafel ABC Radio Sydney
1979 Amphitryon 38 Jupiter ABC Radio Sydney
We'e Asking You Compère Radio quiz show

[6]

Personal life

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Condon was the brother of actress and theatre producer Coralie Condon, who was a recipient of the Order of Australian and was known as "The First Lady of Western Australian Television"[2] and had a brother Terry. His first marriage was to Joan Cranmer. The couple had four daughters.[7][8] Condon was married to Australian actress Anne Haddy, best known for the role of matriarch Helen Daniels in Neighbours, from 1977 until her death in 1999. Condon was the stepfather of Haddy's children Jane and Tony.[7] He acted alongside Haddy in Neighbours twice – as Douglas Blake in 1985 and again in 1995 as Reuben White after previously appearing with Haddy in several episodes of Cop Shop in 1980. Condon suffered a stroke in 2013.[9]

Death

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He died from a stroke at an RSL retirement home in Narrabeen, Sydney on 14 February 2014, aged 90.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "James Condon obituary". televisionau.com.
  2. ^ a b Candice Barnes (23 January 2015). "WA's 'first lady of television' Coralie Condon farewelled in Fremantle". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  3. ^ "Item details for: A9300, CONDON J T". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 30 May 2014. Service Number: 436069
  4. ^ "The PRIVATE EYE of TV". ABC Weekly. 20 July 1957. pp. 4–5.
  5. ^ "Western Australian Television History (WA TV History) » Blog Archive » Tribute to James Condon (1923-2014)".
  6. ^ a b "AusStage".
  7. ^ a b "James Thomas Condon obituary". The Age. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  8. ^ "Tribute to James Condon (1923–2014)". WA TV History. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  9. ^ Knox, David (17 February 2014). "Vale: James Condon". TV Tonight. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  10. ^ James Condon obituary Archived 23 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, westannouncements.com.au; accessed 3 April 2015.
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