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John Edwards (producer)

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Full Name
  
John Edwards

Occupation
  
television producer


Name
  
John Edwards

Role
  
Television producer

John Edwards (producer) httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaenthumbf

Born
  
4 March 1953 (age 71) (
1953-03-04
)
Manly, Sydney, Australia

TV shows
  
Offspring, Puberty Blues, Tangle, Rush, The Surgeon

Awards
  
AACTA Award for Best Television Drama Series, AACTA Award for Best Telefeature or Mini Series

Nominations
  
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Episode in a Long Running Television Drama Series

Movies
  
Police Rescue, Wendy Cracked a Walnut, Do or Die, Rescue, I Own the Racecourse

Similar People
  
Rodger Corser, Asher Keddie, Kat Stewart, Claudia Karvan, Debra Oswald

(Robert) John Edwards (born 4 March 1953) is a prolific Australian television drama producer.

Contents

His series credits include Party Tricks, Puberty Blues, Offspring, Rush (Network Ten), Love My Way, Tangle, Dangerous (Foxtel), The Secret Life of Us (Network Ten, Channel 4 UK), Police Rescue (ABC, BBC), The Surgeon (Network Ten), Fireflies (ABC), Big Sky (Network Ten) and Stringer (ABC).

His mini-series include Blue Murder: Killer Cop (Channel Seven), The Beautiful Lie (ABC), Gallipoli, Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch Story, Howzat! Kerry Packer's War (Nine Network), Paper Giants: Birth of Cleo (ABC), Marking Time (ABC), On The Beach (Seven Network, Showtime USA), Do or Die (Network Seven, BSkyB) and Cyclone Tracy (Nine Network).

His telemovies include Beaconsfield (Nine Network), six Cody telemovies (Network Seven), pilots for Police Rescue, The Secret Life of Us, Hard Knox (New Line), Fireflies and the children's telemovie I Own The Racecourse (Network Seven).

In all, John Edwards' productions have won 29 Logie Awards, 30 Australian Film Institute Awards, nine AACTA Awards, four People's Choice Awards (Australia), eight ASTRA Awards and more than a dozen Australian craft awards. Furthermore, On The Beach is the only Australian production to have received two Golden Globe Award nominations.

Early life

John Edwards was born in Sydney Australia and has lived most of his life in the beachside suburb of Manly. He attended high school at Balgowlah Boys Campus, which turned out numerous other film and television identities including Academy Award winning cinematographer John Seale, actors Rick Carter and Callan Mulvey, director Ian Barry, writer Tim Pye and comedian Phillip Scott. His spent his final two high school years at The Shore School, before attending Sydney University and Jacksonville State University, Alabama.

He was a History teacher in Sydney’s West for three years before making the switch into the film and television industry as a researcher then writer at Film Australia in 1981. He wrote a number of productions including Out of Time, Out of Place, The Bounty Experiment and co-writing the two-part telemovie, The Weekly’s War.

Career

After starting his career researching and writing at Film Australia, Edwards began producing, partnered with Tim Read, with the feature film The Empty Beach, starring Bryan Brown, followed by the telemovie I Own the Racecourse (1985) and the mini-series Cyclone Tracy (1986).

He followed this with the TV series Stringer in 1988 and then, partnering with Sandra Levy at Southern Star, the successful action crime drama Police Rescue from 1991-1996 which won Most Popular Drama at the Logies in 1994 and 1996, a swag of acting Logies, 5 AFI and a number of international awards. He went on to make Big Sky (1997–1999) with Levy but then the two separated. John went on to produce Russell Mulcahy’s mini-series On The Beach (2000), starring Armand Assante, Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown, and which won two AFI Awards and two Golden Globe nominations.

Then came the breakthrough series The Secret Life of Us (2001–2005), a 20-somethings drama series produced with Amanda Higgs which won six Logies, and the ABC mini-series Marking Time which won a record seven AFI Awards.

Edwards is perhaps best known for his award-winning drama series Love My Way (2004–2007), developed and produced specifically for pay television with actor Claudia Karvan and written with Jacqueline Perske, which won eight AFI Awards, six Logie Awards, and six ASTRA Awards. Love My Way was a tipping point for Australian TV not only in its bold portrayal of the complexities of contemporary adult life but its pioneering application of the HBO model of creating quality drama specifically for television. It won both the AFI Awards for Best Television Series three years running and the Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Drama Series three years running.

2008 saw the first season of the Channel 10 series Rush (produced with Mimi Butler), which eventually went to four seasons, and won the 2010 AFI Award for Best Television Drama Series. 2009 saw the launch of new pay television series Tangle (produced with Imogen Banks) (Showcase) which went to three seasons and the shooting of Spirited (W), the latter again collaborating with Claudia Karvan and Jacqueline Perske.

John has also produced a number of miniseries and telemovies including the Golden Globe nominated miniseries On the Beach (Showtime USA/Seven Network); Marking Time (ABC), winner of a record 7 AFI awards, the NSW Premier’s Literary Award, AWGIE Award and others; Do or Die (Seven Network, BskyB); Children of the Dragon (ABC and BBC1); Tracy (Nine Network); six telemovies in the Cody series (Seven Network) and telemovie pilots for Police Rescue, The Secret Life of Us, Hard Knox (the only Australian-initiated pilot to be picked up by a US major studio, New Line), Fireflies and Offspring (also produced with Imogen Banks) (series 1-4). More recently he produced Beaconsfield for the Nine Network and Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo for the ABC, becoming their highest rating drama for many years.

In 2012, John produced the new AFI Award winning series Puberty Blues (also produced with Imogen Banks) for Network Ten, and the AFI and Logie Award winning mini-series Howzat! Kerry Packer's War (produced with Mimi Butler) for the Nine Network. Puberty Blues was the winner of the 2nd AACTA Award for Best Television Drama Series, whilst Howzat! Kerry Packer's War was the recipient of the 2nd AACTA Award for Best Telefeature or Miniseries, the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Miniseries or Telemovie, and Silver Logie for Most Popular Miniseries or Telemovie.

In 2013, John produced the fourth and fifth series of Offspring, as well as the second series of Puberty Blues (both with Imogen Banks), for Network Ten. He also produced the television mini-series, Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch Story for the Nine Network with Jodi Matterson, which won several acting AACTA and Logie awards.

In 2014, John produced Gallipoli (with Imogen Banks and Robert Connolly), for the Nine Network, as well as the Asher Keddie and Rodger Corser series, Party Tricks (with Imogen Banks), for Network Ten.

In 2015, John produced The Beautiful Lie (with Imogen Banks), for the ABC. And in 2016, John joined forces with Village Roadshow to form ROADSHOW ROUGH DIAMOND, along with his son, former ITV Studios and Endemol executive, Dan Edwards.

John was granted an honorary master’s degree from the Australian Film Television and Radio School in December 2011, gave the 2015 Hector Crawford Address at the Annual SPAA Conference, and was appointed a member of the Order of Australia in January 2017.

"In Good Company"

A number of important and influential actors, directors and writers are linked with John Edwards. The following list is limited to AFI Awards, Logie and/or AWGIE Awards winners.

Actors: Lachy Hulme Claudia Karvan Ben Mendelsohn Joel Edgerton Deborah Mailman Samuel Johnson Gary Sweet Catherine McClements Kat Stewart Asher Keddie Dan Wyllie Rodger Corser

Directors: Cherie Nowlan Jessica Hobbs Stuart McDonald Matthew Saville Kate Dennis Emma Freeman Glendyn Ivin Daina Reid Geoff Bennett

Writers: Jacqueline Perske Judi McCrossin Christopher Lee Tony McNamara Alice Bell Samantha Winston David Caesar Jonathan Gavin Michael Lucas Debra Oswald

Partial filmography (as Producer)

  • Gallipoli (2014-2015)
  • Party Tricks (2014)
  • Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch Story (2013)
  • Puberty Blues (2012–present)
  • Howzat!: Kerry Packer's War (2012)
  • Beaconsfield (2011)
  • Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo (2011)
  • Offspring (2010–present)
  • Spirited (2010–2011)
  • Tangle (2009–2012)
  • Rush (2008–2011)
  • Out of the Blue (2008)
  • Love My Way (2004–2007)
  • Dangerous (2007)
  • The Alice (2005–2006)
  • The Surgeon (2005)
  • Fireflies (2004)
  • Marking Time (2003)
  • The Secret Life of Us (2001–2005)
  • Do Or Die (2001)
  • On the Beach (2000)
  • Big Sky (1997–1999)
  • Cody (6 telemovies, 1994-6)
  • Police Rescue (1991–1996)
  • Children of the Dragon (1991)
  • Wendy Cracked a Walnut (1990)
  • Stringer (1988)
  • Cyclone Tracy (1986)
  • I Own the Racecourse (1986)
  • The Empty Beach (1985)
  • Honours and awards

    In 2011, John was conferred an Honorary Masters Degree by the Australian Film Television and Radio School.
    In 2015, John gave the Hector Crawford Address at the Annual SPAA Conference.
    In 2017, Edwards was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the broadcast media industry as a television producer, and as a role model and mentor.


    LOVE MY WAY
    LOGIE Awards
    2005 Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Claudia Karvan
    2005 Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Drama Series
    2006 Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Dan Wyllie
    2006 Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Claudia Karvan
    2006 Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Drama Series
    2007 Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Drama Series
    AFI Awards
    2005 Best Guest or Supporting Actor in Television | Max Cullen
    2005 Best Television Drama Series
    2005 Best Direction in Television | Jessica Hobbs
    2005 Best Screenplay in Television | Jacquelin Perske
    2005 Best Lead Actress in Television | Claudia Karvan
    2006 Best Television Drama Series
    2007 Best Lead Actress in Television Drama | Claudia Karvan
    2007 Best Television Drama Series
    ASTRA Awards
    2005 Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor - Female | Claudia Karvan
    2005 Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor – Male | Dan Wyllie
    2005 Most Outstanding Australian Drama Production
    2006 Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor – Female | Asher Keddie
    2006 Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor – Male | Dan Wyllie
    2007 Most Outstanding Drama Program
    Miscellaneous Awards
    2005 AWGIE Award Best Script in a Television Series | Louise Fox
    2005 APRA/AGSC Awards Best Music in a Television Series or Serial | Stephen Rae
    2005 SPAA Awards Best Television Drama
    2005 Henry Lawson Awards Best Drama

    MARKING TIME
    AFI Awards
    2004 Best Television Mini-Series or Telefeature
    2004 Best Direction in Television | Cherie Nowlan
    2004 Best Screenplay in Television | John Doyle
    2004 Best Actor in a Leading Role in a TV Drama | Abe Forsythe
    2004 Best Actress in a Leading Role in a TV Drama | Bojana Novakovic
    2004 Best Actor in a Supporting Role in TV Drama | Matt Le Nevez
    2004 Best Actress in a Supporting Role in TV Drama | Katie Wall
    NSW Premier’s Literary Award
    2004 Script Writing Award | John Doyle
    AWGIE Awards
    2004 Mini Series Original | John Doyle

    THE SECRET LIFE OF US
    Logie Awards
    2002 Most Outstanding Drama Series
    2002 Most Outstanding Actress | Deborah Mailman
    2003 Most Outstanding Drama Series
    2003 Most Outstanding Actress | Claudia Karvan
    2004 Most Outstanding Drama Series
    2004 Most Outstanding Actress | Deborah Mailman
    Awgie Awards
    2001 Best Screenplay for Original Telemovie | Judi Mccrossin & Christopher Lee
    2002 Best Screenplay for Drama Series | Andrew Kelly
    AFI Awards
    2001 Best Actor in a Leading Role | Sam Johnson
    2001 Best Actress in a Guest Role | Catherine McClements
    2002 Best Actor in a Leading Role | Joel Edgerton

    DO OR DIE
    AFI Awards
    2001 AFI Open Craft Award in TV Drama – Editing | Shawn Seet

    ON THE BEACH
    AFI Awards
    2000 AFI Open Craft Award in TV Drama - Set Design | Sally Shepherd, Roger Ford
    2000 AFI Best Television Mini-Series
    Two Golden Globe Nominations

    POLICE RESCUE
    Logie Awards
    1993 Most Popular Actor | Gary Sweet
    1993 Most Outstanding Actor | Gary Sweet
    1994 Most Outstanding Drama
    1994 Most Popular Actor | Gary Sweet
    1994 Most Popular Actress | Sonia Todd
    1996 Most Outstanding Drama
    AFI Awards
    1989 Best Director (Pilot) | Peter Fisk
    1991 Best Screenplay in a TV Drama | Peter Schreck
    1991 Best Actress in a Leading Role in TV Drama | Sonia Todd
    1991 Best Actor in a Leading Role in TV Drama | Gary Sweet
    1992 Best Actor in a Leading Role in TV Drama | Gary Sweet
    1993 Best Direction in a TV Drama
    | Michael Carson
    People’s Choice Awards
    1993 Favourite TV Drama or Serial
    1993 Favourite Male Star in TV Drama or Serial | Gary Sweet
    1994 Favourite Australian Movie Star | Gary Sweet
    1994 Favourite Australian Film (Police Rescue – The Movie)
    1994 Favourite Male Star in TV Drama | Gary Sweet
    1995 Favourite TV Drama/Serial
    Umbriafiction (Italy) 1992 Best Non-European Drama Serial
    New York Festivals/Worldmedal
    1995 International TV Programming

    HOWZAT! KERRY PACKER’S WAR
    Logie Awards
    2013 Silver Logie Most Outstanding Miniseries or Telemovie
    2013 Silver Logie Most Popular Miniseries or Telemovie
    AACTA Awards
    2013 AACTA Award for Best Telefeature or Miniseries
    2013 AACTA Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Mandy McElhinney

    PUBERTY BLUES
    Logie Awards
    2013 Silver Logie Most Popular New Female Talent | Brenna Harding
    AACTA Awards
    2013 AACTA Award for Best Television Drama Series (S1)

    OFFSPRING S1,S2,S3
    Logie Awards
    2011 Silver Logie Most Popular Actress | Asher Keddie
    2012 Silver Logie Most Popular Actress | Asher Keddie
    2013 Silver Logie Most Popular Actress | Asher Keddie
    2013 Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Television | Asher Keddie
    2014 Silver Logie Most Popular Actress | Asher Keddie
    2014 Silver Logie Most Outstanding Actress | Asher Keddie
    AFI Awards
    2010 AFI Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Deborah Mailman
    AACTA Awards
    2014 AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Drama | Kat Stewart
    2014 Best Screenplay in Television | Debra Oswald

    PAPER GIANTS: THE BIRTH OF CLEO
    Logie Awards
    2012 Silver Logie Most Popular Actress | Asher Keddie
    2012 Silver Logie Most Outstanding Actor | Rob Carlton
    AACTA Awards
    2012 AACTA Award – Switched on Audience Choice Award for Best Performance in a Television Drama | Asher Keddie

    TANGLE S1, S2, S3
    AFI Awards
    2010 AFI Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama | Catherine McClements
    ASTRA Awards
    2013 Most Outstanding Drama
    2011 Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor – Female | Justine Clarke
    2010 Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor – Male | Ben Mendelsohn
    2011 Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor – Female | Catherine McClements
    2013 Most Outstanding Drama
    2013 Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor – Female | Catherine McClements
    2013 Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor – Male | Lincoln Younes

    RUSH S1, S2, S3, S4
    AFI Awards
    2010 AFI Award for Best Television Drama Series

    SPIRITED S1, S2
    ASTRA Awards
    2011 Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor - Male | Matt King
    2011 Most Outstanding Drama

    POWER GAMES: THE PACKER-MURDOCH STORY
    AACTA Awards
    2014 Best Direction in a Television Drama or Comedy | Geoff Bennett
    2014 Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama | Lachy Hulme
    2014 Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Luke Ford

    THE BEAUTIFUL LIE
    AACTA Award
    2016 Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Celia Pacquola
    Screen Music Awards
    2016 Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie | Alan John

    References

    John Edwards (producer) Wikipedia