Neil Pigot (born 28 December 1961) is an Australian actor who is perhaps best known in Australia for his role as Inspector Falcon Price in the highly successful television series Blue Heelers. Pigot has appeared in over 100 episodes of television, a number of feature films and has presented several documentaries on his pet subject Australian military history. A highly regarded and award-winning stage actor, he is also the author of several works of non-fiction.

Early life

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Pigot began life in Melbourne, the eldest son of a butcher turned commercial pilot and his wife who would become one of Australia's pioneering female car sales people. At age 8, his family moved to Darwin and then South East Asia. He completed his schooling in Sydney. Pigot has claimed he was always interested in the Arts but for the first two years after finishing high school he drifted between jobs as a sales clerk, freight clerk, sales canvasser and finally as the manager of a flying school before "falling into acting" at the age of 20.

Career

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Pigot began work with the semi professional Lieder Southern Regional Theatre in Goulburn NSW in the early 1980s first appearing as Meriman the butler in Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. He then worked in community theatre and on drama programmes with long term institutionalised adults at Kenmore Psychiatric Hospital before joining Theatre ACT in 1984. After a time as a contract actor in Canberra he established the Black Inc theatre company with Paul Corcoran, Tim Ferguson and Ian Hagan and The Katt Klub, a late night cabaret where he performed with many artists including the Doug Anthony Allstars. His work in theatre has continued and he has played leading roles for all of Australia's major companies including the Melbourne and Sydney Theatre Companies, Belvoir, Playbox/Malthouse, Queensland Theatre Company and State Theatre Company of South Australia and also leading independent companies Brink, Back to Back and Kickhouse most often appearing in new works.

Pigot's television credits include leading guest roles in over twenty television series and several telemovies beginning with GP in the 1980s up until recent appearances in The Kettering Incident for Foxtel. Notable series include The Man from Snowy River, The Games, The Adventures of Lano and Woodley, The Secret Life of Us, Laid, Marshal Law, Wicked Science, Stingers, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Neighbours, Society Murders and The Doctor Blake Mysteries. For nine years he performed the role of Inspector Falcon Price on the drama series Blue Heelers for which he is best known. Australian films Pigot has been featured in include Head On, Lucky Country, The Condemned, Stepsister from Planet Weird, Red Dog, The Dish, Oranges and Sunshine and Blessed.

Pigot is also a documentary writer and presenter who specialises in Australian military history and has fronted 2 series and three stand alone feature documentaries for Fox History on the subject.

In 1994, he completed his first work of non-fiction The Changi Diary. He also recorded an album The Changi Songbook, a compilation of original songs written by an Australian POW in a Changi POW Camp with the remaining members of the Changi Concert Party in that same year. A live album of the songs, recorded during two concerts at the Melbourne Recital Centre in 2013, is to be released in the future.

Personal life

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Pigot lived and worked in many Australian cities and in the UK before returning to the place of his birth in 1995. In 2001 he married his longtime partner Rachel Mackie, an academic. He has a step daughter, Keone Dodd. The couple divorced in 2016. He is a lifelong collector of stamps and contemporary Australian Art and is an avid cook and gardener which has led to active involvement with both the Slow Food Movement and Gardening Australia.

Filmography

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Film/Television

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Year Title Role Notes
202? Stringybark John Kelly
2022 Slant Martin
2021 Some Happy Day Radio Announcer
Total Control (TV series) Stephen 1 episode
2020 Strangers to The World Bishop
2018 Back In Very Small Business Radio Talkback Host 1 episode
2017 Australia Day Michael Bester
2017 Mrs McCutcheon Parncut Short
2017 Pillars Richard Short
2016 The Kettering Incident [1][2] [3] Dominic Harrold 8 episodes
Secret City (TV series) Brian Huxley 3 episodes
2013 Breaker Morant [4] Narrator Documentary
2013-16 The Doctor Blake Mysteries Derek Alderton 5 episodes
2012 Laid Hilary 1 episode
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Ted Coglan 1 episode
2011 Red Dog (film) Vet
The Digger [5] Narrator Documentary
2010 Oranges and Sunshine James
2009 For Valour[6] Narrator Documentary
Rush Eddie 1 episode
Blessed Sergeant Kerrick
Dark Frontier Carver
2007 Neighbours Christian Johnson 7 episodes
The Condemned Wade
2006 The Society Murders DS Steve Waddell TV Movie
1997-06 Blue Heelers [7] Russell Falcon-Price 42 episodes
2005 Wicked Science Earl 1 episode
2003 Stingers (TV series) Barry Hunter 1 episode
2002 Marshall Law Brett 1 episode
2001 Like It Is Narrator Short
The Secret Life of Us Mad Dog Martin 2 episodes
2000 The Dish Journo
2000 Stepsister from Planet Weird Fred Larson TV Movie
1997-99 The Adventures of Lano and Woodley Sgt Pearce 3 episodes
1999 Redball Bingo Wright
1998 The Games David Pigot 1 episode
Head On Senior Constable
1997 State Coroner Senior Constable 1 episode
The Last of the Ryans Speed TV Movie
1996 Snowy River: The Mcgregor Saga Ambrose Wylie 1 episode
1994 GP Dave 1 episode
1991 The Girl From Tomorrow Cameraman
1990 Home and Away Electrician 1 episode

References

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  1. ^ "The Kettering Incident: Teaser | TV Tonight". 21 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Airdate: The Kettering Incident | TV Tonight". 3 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Australian Television: The Kettering Incident: Cast".
  4. ^ "Airdate: Breaker Morant: The Retrial | TV Tonight". 28 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Airdate: The Digger | TV Tonight". 6 April 2011.
  6. ^ "Airdate: For Valour | TV Tonight". 2 April 2009.
  7. ^ "Australian Television: Blue Heelers: Cast".
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