Logan Brewer
An outstanding project designer, Logan Brewer first made his mark on television with ambitious period drama Hunter’s Gold. In the early 80s he went freelance, producing cop show Mortimer’s Patch and children’s drama Terry and the Gunrunners. His major project work included opening and closing ceremonies for the 1990 Commonwealth Games, and NZ pavilions at Expos in Brisbane and Seville. Brewer passed away in August 2015.
Shirley Duke
Shirley Duke acted in classic shows Mortimer's Patch (as a teacher who Mortimer took a shining to) and Terry and the Gunrunners (as Terry's mum). While starring in 1982 TV play That Bread Should Be So Dear, she stumbled onto a very different role. Realising that two actors aged under seven needed a toilet break, she said "someone ought to be looking after those kids". Duke went on to work on a run of kidult dramas as chaperone and acting coach to junior actors, from Strangers (for which she learnt sign language) to The Champion. Duke was also an acting coach on Shortland Street. She passed away on 14 January 2019.
Don McGlashan
Don McGlashan showed his screen talents early, as one half of offbeat multimedia group The Front Lawn. Since then he has composed for film and television, alongside his own music. His score for Jane Campion's An Angel at My Table won acclaim; his screen awards include film No. 2 — which spawned number two hit 'Bathe in the River' — Katherine Mansfield tale Bliss, and TV series Street Legal.
Phillip Gordon
Phillip Gordon began his screen career with 70s soap Close to Home, then won fame in the mid 80s with two different roles: playing conman Cyril Kidman in hit period comedy Came a Hot Friday, and starring in Wellington-set TV series Inside Straight. He went on to act on both sides of the Tasman.
Tom Finlayson
Tom Finlayson has worked in television in almost every capacity: as a reporter and producer in the cauldron of daily news, developing and producing classic drama shows (Under the Mountain, Mortimer's Patch) and movies, directing documentaries (The Party's Over) — as well as commissioning programmes, during a three year stint as TVNZ’s Director of Production.
Chris Bailey
Chris Bailey has made key creative contributions to a host of significant Kiwi television dramas, from sci fi classic Under the Mountain to Nothing Trivial. In 1998, Bailey, along with producer Chris Hampson and writer Greg McGee, founded production company ScreenWorks. These days he is managing director of South Pacific Pictures.
Sean Duffy
Best known to the public for an extended career as an actor — he co-starred in Mortimer's Patch and won an award playing a dopey farmer in comedy Willy Nilly — Sean Duffy alternated acting gigs with two decades editing for television. Later he moved into directing, working on a range of shows from Heartland to one-off documentaries.
Billy T James
Billy T James ranks as a key figure in the development of Kiwi comedy. Billy honed his talents as a singer and comedian on stages worldwide, then brought them to a local TV audience on throwback show Radio Times. His self-titled comedy show was a major ratings hit. His turn as the Tainuia kid in Came a Hot Friday is still fondly remembered — as is Billy T's infectious chuckle, black singlet and yellow towel.
Bill Johnson
Veteran actor Bill Johnson began appearing on Kiwi screens as early as 1969, when he joined the cast of TV thriller The Alpha Plan. Johnson is best remembered by a generation of Kiwis as the sinister Mr Wilberforce in 1980s sci fi classic Under The Mountain. After more than four decades as an actor, he passed away on 23 September 2016.
Laurie Dee
The versatile Laurie Dee has played straight, comical and musical, and sometimes comical and musical at the same time. Sideman to Billy T over the first four seasons of The Billy T James Show, Dee later reinvented himself ... as an inventor.