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Simon Gallaher
Born (1958-10-24) 24 October 1958 (age 66)
Brisbane, Australia
Occupation(s)Actor, singer, director, pianist

Simon Gallaher (born 24 October 1958)[1] is an Australian singer, actor, director and pianist.

Biography

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Gallaher was born in Brisbane and educated at the Anglican Church Grammar School.[2] and studied at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.[3] Whilst studying, he joined the Queensland Light Opera Company.[4] In 1977 he appeared on The Mike Walsh Show,[5] he had his own television program, The Simon Gallaher Show on ABC-TV (1982–83), in which he sang and played the piano.[3]

In 1979, Simon appeared again on The Mike Walsh Show, singing "Australia Be Proud" with the Marist Singers of NSW, with Artistic Director Paul Bateman.

With his own musical theatre company Essgee Entertainment, Gallaher produced and acted in stage productions of The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, The Merry Widow and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, among others.

For most of the 1980s his song "Australia Be Proud" was heard at the conclusion of each broadcast day on television station CTC Canberra, accompanied by a montage of video clips from across Australia. He and Jackie Love had a hit record "My Friend" written by Neil Sedaka.

In 2014 Gallaher returned to the stage to be reunited with Jon English for the first time in many years as they performed in Spamalot for Harvest Rain Theatre Company at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). In 2015 he took over the role of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the Australian production of Wicked and opened with it at the commencement of the Brisbane season. Gallaher recently directed a new production of his version of The Pirates of Penzance, which played at the QPAC to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Arts Centre and of the show's original opening.

He retired as deputy chair on the board of trustees of QPAC in 2018 and has been reappointed to the board of the Queensland Theatre Company (QTC).[3] In 2018 he was appointed to the board of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. He was formerly the chair of Harvest Rain Theatre Company (2012–15).[3] He is patron to many arts organisations, including The Queensland Show Choir, Queensland Youth Symphony Orchestra, Spotlight Theatre Company, Gold Coast Theatre Alliance and the Canberra Area Theatre Awards. He is a member of Live Performance Australia (LPA) and sits on the Helpmann Awards nominating panel for Musical Theatre.

Personal life

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Simon Gallaher married Lisa McKenney in 1990 and they have three children. She is the sister of Todd McKenney, with whom Gallaher had also had a relationship prior to marrying Lisa.[6][7] They lived in Tamborine Mountain and had a property at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast.[8][9] They separated in April 2019.[6]

Discography

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Studio and live albums

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List of albums, with Australian chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart
positions
AUS
[10][11]
Opening Night 45
All in Good Time 59
One Voice
  • Released: April 1983
  • Format: LP
  • Label: J&B (JB 135)
  • Live album
 15
Unforgettable
  • Released: May 1991
  • Format: LP, CD
  • Label: CBS (468306-2)
 40
Rising
  • Released: April 1992
  • Format: CD
  • Label: CBS (473836-2)
 -

Soundtrack and cast albums

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List of compilations
Title Album details
The Pirates of Penzance (Australian Cast Recording)
(with Jon English, The Fabulous Singlettes & Toni Lamond)
  • Released: 1994
  • Format: CD
  • Label: EMI (479775 -2)
Cyrano De Bergerac The Musical
(with Normie Rowe, Penny Hay, The Prestige Symphony Orchestra and singers)
  • Released: 2001
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Harmony (HM076)

Compilations albums

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List of compilations
Title Album details
Silver Anniversary Collection
  • Released: 2000
  • Format: CD
  • Label: ABC Music (529845-2)

Singles

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List of singles, with selected chart positions
Year Title Peak chart
positions 		Album
AUS
[10]
1980 "Sleeping Like a Baby" - non album single
"I'm Really Only Singing for You" - Opening Night
1981 "Australia Be Proud"
(with The Marist Singers of N.S.W.) 		68
"I'm Already Falling" -
1982 "My Friend"
(with Jackie Lowe) 		7 All In Good Time
1984 "Please Don't Call"
(with Jackie Lowe) 		- non album single

Awards and nominations

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Logie Awards

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The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by magazine TV Week, with the first ceremony in 1959, known then as the TV Week Awards, the awards are presented in 20 categories representing both public and industry voted awards.[12]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
Logie Awards of 1981 Simon Gallagher - in The Mike Walsh Show (Nine Network) Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent Won

Mo Awards

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The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Gallaher won three awards in that time.[13]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
1980 himself Encouragement Award Won
1981 himself Vocal/ Instrumental Act Won
1982 himself Vocal/ Instrumental Act Won

Selected theatrical bibliography

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References

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  1. ^ Simon Gallaher biography
  2. ^ Mason, James (2011). Churchie: The Centenary Register. Brisbane, Australia: The Anglican Church Grammar School. ISBN 978-0-646-55807-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Trust members". QPAC. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  4. ^ Simon Gallaher interview
  5. ^ "Simon Gallaher interviewed by Bill Stephens [sound recording]". National Library Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Simon Gallaher and wife split following Todd McKenney's bombshell revelation". News.com.au. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  7. ^ "All eyes on Todd's tipples". 19 June 2008.
  8. ^ "Song's soul mates 19 October 2011". City News. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Todd McKenney | Word for Word". joy.org.au. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018.
  10. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 120. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  12. ^ "Don't bet on it 5 May 2003". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 May 2003. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  13. ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Wicked has a new wizard! 29 December 2014". Wicked the Musical. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  15. ^ "Hello Dolly!". AusStage. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  16. ^ "The Student Prince". AusStage. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  17. ^ "My Fair Lady". AusStage. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  18. ^ a b c "Simon Gallaher". IMDb. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  19. ^ "A lyric tenor pirate and coloratura soprano daughter 18 September 2011". ABC. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  20. ^ a b "Simon Gallaher". David Spicer Productions. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  21. ^ "Simon Gallaher to star in Harvest Rain's Production of Hairspray". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  22. ^ "Spamalot". Harvest Rain. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  23. ^ "Thirty years of trading the boards 16 February 2015". Bmag. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
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