Garry McDonald

Garry McDonald
Born
Garry George McDonald

(1948-10-30) 30 October 1948
EducationNational Institute of Dramatic Art (BFA)
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • TV host
  • actor
  • satirist
  • activist
Years active1967–present
Known forCharacter of Norman Gunston
SpouseDiane Craig (m. 1971)
AwardsGold Logie

Garry George McDonald AO (born 30 October 1948) is an Australian comedian, television host, actor, satirist and mental health activist. In a career spanning six decades he has had many theatre, television and film roles, and has been listed as a National Living Treasure. He is best known as the seemingly naive celebrity interviewer Norman Gunston, through whom he pioneered the "ambush interviewer" technique since followed by many others. He received a Gold Logie award for the television Norman Gunston Show in which he developed the character and is a Logie Hall of Fame inductee. He is also famed for his role of the hapless Arthur Beare in the television sitcom Mother and Son, as well as his numerous surporting roles in feature films.

Appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2003 for service to the community in the mental health field and to the arts as an entertainer, he has been a board member of the Australian mental health organisation Beyond Blue.