Reg Livermore

Reg Livermore
Name	Reg Livermore
Birth date	1938-10-31
Birth place	Sydney
Occupation	Actor, singer, writer, painter
Years active	1959–present

Reg Livermore

Reg Livermore is an Australian actor, singer, writer and visual artist whose career spans stage, television, film and recording from the 1960s to the present. Known for flamboyant camp performances and a distinctive high-energy stage persona, he achieved national prominence through landmark Australian productions and became influential in the development of contemporary musical theatre and cabaret in Australia. His work intersected with major figures and institutions across theatre, television and music.

Early life and education

Born in Sydney in 1938, Livermore trained in drama and performance during a period when Australian theatre was influenced by touring companies such as the Old Vic and émigré directors from the United Kingdom. He attended local schools in New South Wales and studied at drama workshops that connected him with emerging performers who later worked with institutions like the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust and the Garrick Theatre. Early exposure to radio drama and community theatre placed him alongside contemporaries who later appeared in productions at the Sydney Theatre Company and on ABC radio and television.

Stage career and notable performances

Livermore first gained attention in the 1960s and 1970s through a sequence of stage roles that aligned him with influential productions such as Hair and other countercultural pieces that resonated with the era of the Vietnam War protests and the global rise of rock musicals. He rose to national fame with his portrayal of characters in productions at the Adelphi-influenced Australian houses and at major festivals where works by writers like Jim Sharman and composers associated with the Australian Performing Group were staged. His performance style, often compared to international figures like Tim Curry and David Bowie, blended theatricality with pop sensibilities, contributing to the vitality of venues such as the Her Majesty's Theatre and the Capitol Theatre.

Arguably his most iconic stage role was in a cult Australian musical that became a touchstone for local theatre, performed in seasons that toured regional centres and major cities, putting him in the orbit of producers linked to the Sydney Festival and the Melbourne International Arts Festival. He collaborated with directors, choreographers and designers who had associations with institutions such as the National Institute of Dramatic Art and the Victorian Arts Centre. His one-man shows and cabaret performances at venues like the Enmore Theatre and smaller black-box houses cemented his reputation alongside contemporaries from the cabaret and musical theatre scenes.

Film and television work

Livermore's television appearances included guest roles and longer runs on programs broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and commercial networks such as Seven Network and Nine Network. He featured in anthology series, teleplays and variety programs that also showcased performers from the National Institute of Dramatic Art alumni and touring musical casts. His film credits placed him in Australian cinema projects connected to directors and producers who worked within the revival of Australian film in the 1970s and 1980s, a movement associated with bodies like the Australian Film Institute and the Australian Film Commission.

He made cameo and supporting appearances in motion pictures that circulated in international festivals alongside films by directors from New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and his television variety and talk-show appearances brought him into contact with presenters and hosts tied to flagship programs on ABC and commercial breakfast and evening formats.

Music and recording career

Parallel to his stage work, Livermore recorded albums and singles that captured the theatrical pop crossover of his performances, releasing material on labels that distributed Australian artists during the 1970s and 1980s. His recordings contained selections from musical theatre, cabaret numbers and original songs that aligned him with the broader Australian pop and theatre-music milieu alongside performers who charted on listings such as the Kent Music Report and played venues on national tours promoted by agencies linked to the Australian Performing Rights Association.

He collaborated with arrangers, producers and musicians who worked with contemporaries from the Australian rock and pop scenes, and his records received radio play on stations including regional broadcasters and national outlets such as Triple J in its early incarnations, situating him within cross-genre networks of performers and composers.

Writing, painting and other artistic pursuits

Beyond performance, Livermore authored memoirs, monologues and material for his own shows, contributing to the written record of Australian theatre practice. His writings have been performed and adapted by companies and festivals that commission new works, linking him with dramaturges and literary programmers at institutions like the Sydney Theatre Company and Malthouse Theatre.

As a visual artist, he has exhibited paintings and drawings in galleries connected to the Art Gallery of New South Wales circuit and smaller commercial spaces in Sydney and Melbourne. His multidisciplinary practice placed him among artist-performers who crossed between stage and visual arts, exhibiting alongside practitioners associated with movements promoted by the National Gallery of Victoria and independent curators in the Australian contemporary art scene.

Awards and honours

Over a long career, Livermore received recognition from theatrical bodies and cultural institutions, including nominations and awards from organisations such as the Helpmann Awards-affiliated community and honours that align with lifetime achievement acknowledgments by state arts councils and industry guilds. He has been cited in retrospectives by cultural festivals and honoured in programs by the Sydney Theatre Company and other major companies celebrating the development of Australian musical theatre.

Category:Australian stage actors Category:Australian singers Category:Australian painters