Trevor Kent (24 April 1940 – 4 November 1989) was an Australian actor, director, playwright, and singer.

Trevor Kent
Born(1940-04-24)24 April 1940
Queensland, Australia
Died4 November 1989(1989-11-04) (aged 49)
Melbourne, Australia
Occupation(s)Television and theatre actor

Early life and education

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Trevor Kent was born on 24 April 1940.[1]

Kent initially worked as a primary-school teacher, teaching for three years in Nambour and Buderim in Queensland while acting in amateur theatre groups.

He moved to Sydney to train as an actor with the Independent Drama School in the early 1960s, supporting himself during this time with teaching. [citation needed]

Career

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After training, he worked as an actor, director, playwright, and singer.[1]

In Sydney, he understudied the role of Rolfe in the Tivoli Theatre's production of The Sound of Music, and acted in Becket and Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad with the Independent.[2]

After two years in Sydney, he emigrated to the UK and spent ten years there.[2] In the UK, Kent worked with director Bil Keating and later with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

On returning to Sydney in 1974, Kent played Frank'N'Furter in a stage production of The Rocky Horror Show.[citation needed]

Several appearances on Australian television followed, including roles in Rush, The Sullivans, Cop Shop and Carson's Law. He moved to Melbourne in 1984, and in 1984–1985, appeared in television soap opera Prisoner as the villainous Frank Burke for several months.

Death

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Kent, who was gay, learned he was HIV positive in the mid-1980s and at that time volunteered as a carer for people living with HIV and AIDS. He was public about his HIV status and directed two theatre productions for Out Theatre Company that addressed HIV and AIDS. One of these, Unnatural Acts, toured pubs, theatres, and colleges in Melbourne and Sydney.[citation needed]

Kent continued to work with the theatre group until a few weeks before his death in 1989 as a result of HIV. His final acting appearance was a scene with Meryl Streep in the film A Cry in the Dark (1988).[citation needed]

He died on 4 November 1989.[1]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1977 Straight Enough TV movie
1988 Evil Angels (aka A Cry in the Dark) Bomb Scare Policeman Feature film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1969 Theatre Date Giles Cadwallader TV series, 1 episode: "The Man Most Likely to ..."
1971 Scene Shop assistant TV series documentary, 1 episode: "Mates"
BBC Play of the Month Yakov, servant TV series, 1 episode: "Platonov"
1976 The Sullivans Allister McConnell TV series, 1 episode
Rush Vinnie TV series, 1 episode: "McKellar R.I.P."
1978 Case for the Defence The Rabbi TV series, 1 episode: "The Man Who Died Twice"
1981 Sporting Chance Eddie TV series, 1 episode: "Eating Dirt"
1981–83 Cop Shop Frank Gilmore TV series, 3 episodes: "Episode #1.281", "Episode #1.282" and "Episode #1.500"
1982 Der schwarze Bumerang Richard Duffy TV miniseries, 4 episodes
1983 / 1984 Carson's Law George Royston / Simpkins TV series, 7 episodes
1984 Special Squad Doggy Barker TV series, 1 episode: "Easy Street"
1984–85 Prisoner Frank Burke TV series, 33 episodes
1985 Colour in the Creek Brother Paul TV series, 2 episodes: "Return to Coorumbong Creek" & "Gold Fever"

Theatre

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His plays and performances on stage include:[1][3]

As actor

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Year Title Role Venue / company
1962 The Sound of Music Rolfe Tivoli Theatre, Sydney
1963 Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad Independent Theatre
1964 Becket Independent Theatre
1967 As You Like It Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Aldwych Theatre, London, Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles with Royal Shakespeare Company
1967 The Relapse Aldwych Theatre, London with Royal Shakespeare Company
1974 The Rocky Horror Show Frank'N'Furter New Art Cinema, Glebe
1974 The Chinese Prime Minister Marian Street Theatre
1975 The Miser UNSW Parade Theatre
1976 The Public Eye Julian Crisoforou Bankstown Town Hall, AMP Theatrette, Sydney
1977 Confusions: Mother Figure / Between Mouthfuls / Gosforth's Fete / A Talk in the Park Terry / Martin / Stewart / Ernest Marian Street Theatre
1977 The Lower Depths Vassily Pepel Sydney Opera House
1977 The Tempest Adrian Sydney Opera House
1978 Black Comedy Harold Gorringe Sydney Opera House
1978 Miss Julie Jean Sydney Opera House
1978 The Misanthrope Acaste Sydney Opera House
1978 King Lear Edmund Seymour Centre
1979 You Never Can Tell Valentine SGIO Theatre
1979 Breaker Morant Captain Taylor SGIO Theatre
1978 Hedda Gabler Eilert Loevborg SGIO Theatre
1979 Gone with Hardy Stanley Jefferson SGIO Theatre
1980 Bedroom Farce Trevor University of New England, Glen Innes Town Hall, Inverell Town Hall, Moree War Memorial Town Hall, Narrabri High School, Coonabarabran Shire Hall, Smithurst Theatre Gunnedah, Tamworth Town Hall
1980 Loot Truscott Playhouse, Perth
1981 Outside Edge Bob Marian Street Theatre
1981 Trap for a Lonely Man Priest Bondi Pavilion
1981 The Revenger's Tragedy Ambitioso Playhouse Adelaide
1986 Pommies Forster Russell Street Theatre
1986 Tom & Viv Maurice Russell Street Theatre
1986 The Dumb Waiter Arena Theatre, Melbourne
1987 Two Dark Comedies of the Mind: The Flaw / Is This Where We Came In? La Mama

As writer / director

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Year Title Role Venue / company
1988 Unnatural Acts Director Universal Theatre, Melbourne with Out Theatre Company
1990 No Thrills No Spills Playwright Footscray Community Arts Centre

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Trevor Kent". AusStage.
  2. ^ a b Atterton, Margot. (Ed.) The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Australian Showbiz, Sunshine Books, 1984. ISBN 0-86777-057-0 p 123
  3. ^ "Search | RSC Performances | Shakespeare Birthplace Trust".
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