Stephen O’Rourke
For enquiries regarding Stephen O’Rourke please contact Sue Muggleton via email or on (02) 9319 7744.
After twelve years working in production Stephen O’Rourke returned to the world of performance. He made his return in the ABC (US) Telemovie The Rainbow Warrior directed by Michael Tuckner in New Zealand in 1992. He played the part of an Australian crew member of the Rainbow Warrior who was the conscience and buddy of the Captain played by John Voight.
Following this film, Stephen played an American character in the Canadian Production of The Ray Bradbury Playhouse. The episode, which was directed by Ian Mune, is called The Lonely One and the character was Officer Kelly.
Stephen arrived in Australia from London in 1976. He started working as an actor in New Zealand in 1965 and had some success in his work there notably the critical and commercial success as Jimmy Porter in Look Back In Anger. Other roles included Sloane in Entertaining Mr Sloane, Hal in Henry IV Part One, Horace in Moliere’s School for Wives. In the UK Stephen performed at the Royal Court Theatre in the controversial play Under the Clock directed by Bill Alexander and played Evan in the Courts production of Don’s Party. He worked for the RSC in Clifford Williams production of the Comedy of Errors and Prospect Theatre in Ian McKellen’s Hamlet. Hew was for two years a member of the London based Commonstock Theatre Company. Television work included the lead in a play for the BBC directed by Ken Hannam.
Soon after he arrived in Sydney Stephen was cast as one of the three characters in the successful Situation Comedy series Who do you think you are. This was followed by a number of television roles. Stephen has appeared in only one Australian theatre production when he was cast to take over from John Bell as Satin in Maxim Gorky’s The Lower Depths directed by Lilies Chiuli at the Sydney Opera House.
When Stephen switched from performance to production, he followed an interesting path which began with co-producing a documentary on Peter Brook and ended up line producing TV Drama for ABC TV including Edens Lost, The True Believers and Police Rescue. His last production credit for the ABC was associate producer on The Leaving of Liverpool. In the later part of 1992 he was the post production supervisor of the Jane Campion film The Piano.
2002 The Night We Called It A Day Dir: Paul Goldman Feature Film.
1996 Paradise Road VRP Productions Dir: Bruce Beresford Feature Film
1997 Blue Murder Southern Star Productions
1994-5 Heartbreak High Gannon TV role of Jim Deloraine TV Series
1993 Post Production Piano
Post Production Supervisor and Accountant, The Piano, a feature by Jane Campion. Jan Chapman Productions, Sydney
1991 Acting Supervisor of Production ABC TV Drama, Sydney Associate Producer Leaving of Liverpool ABC TV Business Manager Jan Chapman Productions.
1989-1990 Line Producer Police Rescue 13 part film Action Drama series.
Acting Supervisor of Production ABC TV Drama
Assisted in setting up Wendy Cracks a Walnut, Come In Spinner. Estimating for various deal structures and co-productions.
Completed first year of BA in Communications (Aust. Communication Industries, Word and Text, Sound and Image, Australian History and Politics.
Attended short course on Conflict Resolution for Middle Managers at Australian Institute for Management.
1988 Line Producer Edens Lost (winner 1989 AFI Best Mini Series)
1987 Line Producer The True Believers (winner 1988 AFI Best Mini Series)
Production Manager The Lizard King (telemovie Twining Deal with Revcom)
1986 Production Manager 10 part video series Relative Merits.
Production Manager telemovie Natural Causes
Production Manager Studio 86 5 short studio plays.
1985 Production Manager Shorts a varied bunch of video shows including Barbakieria the first ABC Drama shot on Betacam.
Music and Dance Co-ordinator Dancing Daze
1981-1984 First Assistant Director ABC Drama Department 2nd assistant Director ABC Drama Department (including Asst. to the Musical Director Sweet and Sour) Floor Manager General Programmes.
Produced and Directed Sandpainting of the Western Desert in Association with ABC Features. 16mm film. (sold to Japan and PBS in US)
1980 Co-produced Stages – Peter Brook and the C.I.C.T in Australia 16mm film. (Winner of the Silver Medal for Documentaries New York Film and TV Festival 1981)
1978-1980 Gambler, Stock Exchange.
1966-1978 Actor and Theatre worker in New Zealand, Great Britain and Australia.
Worked for Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Court Theatre and Community Theatre. Rep Theatre in NZ and UK.
Television performer UK and Australia including a lead role in a Situation Comedy Series.
Awarded an Arts Council Scholarship in 1967 to study Acting.
Acting
1965 Children’s Art Theatre, Taranaki.
1966 Toured with Royal Shakespeare Production Comedy of Errors
Toured with Oh What a Loverly War
Melodrama at Downstage Theatre, director Martyn Sanderson1967 Apprentice at Downstage Theatre Performed in
The School for Wives Horace
The Homecoming Teddy
Entertaining Mr Sloane Sloane
The Fantasticks Mime
Awarded Arts Council scholarship and studied for six months at the short lived C.A.D.A
1968 Member of the Original Company at the Mercury
1969 Toured with New Zealand players Quartet Appeared in The Tankbusters
1970 Member of Mercury Company
Central Theatre – Jimmy Porter in Look Back In Anger
1971 Oxford Theatre Company – The LSD Show (Musical) Prospect Theatre Company – Hamlet (small parts) toured UK, Europe, West End.
1972 Mercury Theatre Company
1973 Royal Court Theatre – Carter in The Removalists
1974 Member Commonstock Theatre Company
1975 Royal Court Theatre
Evan in Don’s Party
Sailor in Under The Clock
Lead in BBC TV Play
1976 Co-Lead in ABC situation comedy series Who Do You Think You Are.
1977 Young Doctors, No. 96, and TV Stuff.
1978 Sydney Opera House. Satin in The Lower Depths
Lead in ABC TV Play Mismatch
1979-1991 Worked in Production TV and Film. With only Commercials as an Actor.
1992 The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior US Film shot in NZ with John Voigt and Sam Neill
Dir: Michael Tuchner
1994-1995 Heartbreak High Gannon TV role of Jim Deloraine
1995 Blue Murder ABC TV Dir: Michael Jenkins
1996 Paradise Road feature Dir: Bruce Beresford
AFTRS director’s Workshop Cast
1997 Without Warning JNP
Role of Sgnt Riley
Murder Call West Street Proudction
Role of Dr. Crane
1998 Bullpit Jack Bullpit RSProductions
How’re You Going OTEN
Rural Health Brian Denning OTEN
Heartbreak High Headmaster ABC/Ben Gannon Productions
1999 Popcorn Role of Karl Ben Elton Productions
Dir: Kaarin Fairfax
2002 The Night We Called It Day Role of Jilly Rizzo Ocean Pictures
2004 Headland Role of Greg Forbes Seven Network