Background
Gerry Duggan was born in Dublin in 1910 (some sources say 1909).
Gerry Duggan was born in Dublin in 1910 (some sources say 1909).
He was also a stage and television actor. His trademarks were his Irish brogue, pronounced lisp and prominent jaw. When he was 16 he moved to New York, where he had his early exposure to theatre acting.
In the 1930s he moved to Australia, where he settled, although he worked internationally.
He was almost 50 when he made his first film, The Siege of Pinchgut (1959). This was a British production made in Australia, and was the last film from Ealing Studios.
Duggan was nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Most Promising Newcomer Award for his role as Pat Fulton. He lost to the 13-year-old Hayley Mills in Tiger Bay.
He played the title role in the 1986 children"s television series Professor Poopsnagle"s Steam Zeppelin.
Gerry Duggan continued to act on stage in between film and television commitments. Foreign example, he appeared in the British debut of Samuel Beckett"s play The Old Tune in 1964. He played the role of McLeavy in the 1966 London revival of Joe Orton"s Loot, which he regarded as the high point of his stage career, in a production that transferred to the Criterion Theatre.
He worked until his death, which occurred on 27 March 1992 in Sydney.