Mick Molloy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Molloy (1966-07-11)11 July 1966 (age 58) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1987−present |
| Television | The Front Bar |
Michael Molloy (born 11 July 1966) is an Australian comedian, writer, producer, actor and television and radio presenter who has been active in radio, television,stand-up and film. He currently hostsThe Front Bar on theSeven Network.
Molloy grew up in theAustralian Capital Territory (ACT) before moving toMelbourne in the 1980s. He attendedThe Peninsula School during his high school period and then studied performing arts at theUniversity of Melbourne, where he wrote and performed in his first live act in 1987.[1] It was there he met the Australian comedy troupeThe D-Generation (the future cast ofThe Late Show) who later formedWorking Dog Productions, and with whom Molloy would collaborate on several projects.
Molloy worked with the D-Generation as a writer-performer on their 1988Seven Network specials (he had auditioned for the D-Gen in 1986 but it was not until the troupe saw him in the 1987 Melbourne University revue,Laminex on the Rocks, that they signed him). He also worked as a writer on theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC)The Gerry Connolly Show (1988), theNetwork Ten seriesThe Comedy Company in its 1989 season and, while working on the (unscreened) pilots forThe Late Show, for theNine Network (1990). Molloy was a cast member of ABC TV'sThe Late Show (1992–1993) as a writer and performer. As well as pairing up with Tony Martin for each episode's introduction and the "Street Interviews" segment, Molloy co-hosted the segments "Muckrakers" withJason Stephens and "Commercial Crimestoppers" withSanto Cilauro. He played the thick-witted assistant of stuntmanRob Sitch in "Shitscared" and performed in many other sketches (providing the voices of Sergeant Olden inThe Olden Days and Chief Chromedome inBargearse). He also delivered a series of volatile rants in the "Mick's Serve" segment ofLate Show News.
Molloy landed his own late-night TV show,The Mick Molloy Show, which premiered on the Nine Network in 1999. Planned to run for twenty episodes, it was slated by the critics and cancelled after eight. His next involvement with television was the showAny Given Sunday, withNicole Livingstone, on the Nine Network in 2006. He was involved in the2006 Commonwealth Games coverage on the Nine Network as a commentator for the lawn bowls events.[2]
In 2007, Molloy filmed a pilot ofThe Nation, a weekly late-night news-based comedy hour on the Nine Network. The show debuted on 5 June[3] but struggled for ratings, attracting 575,000 viewers nationally for its fourth show.[4] Originally it was on Tuesdays at 9:30 pm, but was moved to Wednesdays at 10:30 pm and ended in August 2007.
In 2008, it was announced that Molloy would replacePeter Helliar on the panel of Channel 10'sBefore the Game, an AFL themed show, after Helliar had discontinued his position post-2007. On the show, his views as a keen supporter of theRichmond Football Club (Tigers) were often made clear. Molloy is one of the club's more prominent supporters and as well as appearing onBefore the Game he has appeared in club membership advertising campaigns. In June 2008, Molloy made comments on the show regarding Nicole Cornes, the wife of former Adelaide coachGraham Cornes, in which he suggested she had slept with footballerStuart Dew. Nicole Cornes sued theTen Network fordefamation and was awardedA$85,000 in July 2011.[5] Molloy remained withBefore the Game until it was axed at the end of the 2013 AFL season.[6]
In 2009, Molloy starred in the sitcomThe Jesters which aired on Movie Extra on Foxtel. He played a veteran comic Dave Davies who has become the manager of a group of young, rookie comedians and who has to cope with the behind-the-scenes antics of producing a comedy sketch show.[7] A second series aired in 2011.[8]
In February 2010, it was announced that Molloy andEddie McGuire would be investigated by the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board following complaints that their on-air coverage of the2010 Winter Olympics men's figure skating contained homophobic remarks.[9] The complaint was later withdrawn after the complainant met with McGuire.[10]
In February 2014, it was announced by the Seven Network that Molloy would be joining its one-hour AFL match preview show on Saturday nights during the football season.[11] In 2015, Molloy was announced as a host of an online show calledFriday Front Bar (subsequently renamed toThe Front Bar). In 2016, Channel 7 picked up the show.
After writing and performing onThe D-Generation Breakfast Show onTriple M Melbourne, from 1990 to 1992, Molloy teamed up withTony Martin for Triple M'sBulltwang (1990)
AfterThe Late Show finished, Molloy developed, again with Martin, the successfulAustereo radio programme,Martin/Molloy (1995–98), which produced threeARIA award-winning compilation albums,The Brown Album (1995),Poop Chute (1996) andEat Your Peas (1998). Molloy occasionally appeared with his former D-Generation cohorts on Network Ten'sThe Panel (1998–2004).
Molloy hosted another radio show,Tough Love with Mick Molloy (2004–06) onTriple M alongsideRobyn Butler andRichard Molloy.[12]
In 2011, Molloy returned to radio and to Triple M Melbourne, as a permanent member ofThe Hot Breakfast.[13]He is also appearing daily at 6:50am on Triple M Brisbane'sThe Grill Team.[14]
In July 2017, Triple M announced that Molloy would host a new national drive show withJane Kennedy across theTriple M network in 2018. As a result, he transitioned away fromThe Hot Breakfast and was replaced byWil Anderson. Molloy finished onThe Hot Breakfast on 6 October 2017 and debuted on the new show,Kennedy Molloy, the following week.
Following the cancellation ofThe Mick Molloy Show, Molloy returned with a video release, entitledShonky Golf with Mick Molloy, and he directed the feature-length documentaryTackle Happy (2000). He played Kim's dad Gary Poole onKath & Kim (2003–04) and co-starred, withDavid Wenham, in twoMurray Whelan telemovies,Stiff andThe Brush-Off (both 2004).
He has starred in three movies,Crackerjack (2002)[15] (which he also co-wrote, receiving an AFI nomination), Tony Martin'sBad Eggs (2003), andBoyTown (2006), which, likeCrackerjack, he co-wrote with his brotherRichard Molloy. During production of the DVD-release forBoytown in 2007, Molloy and his long-time collaborator Tony Martin had a dispute over the proposed extra content for the DVD and the two have not worked together since.[16] In the 2006 Australian feature filmMacbeth, Molloy played Brown; it was the second time he has appeared in a production of Macbeth.[17]
He also had a role in the 2019 biographical film based onMichelle Payne's life,Ride Like a Girl.[18]
Molloy was the long-term partner of Australian actressSophie Lee in the 1990s. (Lee regularly appeared on Molloy's nationally syndicated radio show, as well as playing Tracey Kerrigan in the filmThe Castle, which was made by Molloy's former D-Gen colleague Rob Sitch).
Molloy is also a famous supporter of theRichmond Football Club. His affinity for the Tigers has been a topic onThe Front Bar, and he has also turned on the yellow lights at the Richmond Town Hall to celebrate Richmond's 2017 preliminary final victory overGreater Western Sydney and had a street mural outside of Hector's Deli in Richmond depicting him wearing a Richmond guernsey.[19]
In April 2012, at the 54thLogie Awards, Molloy delivered an onstage tribute to friend and colleagueBill Hunter, who died in 2011.[20]
OnThe Hot Breakfast on 8 June 2012, Molloy announced that his partner was pregnant with twin boys. On 11 July he announced that they had been born the previous day, a month ahead of schedule.[21]
Molloy has used his resemblance toSaddam Hussein to create jokes.[22]
| Name | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [25] | |||
| The Brown Album |
| 17 | |
| Poop Chute |
| 10 |
|
| Eat Your Peas |
| 27 |
|
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. Martin/Molloy won three awards, all in the category ofARIA Award for Best Comedy Release.[26]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Brown Album | ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release | Won |
| 1997 | Poop Chute | Won | |
| 1999 | Eat Your Peas | Won |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
