Jon Gadsby Explained

Jon Gadsby
Birth Name:Jonathan Ernest Gadsby
Birth Date:1953 11, df=yes
Birth Place:Derbyshire, England
Death Place:Christchurch, New Zealand
Occupation:Comedian, actor, writer

Jonathan Ernest Gadsby (1 November 1953 – 12 December 2015) was a New Zealand television comedian and writer, most well known for his role in the comedy series McPhail and Gadsby co-starring alongside David McPhail. He died of cancer aged 62.

Life and career

Gadsby was born in Derbyshire, England, and went to school in Invercargill when his family moved to New Zealand.[1] He studied law at the University of Otago, leaving in his final year to work at Radio Otago.[2] He entered television with David McPhail in the comedy A Week of It in 1977, before the pair went on to the successful and long-running 80s political satire McPhail and Gadsby.

Gadsby appeared in numerous television programmes, several films, and wrote more than 20 books, mainly for children. He wrote for The New Zealand Herald, Metro and The Listener, and performed corporate voicing. He was the founding editor of Christchurch magazine Avenues.[3]

In 2008, he received a conviction for drink-driving, after being stopped at a checkpoint in December 2006.[4] In 2011, he was convicted of his fourth drink-driving charge, having been stopped with a breath alcohol reading 2.5 times in excess of the legal limit.[5] [6]

He died in Christchurch on 12 December 2015 from cancer.[7] [8] [9] [10]

Honours and awards

McPhail and Gadsby won the "Best Television Entertainment Programme" award in 1981, and David McPhail and Gadsby were jointly voted the "Best Television Entertainer".[2] In the 1992 New Year Honours, Gadsby was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for public services. Gadsby, David McPhail and A. K. Grant, were named best writers at the 1996 Film and Television Awards, for the series Letter to Blanchy.[2] [11]

Work

Television

Film

Writing

Theatre

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Author profile. doc. Scholastic New Zealand. 11 May 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081014095958/http://www.scholastic.co.nz/publishing/authors/Jon%20Gadsby.doc. 14 October 2008. dmy-all.
  2. Web site: Jon Gadsby – Comedian. Speakers New Zealand. 11 May 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20041020154750/http://www.speakers.co.nz/jongadsby.html. 20 October 2004. dmy-all.
  3. News: Clarkson. David. Gadsby guilty of repeat drink-driving. 10 September 2011. Stuff. 9 September 2011. A15.
  4. Web site: Drink-drive conviction for Gadsby. 8 April 2008. New Zealand Herald. 10 May 2008.
  5. Web site: Another Drink-drive conviction for Gadsby. 7 February 2012. Stuff.co.nz. 7 February 2012.
  6. Web site: Comedian leaves notoriety behind . Stuff (Fairfax) . 28 September 2014.
  7. News: Kiwi writer and comedian Jon Gadsby passed away . 12 December 2015 . New Zealand Herald . 12 December 2015 .
  8. Web site: Tributes flow for Jon Gadsby . Stuff (Fairfax) . 13 December 2015.
  9. Web site: Remembering Jon Gadsby . Stuff (Fairfax) . 14 December 2015.
  10. Web site: Jon Gadsbys finest screen moments . Stuff (Fairfax) . 21 October 2015.
  11. Web site: Jon Gadsby. Celebrity Speakers (NZ). 11 August 2008.
  12. Web site: Press Release: Court Theatre. 19 March 2008. Scoop. 10 May 2008.

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