Philip Mark Quast AM (born 30 July 1957)[1] is an Australian actor and bass-baritone singer. He has won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical three times, making him the first actor to have three wins in that category.
Philip Quast | |
|---|---|
| Born | Philip Mark Quast 30 July 1957 Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia |
| Education | National Institute of Dramatic Art (BFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Notable work | Les Misérables Play School Young Doctors Sons and Daughters |
| Spouse |
Carol Quast (m. 1981) |
| Children | 3 |
He is perhaps best known for his role as Inspector Javert in the stage musical Les Misérables and in the Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert.
He is also well-known for numerous other theatre roles, notable ones being Georges Seurat/George in Sunday in the Park with George (which won him a Laurence Olivier Award), Archibald Craven and Dr. Neville Craven in The Secret Garden, Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, George Banks in Mary Poppins, Georges in La Cage aux Folles, Emile de Becque in South Pacific, and The Wolf and Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods.
He is also known for appearances in film and for his roles in television shows such as Ultraviolet, Brides of Christ, and Play School.
Early life and education
editQuast, one of three children, was born in 1957 in Tamworth, New South Wales.[2] His family lived and worked on a mixed, but predominantly turkey, farm.[3] He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1979.
Acting career
edit1980s
editTheatre
editAfter graduating from NIDA in 1979 Quast began his career in the resident acting company of the State Theatre Company of South Australia. In the early 1980s he appeared in plays such as The Mystery Plays of Wakefield, Three Sisters, On the Wallaby, Pericles, A Month in the Country, As You Like It, Pygmalion, A Hard God, No End of Blame, The Threepenny Opera, Shark Infested Waters, Candide with Nimrod Theatre Company, and a musical adaption of Carmen which he debuted with the Melbourne Theatre Company.[4]
Les Misérables
editQuast shot to prominence in 1987 as Javert in the original Australian production of Les Misérables, winning him a Sydney Critic Award and a Mo Award. In 1989, he traveled to London to reprise the role on the West End stage.[5] Quast never expected to gain such a prominent role, going to the auditions hoping simply for a place in the chorus.[6] Unable to sight-read music, he walked off the stage at the audition but was called back by Claude-Michel Schönberg and eventually given the part as Javert.[6]
Quast credits much of his success as Javert to stage director Trevor Nunn. "Javert for me is not the Wicked Witch of the West," Quast has said. "In fact, there is very little material to work with in the script. Trevor would say things in passing like 'Have you read the Ten Commandments recently?' That's all he would say. If you're thirsty enough, you can follow it up ... there was the whole basis of our legal system and the explanation for the whole of Les Mis. For me, that's inspired directing. That's why he's such an awesome man."[6]
When playing Javert, Quast gained a reputation as a perfectionist and began experiencing intense bouts of stagefright. "I had a terrible time," he said. "It took me a month to get over it. At one stage I wasn't sleeping at all but lying awake planning speeches to the audience about being sorry and could I start again."[6]
Film and television
editIn 1981, Quast began appearing as a presenter on the Australian children's show Play School, a program he would return to on-and-off again for 17 years.
From 1982 to 1983, he appeared in a recurring role as Dr Rod Hawkins in Australian medical soap opera The Young Doctors for 20 episodes. From 1984 to 1985, he had another recurring role as Bob 'Mitch' Mitchell in Australian drama soap opera Sons and Daughters for 30 episodes. Quast appeared in several miniseries including Colour in the Creek (1985), Flight into Hell, Fields of Fire (both 1987) and Cassidy (1989). He also made guest appearances in Patrol Boat, A Country Practice and Special Squad.
Quast also appeared in several Australian films including Emoh Ruo (1985), Army Wives (1986, TV movie), Around the World in Eighty Ways, To Market To Market (both 1987) and The First Kangaroos (1988).
1990s
editTheatre
editQuast's stage success continued as he won the coveted role of Georges Seurat and his act 2 counterpart George in the original London production of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George for the Royal National Theatre.
In 1991 he won his first Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical as Georges Seurat / George. Quast was under a large amount of stress when preparing for Sunday in the Park with George, as he struggled to master Sondheim's complicated musical scores (Sondheim told him: "you don't play tennis against people you can beat."), learn to paint and sketch for the play, all while awaiting the birth of his first son, who was due five days after opening night.[7]
In 1993 he returned to Australia to play in Sydney Theatre Company productions of William Shakespeare's Coriolanus and Sondheim's Into the Woods, in which he played The Wolf/Cinderella's Prince. He then played Dunois in Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan in the West End and on a UK tour in 1994. In 1994–96 he spent two seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company, performing as Fred/Chorus in A Christmas Carol, and King of Navarre in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, as well as Lodovico in The White Devil, Banquo in Macbeth, and Achilles in Troilus and Cressida. Before returning for a second season with the RSC, he spent some time back in Australia, performing in the national tour of The Secret Garden as Dr. Neville Craven – along with Anthony Warlow and Marina Prior. [citation needed]
Film and television
editQuast continued to appear in both Australian and British television roles throughout the 1990s. In 1995 he starred in the miniseries The Damnation of Harvey McHugh as The Minister, Michael Muldoon for 13 episodes. From 1995 to 1996 he appeared as Simon Lennox in British drama series The Governor for 4 episodes, and in 1998 he played Father Pearse J. Harman in 6 episodes of Ultraviolet. In 1999 he played Cornelius in a 1999 miniseries adaptation of Cleopatra. He also had guest roles in Police Rescue, the miniseries Brides of Christ, Crime Story and Inspector Morse.
He had a sole film role in the 1990s, playing Bradley in 1999 thriller The Fall.
2000s
editMusical theatre
editQuast played the part of Javert on the Les Misérables Complete Symphonic Recording, and in Hey, Mr. Producer, a concert in honour of Sir Cameron Mackintosh.
Though mainly a baritone, Quast has played some roles written for tenors, namely George (see above), Candide, and Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden. Although he is known for his serious roles, he has also performed comedic parts, such as his 2004 appearance as the pompous Miles Gloriosus in a limited run revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Royal National Theatre.
Quast more recently played the supporting role of Juan Peron in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2006 production of Evita at the Adelphi Theatre in London. He was nominated for an Olivier award for this role. In July 2007, Quast performed the role of Judge Turpin in a concert version of Sweeney Todd at London's Royal Festival Hall.[8]
He was most recently in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles as Georges.[9] Quast rejoined the cast of La Cage on 4 May 2009 with Roger Allam. Coincidentally, both actors have performed in the role of Javert in Les Misérables. From July 2010, he played Mr. Banks in the Australian premiere production of Mary Poppins at Melbourne's Her Majesty’s Theatre, a part Cameron Mackintosh offered to him in the bathroom of The Ivy in London. He won the 2010 Victorian Green Room Award (Melbourne's top theatre awards) for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance. He also won the 2011 Helpmann Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Mary Poppins.
In March 2014, New York audiences were treated to a special limited engagement of Sweeney Todd at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. Quast, in his New York stage debut, performed as Judge Turpin, with Bryn Terfel as Sweeney Todd and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Lovett. The show was scheduled to be broadcast as part of Live at Lincoln Center's television special in September 2014.
Theatre
editIn 2003, Quast appeared as Antonio in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, directed by Gale Edwards and as Trigorin in Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by Steven Pimlott, both at the Chichester Festival Theatre. In 2012, he played the role of Sir Humphrey Appleby in an Australian production of Yes, Prime Minister. In August/September 2012, he performed the role of Walter Burns in Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of His Girl Friday. In November 2013 he joined Hugo Weaving and Richard Roxburgh in Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot. In May/June 2014, Quast played the role of Pastor Manders in Henrik Ibsen’s play Ghosts at the Melbourne Theatre Company directed by Gale Edwards.[10]
Film and television
editQuast has appeared in numerous television roles throughout the 2000s. In 2001 he played Michael Fielding MP in Australian satirical comedy series Corridors of Power and Tim Price in 7 episodes of Australian comedy/drama series Bed of Roses in 2010. In 2016 he played the role of Senior Constable Gordon in superhero parody series The Justice Lease as well as Lincoln Priest in legal series Janet King. In 2018 Quast appeared as Arthur Appleyard in the miniseries reimagining of the 1975 Australian Peter Weir classic Picnic at Hanging Rock. In 2020, he had two further television roles – as Professor Quentin Ratchett in comedy/drama series Operation Buffalo and as Phillip Walford in Between Two Worlds. Since 2024 he has been playing Dr Sandy Green in Australian-Indian romance/drama series Four Years Later.
He also guested in several British series including medical drama Holby City, murder mystery series Midsomer Murders, and crime drama series Silent Witness. He also had a guest role in Australian tv drama Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
Quast appeared in several 2000s film roles. He played Richard (opposite Caroline Goodall) in British film Me & Mrs Jones (2002). He appeared as Carl alongside Wendy Hughes and Susie Porter in The Caterpillar Wish (2006), and the following year played Ronnie opposite Rebecca Gibney in Clubland. He portrayed Saddam Hussein in 2011 internationally-released film The Devil's Double (alongside Dominic Cooper). Quast was in the 2015 political newsroom drama Truth playing real life politician Ben Barnes, alongside an all-star cast including Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford. He also had a part in the 2016 Mel Gibson-directed war biopic Hacksaw Ridge as Judge, which also starred Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving and Rachel Griffiths. In 2022 he played Tanner Blue in Dark Noise.
While Quast has expressed a desire to continue working in TV and film, and teach acting, he no longer intends to act in plays or musicals, because of the heavy schedule involved.[11]
Personal life
editQuast and his wife Carol have three sons (Edwin, Harry and Toby).[12][13] He also teaches at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, Australia.[14] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Quast continued teaching through Zoom calls.[15]
Quast married Carol in 1981 and they were married for almost ten years before having the first of their three sons. He has been noted for his humble nature, stating he doesn't seek after fame and is concerned that success is measured by notoriety instead of the respect of one's peers. He doesn't keep any of his awards, instead sending them to his parents' home in Australia.[16]
Quast was named as one of the 25 Most Beautiful People for 1996 in Who Weekly magazine. In an article for the magazine he said, "The problem with this business is that you have to supposedly look as good as you can all the time. And I hate that. My idea of doing my hair is sticking it out of the window of a car when it's wet."[17]
A bass-baritone, Quast has been universally applauded by critics for his singing voice, which has been described as "warm", and "glorious." [18] He was named by British newspaper The Stage as "one of the most notable singing actors to come along in years".[19]
Quast has a strong passion for fishing, and he spent his time during the COVID-19 pandemic fishing, cooking, pickling and preserving.[15]
Awards
edit| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Philip Quast | Mo Awards | Male Musical Theatre Performer of the Year | Won[20] |
| 1988 | Les Misérables | Sydney Theatre Critics Awards | Best Actor of the Year | Won |
| 1991 | Sunday in the Park with George | 1991 Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actor in a Musical | Won[21] |
| 1993 | Into the Woods | Sydney Theatre Critics Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Won |
| 1993 | Philip Quast | Mo Awards | Male Musical Theatre Performer of the Year | Won [22] |
| Musical Theatre Performer of the Year | Won [23] | |||
| 1998 | The Fix | 1998 Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actor in a Musical | Won[24] |
| 2002 | South Pacific | 2002 Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actor in a Musical | Won[25] |
| 2011 | Mary Poppins | Green Room Awards | Male Artist in a Featured Role | Won |
| Helpmann Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Won | ||
| 2022 | Philip Quast | 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours | Member of the Order of Australia for Significant service to the arts as a performer, mentor and educator | Honoured[26] |
Musical cast recordings
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Les Misérables: The Complete Symphonic Recording | |
| 1990 | Paris | Studio Cast Recording |
| 1995 | The Secret Garden | Original Australian Cast Recording |
| 1995 | Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert | |
| 1997 | The Fix | Original London Cast Recording |
| 2001 | South Pacific | Royal National Theatre Production – London Cast |
| 2001 | The Secret Garden | Original London Cast Recording |
| 2002 | Live at the Donmar | Philip Quast |
| 2006 | Evita | London Cast Recording |
| 2011 | Mary Poppins | Original Australian Cast Recording |
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Emoh Ruo | Les Tunkley | Feature film |
| 1986 | Army Wives | Peter | TV movie |
| 1987 | Around the World in Eighty Ways | Wally Davis | Feature film |
| 1987 | To Market To Market | Edward | Feature film |
| 1988 | The First Kangaroos | Alex 'Bluey' Burdon | Feature film |
| 1995 | Napoleon | Birdo (voice) | Feature film |
| 1999 | The Fall | Bradley | Feature film |
| 2002 | Me & Mrs Jones | Richard Bowden | TV movie |
| 2006 | The Caterpillar Wish | Carl Roberts | Feature film |
| 2007 | Clubland | Ronnie Stubbs | Feature film |
| 2011 | The Devil's Double | Saddam Hussein / Faoaz | Feature film |
| 2015 | Truth | Ben Barnes | Feature film |
| 2016 | Hacksaw Ridge | Judge | Feature film |
| 2017 | National Theatre Live: Follies | Benjamin Stone | TV movie |
| 2022 | Dark Noise | Tanner Blue | Feature film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–96 | Play School | Presenter | TV series, 2164 episodes |
| 1982–83 | The Young Doctors | Dr Rod Hawkins | TV series, 20 episodes |
| 1983 | Patrol Boat | Smith | TV series, season 2, episode 2: "Tango Victor" |
| 1984 | A Country Practice | Billy Webb | TV series, season 4, 2 episodes |
| 1984 | Special Squad | Jaeger | TV series, episode 8: "The Würzburg Link" |
| 1984–85 | Sons and Daughters | Bob 'Mitch' Mitchell | TV series, 30 episodes |
| 1985 | Colour in the Creek | Barney | Miniseries, 8 episodes |
| 1987 | Flight into Hell | Chris Gordon | Miniseries |
| 1987 | Fields of Fire | Albie | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1989 | Cassidy | Sam East | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Police Rescue | Bob Harrison | TV series, season 1, episode 1: "Mates" |
| 1991 | Brides of Christ | Ian McGregor | Miniseries, episode 3: "Ambrose" |
| 1992 | Crime Story | Terry Clark | TV series, episode 1: "All Good Friends - The Case of the Handless Corpse" |
| 1995 | The Damnation of Harvey McHugh | The Minister, Michael Muldoon | Miniseries, 13 episodes |
| 1995 | Great Performances | Javert | TV series, season 24, episode 10: "Les Misérables in Concert" |
| 1995–96 | The Governor | Simon Lennox | TV series, seasons 1–2, 4 episodes |
| 1998 | Ultraviolet | Father Pearse J. Harman | TV series, season 1, 6 episodes |
| 1998 | Inspector Morse | Mr Benfield | TV series, season 8, episode 4: "The Wench is Dead" |
| 1999 | Cleopatra | Cornelius | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Corridors of Power | Michael Fielding MP | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 2004 | Midsomer Murders | Ross Villiers | TV series, season 7, episode 7: "Ghosts of Christmas Past" |
| 2006 | Holby City | Clayton Jones | TV series, season 8, episode 13: "Pride Before a Fall" |
| 2008 | Silent Witness | Leonid Polyak | TV series, season 12, 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Bed of Roses | Tim Price | TV series, season 2, 7 episodes |
| 2014 | Live from Lincoln Center | Judge Turpin | TV series, season 40, episode 1: "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - In Concert with the New York Philharmonic" |
| 2015 | Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries | Dr. Hayden Samuels | TV series, season 3, episode 5: "Death & Hysteria" |
| 2016 | The Justice Lease | Senior Constable Gordon | TV series, season 2, 4 episodes |
| 2016 | Janet King | Lincoln Priest | TV series, season 2, 5 episodes |
| 2018 | Picnic at Hanging Rock | Arthur Appleyard | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| 2020 | Operation Buffalo | Professor Quentin Ratchett | TV series, season 1, 4 episodes |
| 2020 | Between Two Worlds | Phillip Walford | TV series, season 1, 10 episodes |
| 2024– | Four Years Later | Dr Sandy Green | TV series, season 1, 3 episodes |
Stage
editReferences
edit- ^ Profile Archived 13 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine, debretts.com; accessed 14 September 2014.
- ^ Quast, Philip (24 December 2001). "Twenty Questions with Philip Quast". The Philip Quast Continuum (Interview). Interviewed by Terri Paddock. Kate McCullugh & Angela Pollard. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ Quast, Philip (8 September 2015). "Behind the Red Curtain with Philip Quast" (Interview). Interviewed by Tim O'Connor. Behind the Red Curtain. Retrieved 24 April 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "AusStage".
- ^ Valent, Dani (2 October 2010). "They Dreamed a Dream" (PDF). The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d Litson, Jo (30 April 1989). "The Qualities of Quast". The Weekend Australia.
- ^ Valentine, Patricia (15 March 1990). "The Qualities of Quast". The Weekend Australian.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (13 June 2007), Terfel, Friedman, Evans and Quast to Star in London Sweeney Todd, Playbill.com, retrieved 14 June 2007
- ^ Nathan, John (5 October 2007), Quast and Hodge to Star in London La Cage aux Folles, Playbill.com, archived from the original on 13 October 2007, retrieved 6 October 2007
- ^ "Ghosts". Archived from the original on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- ^ https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/aug/10/cost-of-living-sydney-theatre-company-philip-quast-interview
- ^ Dow, Steve (3 August 2012). "A serious leap from Saddam to screwball". Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ "Interview with the Philip Quast Continuum". Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ "About Evita". Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ a b Galvin, Nick. "'I never partied. I go home after the show': lunch with Philip Quast". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ Paddock, Terri. "20 Questions With...Philip Quast". Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- ^ "25 Most Beautiful People". Who Weekly. 20 May 1996.
- ^ Gross, John. "Swept Along in a Tide of Tunes". The Sunday Telegraph.
- ^ Hepple, Peter. "Pointing out Seurat". The Stage.
- ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ "PHILIP QUAST AND MATT RAWLE". Official London Theater.
- ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ "PHILIP QUAST AND MATT RAWLE". Official London Theater.
- ^ "PHILIP QUAST AND MATT RAWLE". Official London Theater.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday 2022 Honours - the full list". Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ "Philip Quast Discography". castalbums.org.
- ^ https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/aug/10/cost-of-living-sydney-theatre-company-philip-quast-interview
- ^ https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/4238
External links
edit- Philip Quast at IMDb
- The Philip Quast Continuum: The Official Philip Quast Website [dead link]
- The Philip Quast Guide
- Winners of the Laurence Olivier Award
- List of articles and interviews (2015 archive copy from The Philip Quast Continuum)