Clancy Tucker's Blog: STAR

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5 July 2018 - BEN MENDELSOHN - AUSSIE ACTOR

BEN MENDELSOHN
- AUSSIE ACTOR -

G'day folks,

Australia generally punches above its weight when it comes to producing actors and actresses. This man is one of them.

Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn is an Australian actor, who first rose to prominence in Australia for his role in The Year My Voice Broke and internationally for his role in the crime drama Animal Kingdom.

Ben Mendelsohn is an Australian actor who's often known for his villainous roles both in film and television, particularly in 'The Dark Knight Rises,' Netflix's 'Bloodline' and 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.'

Who Is Ben Mendelsohn?

Ben Mendelsohn (born April 3, 1969) is an Australian-born actor who gained international fame with the Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom (2010), which led to prominent supporting roles in the U.S., such as in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and The Place Beyond the Pines (2012). Starting in 2015 the actor made a big splash playing the main antagonist in the Netflix family drama Bloodline, for which he won an Emmy, and two years later, playing villain Director Orson Krennic in Star Wars' Rogue One.

Notable Movie and TV Roles

Outside of his extensive film and television work in Australia, here are some notable films that Mendohlson has recently appeared in:

'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012)

In Christopher Nolan's take on the Batman franchise, Mendelsohn played John Daggett, a minor antagonist who uses Bane and Catwoman to take control over Wayne Enterprises.

'The Place Beyond the Pines' (2012)

Appearing opposite Ryan Gosling, Mendelsohn played Robin Van Der Hook, an auto mechanic turned robber.

'Starred Up' (2013)

Mendelsohn took on the role of father Neville Love in this critically acclaimed British crime drama.

'Bloodline' (2015 - 2017)

Mendelsohn won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Danny Rayburn, the black sheep of a prominent Florida family who returns home to reveal dark secrets from their past.

'Mississippi Grind' (2015)

Starring opposite Ryan Reynolds, Mendelsohn played the role of Gerry, a down-on-his-luck gambler who teams up with a younger gambler Curtis (Reynolds) on a road trip down South to win back his fortune.

'Una' (2016)

Taking on a more disturbing role among the dark characters he's played, Mendelsohn appeared as pedophile Ray Brooks, who seduces a 13-year-old girl who later tracks him down as an adult, played by actress Rooney Mara.

'Rogue One: A Stars War Story' (2016)

Mendelsohn admitted to fulfilling a childhood dream by having the opportunity to star in a Star Wars movie. In Rogue One, he played villain Director Orson Krennic.

Early Life & Career in Australia

Born on April 3, 1969 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Ben Mendelsohn grew up with a father who was an accomplished neuroscientist and a mother who was a nurse. Because of his father's burgeoning career as a medical researcher, the family was required to move around a great deal. Mendelsohn, along with his two brothers, lived throughout Europe and went to boarding school in the U.S. before returning to Melbourne to finish high school.

While in high school, Mendelsohn signed up for a drama course, thinking it'd be a breeze, but soon discovered he had a knack for memorizing lines. He ended up following up on an audition, which got him the part of Ted Morgan in the 1985 TV series The Henderson Kids, which led to more roles, including a stint on the Australian soap opera Neighbours.

On the big screen, Mendelsohn made a big impression with his role in the coming-of-age film The Year My Voice Broke (1987), winning an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and garnered other accolades for other films. In 2009 he was applauded for his emotionally stirring work in Beautiful Kate, and a year later received international acclaim as a psychopathic criminal brother in the family drama Animal Kingdom, for which he won multiple film awards.

Out-of-Work Actor

However, before he found himself being applauded for Animal Kingdom in 2010, Mendelsohn had gone through an almost decade's long dry spell. He was in his early 30s at the time and flying repeatedly to Los Angeles in hopes of opportunities that would never come. Finances were so tight he even worked as a dishwasher at a local restaurant and later at a bakery in Australia to make ends meet. To make things worse, Mendelsohn wasn't faring well on a personal level. He considers the early 2000s as a dark period in his life and admitted in an interview that some of the reasons why he couldn't attract great roles was due to his "excessive hedonism."

Personal Life

In 2012 Mendelsohn married British author-turned-director Emma Forrest with whom he had a daughter in 2014. The couple filed for divorce in 2016. The actor also has a daughter from a previous relationship. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Clancy's comment: Go, Ben. Another great Aussie export.

I'm ...

5 April 2015 - ADAM HARVEY - Aussie Country Singer

ADAM HARVEY

-Aussie Country Singer -

G'day folks,

Today I present one of Australia's best known country singers - Adam Harvey. Adam is an absolute gentleman, and I might add, that his name and some of his songs are mentioned in my latest book - 'Pa Joe's Place'. With a career spanning almost twenty years, half a million album sales, gold and platinum albums and eight Golden Guitar Awards, Adam Harvey is one of Australia's most popular & enduring recording artists.

Following the outstanding success of The Great Country Songbook, his platinum selling album with Troy Cassar-Daley, Adam releases his new album Family Life on August 22.

You're looking at a man who's proud
You're looking at a man who's found where he wants to be
Where he's meant to be
Family Life is alright with me.

Family Life is a collection of personal stories and observations that will resonate with people of all ages from all walks of life. Some are heartfelt, some are humorous and they're all delivered with Adam's impeccable vocal phrasing and expression. They tell of Adam's experience as a husband, a father and a son... of a man who is content with his life.

Adam wrote the moving 'My Little Boy' on the day that his son started high school.

"I wrote 'My Little Boy' during pre production for the album", recalls Adam. "My son Conway was a little nervous about his first day at high school and I was feeling sentimental about him growing up so quickly. The song pretty much wrote itself... it just poured out. During the recording sessions I had Duncan Toombs in the booth with me, filming. I was feeling pretty emotional singing this one and at the end of the song I looked up at Duncan and he had tears streaming down his face! Talk about a couple of big sooks! You can actually hear my voice get a bit shaky at the end of the recording."

There's also a beautiful duet with Adam's twelve year old daughter Leylah, a cover of 'Daddy What If', the classic Shel Silverstein song made famous by Bobby Bare.

"Recording a duet with my baby girl Leylah was not only a highlight of this album, but also of my career," says Adam. "I'm so proud of the way she sang in the studio, and I still get teary when I play the track and think about it. With her typical sense of humour Leylah told me this duet might be a one off because she thinks I'm holding her back!"

'She Don't Know She's Beautiful', the first single from Family Life is a simple, infectious song about a man's appreciation of a modest woman but director Duncan Toombs has added a twist to the video that adds another dimension to the song.

That's not to give the impression that Family Life is all syrup and sentiment. 'Kids' is a tongue in cheek reflection on the ups and downs of parenthood and 'Mere Male' is a song about the endearing quirks of the male of the species. And there's a duet with country rockers McAlister Kemp about catching up with old friends over a bottle of Rum.

"To me great friends are the family we get to choose for ourselves. 'One Full Bottle of Rum' is all about catching up with your close mates for a few quite drinks every now and again. I had a lot of fun recording this one with Drew and Troy".

Adam and Troy Cassar-Daley -

another Aussie country legend

whose name and work also

appears in 'Pa Joe's Place'.

Two songs that explore new stylistic ground for Adam are the poetic and rhythmic 'Count On Me' which Adam wrote for his venerable wife Kathy... "the glue that holds the Harvey circus together" and the chilling 'You Are On My Mind' a lonely tale of loss and longing that was recorded live in the studio with just acoustic guitar and fiddle.

"Adam has written some amazing songs over the years" comments producer Graham Thompson, who collaborated with Harvey for the first time on Family Life. "But I think this is his best collection of songs so far. Certainly his most personal and compelling. When I listen to these songs I feel like I'm having a conversation with Adam... just sitting there listening to him talk about his life and getting to know him."

Adam Harvey's deep, soulful voice is one of the great all time voices of Australian country music and Family Life is his most personal and enthralling album to date.

"This Album really came very naturally to me. It was also a lot of fun because I'm writing songs and singing about the things that I love the most... family! I can still remember the day thirteen years ago when Kathy called me on my way home from work to say that I was going to become a father... I was so frightened that I nearly crashed the car! Back then I could have never imagined the love, pride, and sense of purpose that my family would give me. That's where this album comes from. I've been blessed with the best job in the world and I never take it for granted, but being a good father to my son and daughter will always be my greatest achievement."