Gordon Maitland ChaterAM (6 April 1922 – 12 December 1999) was anEnglish Australian comedian and actor, and recipient of theGold Logie, he appeared in revue, theatre, radio, television and film, with a career spanning almost 50 years.^[1]

Chater was born in Bayswater, West London and attendedCottesmore School as a child.^[2] He attendedCambridge University to study medicine but did not finish his degree, instead taking part in many student revues.

Chater having arrived in Australia post World War II came to prominence as a stage and radio actor, and was a cast member of the 1963 Sydney season ofChekhov'sThe Cherry Orchard, the debut production by theOld Tote Theatre Company, the precursor to theSydney Theatre Company. He appeared in a radio program oppositeGwen Plumb^[1]

Chater appeared in TV movies and series, he became a national star when he was cast withCarol Raye andBarry Creyton in the Australian satirical television seriesThe Mavis Bramston Show,^[3] for which he won the 1966Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. He cemented his popularity with the title role in the popular sitcomMy Name's McGooley, What's Yours?,^[3] playing the elderly live-in father of a young married couple, played byJohn Meillon andJudi Farr. He appeared in many other television comedy series. His fellow actors includedRay Barrett,Stewart Ginn andCharles "Bud" Tingwell, among others.

Chater was critical of early Australian television direction which he characterised as too often "'feet, knees and in the distance pictures'. People watching TV are interested in people and close ups in Australia were hard to come by in the early days of Australian television."^[4]

Amongst work in many other shows, Chater appeared inThe Rocky Horror Show inBrisbane in 1988,^[5] theSydney Theatre Company production ofThe Importance of Being Earnest as both "Lane" and "Merriman" in 1990,^[5] andLady Bracknell's Confinement at the Playhouse, in Melbourne in 1993.^[5]

Gordon Chater later worked in the United States, including appearing onBroadway.

In the 1970s Chater was particularly associated with the playThe Elocution of Benjamin Franklin bySteve J. Spears, the stage role for which he became best known. The play broke new ground in Australian theatre with its shocking opening scene (in which Chater walked onstage naked) and its discussion of paedophilia.^[3]

• Winner of theMacquarie Radio Award in 1952 for Comedy Performance on Radio
• Winner of theGold Logie in 1966 for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television (The Mavis Bramston Show)
• Member of theOrder of Australia (AM), 1999^[6]

• Gordon Chater – Stage acting credits
• "The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia — Theatre . Film . Radio . Television — Volume 1" — Ann Atkinson, Linsay Knight, Margaret McPhee — Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd., 1996
• "The Australian Film and Television Companion" — compiled by Tony Harrison — Simon & Schuster Australia, 1994
• "The Importance of Being Earnest" — (information and photo):[1],[2],[3],[4],[5]
• Gordon Chater atIMDb
• Gordon Chater at theInternet Broadway Database
• Gordon Chater Dies aged 77 –Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• My Name's McGooley – What's Yours? – Classic Australian Television
• The Mavis Bramston Show^{[permanent dead link‍]} – Nostalgia Central
• The History of The Mavis Bramston Show
• Tributes 1999 – Gordon Chater – Mark Juddery Tributes

• 1922 births
• 1999 deaths
• Actors from the City of Westminster
• English male stage actors
• English male television actors
• Australian male stage actors
• British emigrants to Australia
• Male actors from London
• Gold Logie winners
• People from Bayswater
• 20th-century Australian male actors
• Members of the Order of Australia
• 20th-century English male actors

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from January 2023
• Articles with hCards
• Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata
• All articles with dead external links
• Articles with dead external links from December 2019
• Articles with permanently dead external links