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Neil Pigot

Neil Pigot
Born
Neil Pigot

(1967-12-28) 28 December 1967 (age 57)
OccupationActor
Known forBlue Heelers
Spouse(s)Rachel Mackie
(b. 2001 – div. 2016)

Neil Pigot (born 28 December 1961) is an Australian film, television and award-winning stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Inspector Falcon Price in television series Blue Heelers. He has presented several documentaries on his niche subject, Australian military history. He is also the author of several works of non-fiction.

Early life

Pigot was born in Melbourne, the eldest son of a butcher turned commercial pilot and his wife who would become one of Australia's pioneering female car sales people. At age 8, his family moved to Darwin and then South East Asia. He completed his schooling in Sydney. He then left his "dysfunctional family home" at the age of 17.[1]

Pigot has claimed he was always interested in the Arts but for the first two years after finishing high school he drifted between jobs as a sales clerk, freight clerk, sales canvasser and finally as the manager of a flying school before "falling into acting" at the age of 20.

Career

Pigot began work with the semi professional Lieder Southern Regional Theatre in Goulburn, NSW in the early 1980s first appearing as Meriman the butler in Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. He then worked in community theatre and on drama programmes with long term institutionalised adults at Kenmore Psychiatric Hospital before joining Theatre ACT in 1984. After a time as a contract actor in Canberra he established the Black Inc theatre company with Paul Corcoran, Tim Ferguson and Ian Hagan and The Katt Klub, a late night cabaret where he performed with many artists including the Doug Anthony Allstars. His work in theatre has continued and he has played leading roles for all of Australia's major companies including the Melbourne and Sydney Theatre Companies, Belvoir, Playbox/Malthouse, Queensland Theatre Company and State Theatre Company of South Australia and also leading independent companies Brink, Back to Back and Kickhouse most often appearing in new works.

Pigot's television credits include leading guest roles in over twenty television series and several telemovies beginning with G.P. in the 1980s up until recent appearances in The Kettering Incident for Foxtel. Notable series include The Man from Snowy River, The Games, The Adventures of Lano and Woodley, The Secret Life of Us, Laid, Marshall Law, Wicked Science, Stingers, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Neighbours, Society Murders and The Doctor Blake Mysteries. For nine years he performed the role of Inspector Falcon Price on the drama series Blue Heelers for which he is best known.

Australian films Pigot has been featured in include Head On, Lucky Country, The Condemned, Stepsister from Planet Weird, Red Dog, The Dish, Oranges and Sunshine and Blessed.

Pigot is also a documentary writer and presenter who specialises in Australian military history and has fronted 2 series and three stand-alone feature documentaries for Fox History on the subject.

In 1994, he completed his first work of non-fiction The Changi Diary. He also recorded an album The Changi Songbook, a compilation of original songs written by an Australian POW in a Changi POW Camp with the remaining members of the Changi Concert Party in that same year. A live album of the songs, recorded during two concerts at the Melbourne Recital Centre in 2013, is to be released in the future.

Personal life

Pigot lived and worked in many Australian cities and in the UK, before returning to the place of his birth in 1995.

In 2001 he married his longtime partner Rachel Mackie, an academic. He has a step daughter, Keone Dodd. The couple divorced in 2016. He lives with his current wife, an artist, in Broken Hill, New South Wales.[2]

Pigot has been open about suffering from Bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety and alcoholism, and having attempted suicide. He spent time in mental and rehab facilities for treatment in 2016.[3][4]

He is a lifelong collector of stamps and contemporary Australian Art, and is an avid cook and gardener which has led to active involvement with both the Slow Food Movement and Gardening Australia.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Head On Senior Constable
1999 Redball Bingo Wright
2000 The Dish Journo
2001 Like It Is Narrator Short film
2007 The Condemned Wade
2009 Blessed Sergeant Kerrick
Dark Frontier Carver
2010 Oranges and Sunshine James
2011 Red Dog Vet
2017 Pillars Richard Short film
2017 Mrs McCutcheon Parncut Short film
2017 Australia Day Michael Bester
2020 Strangers to the World Bishop
2021 Some Happy Day Radio Announcer
2022 Slant Martin
TBA Stringybark John Kelly

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1990 Home and Away Electrician 1 episode
1991 The Girl From Tomorrow Cameraman
1994 G.P. Dave 1 episode
1996 Snowy River: The Mcgregor Saga Ambrose Wylie 1 episode
1997 State Coroner Senior Constable 1 episode
The Last of the Ryans Speed TV movie
1997–1999 The Adventures of Lano and Woodley Sgt Pearce 3 episodes
1997–2006 Blue Heelers[5] Russell Falcon-Price 42 episodes
1998 The Games David Pigot 1 episode
2000 Stepsister from Planet Weird Fred Larson TV movie
2001 The Secret Life of Us Mad Dog Martin 2 episodes
2002 Marshall Law Brett 1 episode
2003 Stingers Barry Hunter 1 episode
2005 Wicked Science Earl 1 episode
2006 The Society Murders DS Steve Waddell TV movie
2007 Neighbours Christian Johnson 7 episodes
2009 For Valour[6] Narrator Documentary
Rush Eddie 1 episode
2011 The Digger [7] Narrator Documentary
2012 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Ted Coglan 1 episode
Laid Hilary 1 episode
2013 Breaker Morant [8] Narrator Documentary
2013–2016 The Doctor Blake Mysteries Derek Alderton 5 episodes
2016 Secret City Brian Huxley 3 episodes
The Kettering Incident [9][10] [11] Dominic Harrold 8 episodes
2018 Back In Very Small Business Radio Talkback Host 1 episode
2021 Total Control Stephen 1 episode

Theatre

As actor

Year Title Role Notes
Early 1980s The Importance of Being Earnest Meriman the Butler Lieder Southern Regional Theatre, Goulburn
1985 Picnic on the Battlefield / Orison / Fando and Lis Gorman House, Canberra with Australian Theatre Workshop
1985 Two Gentlemen of Verona / The Private Ear Gorman House, Canberra with Black Inc
1985 No. 3 Rehearsal Room, Civic Square, Canberra with Red Square Theatre
1985 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ANU, Canberra with Black Inc
1986 The Lover Rehearsal Room, Civic Square, Canberra with Black Inc
1986 Bedroom Farce Playhouse, Canberra with Canberra Comedy Theatre Co.
1986 Ubu Roi Australian National Gallery Theatre, Canberra
1988 Naked Childers Street Theatre, Canberra with Black Inc
1992–1993; 1995 A Bright and Crimson Flower Princes Wharf, Hobart, Launceston Showgrounds Motor Pavilion, HMAS Lonsdale, Melbourne, Echuca, Hamilton, Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, Bendigo, Mt Nelson Theatre, Hobart with Zootango Theatre Company
1993 As You Like It Duke Frederick / Silvius / Forrester Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Hobart with Zootango Theatre Company
1995 The Ship That Never Was Polly Woodside, Melbourne with Round Earth Theatre Company
1996 Travesties Henry Carr Melbourne Athenaeum with Black Inc
1996 Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know Lord Byron Melbourne Athenaeum with Black Inc
1996 The Truth Game Carlton Courthouse with Missing Link Productions
1997 Ned Kelly Theatre Works, Melbourne with Kickhouse Theatre
1998 Judgement Captain Vukhov Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne
1999 The Boneyard La Mama, Melbourne
1999 Fred Barry / Egyptian Man Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC
2001 Crave Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney
2002 Uncle Bob Uncle Bob Red Stitch Actors Theatre, Melbourne
2002 The Fortunes of Richard Mahony Richard Mahony Brisbane Powerhouse, Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne with Playbox Theatre Company & QTC
2002 Rapture Tom Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne with Playbox Theatre Company
2003 Breath By Breath Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne with La Mama
2003 The Country Richard Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney
2004 Traitors Krasin, an Army officer Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne with La Mama
2004 Dinner Lars Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC
2005 Weary - the Story of Sir Edward Dunlop Weary Dunlop Australian tour with McPherson Touring
2005 Oleanna The Butter Factory Theatre, Wodonga with HotHouse Theatre
2006 A Single Act Neil Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne with MTC
2007 Heaven Trades Hall, Melbourne with theatre@risk
2007 Evidence Trades Hall, Melbourne with theatre@risk
2007 Hamlyn Trades Hall, Melbourne with theatre@risk
2007 Black Box 149 Trades Hall, Melbourne with theatre@risk
2007; 2008 Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) Thom Pain Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, Street 2, Acton, Canberra with MTC
2008 Frost/Nixon Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC
2008 The Lower Depths Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne with Ariette Taylor Productions
2008–2010 When the Rain Stops Falling Gabriel York Australian tour with Brink Productions, STCSA, STC & QTC
2009 Flashpoint: Big Noise / Topsy / Whiteley's Incredible Blue Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne
2011 Song of the Bleeding Throat Abraham Lincoln The Eleventh Hour Theatre, Melbourne
2011 Whiteley's Incredible Blue ... an hallucination Brett Whiteley Fortyfivedownstairs for Melbourne International Arts Festival
2017 The Realistic Joneses Bob Red Stitch Actors Theatre
2019 The Tree of Man Old Treasury Building, Melbourne with Stork Theatre[12]
2023 Green Time & Tempo Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne
2023 Good Works Alan / Brother Clement / Barry / Mr Donovan Mill Theatre, Canberra
2024 Terror Christian Lauterbach Mill Theatre, Canberra [13]

As crew

Year Title Role Notes
1985 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Lighting Designer Theatre 3, Acton, Canberra with Black Inc
1985 Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris Assistant Director Gorman House, Canberra with Black Inc
1985 Private Lives Lighting Designer Theatre 3, Acton with Canberra Repertory Society
1986 After Magritte Publicist Rehearsal Room, Civic Square, Canberra with Black Inc & Canberra Theatre Trust

[14]

References