Drew Forsythe first appeared on stage in Sydney over 40 years ago. He grew up in far north Queensland and his prolific career on film, stage, and television has seen him become one of our favourite actors; equally adept in dramatic, comic and musical roles.

A graduate of NIDA, he spent several years performing with the Old Tote Theatre company and the exciting new Nimrod theatre company, in a variety of roles that included The Seagull, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard 3, Twelfth Night, The Club, Comedy of Errors, Gone with Hardy, Romeo & Juliet, Henry 4, The Life of Galileo, The Three Sisters, The Bacchoi, Are you now or have you ever been? and Servant of Two Masters.

Among his legendary performances, the title roles of the heroic Tonino and the foolish Zanetto in the Nick Enright/Terence Clarke musical, The Venetian Twins, are always recalled in awe. The show was written for Forsythe. He originated these dual roles for Nimrod Theatre Company in the first Sydney Theatre Company season in 1979, and subsequently in two revivals.

Other stage musical appearances include Big River, Strictly Ballroom, The Republic of Myopia, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas H.M.S. Pinafore and The Mikado. Drama credits include Mrs. Warren's Profession and Under Milkwood for the Sydney Theatre Company.

He can lay claim to the unique position of being in the company of productions as they have opened new theatre venues. These include the Drama Theatre at the Sydney Opera House, Nimrod, Belvoir, and the Sydney Theatre (the Roz Packer).

For the film Caddie, Forsythe received the 1976 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. His television appearances include The Miraculous Mellops, The Dingo Principle, and Three Men and a Baby Grand, satirical sketch television comedy programs for which he was a writer/performer with Phillip Scott and Jonathan Biggins. The 'Three Men' team started in revue at the Tilbury Hotel, and much of the thematic material from these revues has been revisited and developed in the Sydney Theatre Company's 'Wharf Revue' series.

He is presently performing in the Sydney season of the Wharf Revue, now playing at The Seymour Centre. The show is the perfect tonic to the tumultuous year in politics, and delivers the laugh we all need. Drew is erudite, engaging and possessed of a brilliant career in Australian theatre. At long last we can add Drew Forsythe to the absorbing alumni on STAGES.

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