Ben Mingay (born 1979) is an Australian actor and singer, perhaps best known for having played Buzz Graham in the series Packed to the Rafters and Rob Duffy in Wonderland.[1] He played the role of Billy in the stage version of Dirty Dancing in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.[2] Mingay together with Michael Falzon, Luke Kennedy, and Matt Lee appeared in the Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2014.[3] In 2015, Mingay joined the cast of soap opera Home and Away in the recurring role of Trystan Powell.
Ben Mingay | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1979 (age 45) Elermore Vale, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse | Kirby Burgess (m. 2018; div. 2020) |
Background
editGrowing up in Elermore Vale, New South Wales on the outskirts of Newcastle, Mingay went to boarding school, The Armidale School, from age 12.[4] His mother suggested he do the school play to occupy his spare time. He thought it was for losers, but agreed to do it for her.[4] He had to perform a song and discovered that he had a bass baritone voice. Mingay studied opera voice at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.[2][5] He plays both piano and acoustic guitar.[2] He is also a fire breather and a stunt driver.[5] He was married to actress Kirby Burgess, but they divorced after ten years.[4]
Career
editIn 2004 he appeared as a guest on the police series Blue Heelers where he played Troy Baxter.[6] That same year he starred as Jim Beatson on the medical series All Saints.
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In 2013, Mingay scored his first major role on television when he joined the main cast of the sixth season of Australian series Packed to the Rafters. He played the young electrician Fergus "Buzz" Graham,[5] father of Jackson Graham (Narek Arman) and employee of Dave Rafter (Erik Thomson). Mingay's Graham enters into a relationship with Emma Mackey (Zoe Cramond) until the series finale on 2 July of that year.[7] That same year, Mingay joined the main cast of Wonderland in the role of Rob Duffy.[8]
Mingay performed in the new cabaret act Swing on This at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival on 7 June 2014 with a cast that included Luke Kennedy, Michael Falzon, and Matt Lee. Festival artistic director, and singer in her own right, Kate Ceberano appeared as a special guest.[9] Following Adelaide Cabaret Festival, they performed as the headline act at both the official black tie launch of the refurbished Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on 25 July and at the community concert[10] the next evening, again playing to a full house.
Mingay joined the cast of Home and Away as Trystan Powell in 2015.[11]
Mingay has performed at several concerts including the charity benefit Pants Off for Beyond Blue,[12] a concert involving several performers each singing in their underwear.
His professional opera debut came in 2024 in the role of Papageno in an English-language production Mozart's The Magic Flute for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House.[13] He had sung in this opera before in a school production in 2000.[14]
Training
edit- 1997 – Higher School Certificate (The Armidale School) – Ranked top 10% of State in Music[2]
- 1998 – NIDA: workshop stage, acting and improvisation skills
- 1999–2000 – Awarded the Florence Austral Scholarship for Voice from the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music
- 1999–2001 – Newcastle Conservatorium – vocal coach: Christopher Allan[13]
- 2000–2003 – Classical training at Sydney Conservatorium of Music
- 2001–2003 – Sydney Conservatorium, vocal coach: Maree Ryan[13]
- 2002 – Agent Showcase with REACTOR acting services at Fox Studios
Theatre
edit| Production | Role | Company | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sideshow Alley: The Musical[2][15] | The Production Company/ Gale Edwards | Melbourne | 2003 | |
| Hair [2][15] | Berger | The Production Company/ David Atkins | Sydney Melbourne | 2003 |
| Dirty Dancing[15] | Billy | Nina Lannan & Associates Mirvish Productions/ James Powell Jacobsen Entertainment/ Karl Sydow Jacobsen Entertainment | US National Tour North American Premiere UK Premiere Australian Tour | 2004–2005 |
| Jersey Boys[2][failed verification] | Tommy Devito | Sydney | 2011 | |
| South Pacific[2][better source needed] | ||||
| An Officer and a Gentleman[16] | Zack | Gordon Frost Organisation | Sydney Lyric | 18 May – 1 July 2012 |
| The Phantom of the Opera[2][failed verification] | The Phantom | Packemin Productions | Riverside Theatres Parramatta | 2015 |
| Shrek the Musical[17] | Shrek | Sydney Lyric, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne & Queensland Performing Arts Centre | 2020 | |
| Sweeney Todd | Sweeney Todd | Sydney Opera House | 2023 | |
| The Magic Flute | Papageno | Opera Australia | Sydney Opera House | 2024 |
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | All Saints | Jim Beatson | Episode: "Meltdown" |
| 2004 | Blue Heelers | Troy Baxter | Episode: "Headless Chooks" |
| 2013 | Packed to the Rafters | Fergus 'Buzz' Graham | 11 episodes |
| 2013–15 | Wonderland[18] | Rob Duffy | Regular role |
| 2015 | Home and Away | Trystan Powell | Recurring role |
| 2017 | House of Bond | Alan Bond | TV mini-series, 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Behave Yourself! | Himself | Contestant, episode 1 |
| 2019-2021 | Frayed | Jim | 12 episodes |
| 2022 | The Twelve (Australian TV series) | Flip Menelaus | 10 episodes |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Gift | Joel | Short – with Mark Lee, Hannah Marshall, Anne Tenney and Harry Greenwood |
| 2016 | Hacksaw Ridge | 'Grease' Nolan |
Awards and nominations
editARIA Music Awards
editThe ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage (with Deone Zanotto) | Best Original Cast or Show Album | Nominated | [19] |
References
edit- ^ "Rob Duffy". Network Ten. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Actors Resume – Ben Mingay". Talent House. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012.
- ^ "Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2014 Program Announced". BroadwayWorld. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- ^ a b c Robyn Doreian (16 July 2023). "Ben Mingay: 'We had to kiss on stage, it didn't take long before we fell in love'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "Ben Mingay". Seven Corporate. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ Michael Idato (5 July 2004). "Plot boiler". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 April 2014 – via australiantelevision.net.
- ^ "Fergus "Buzz" Graham". Seven Corporate. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ David Knox (29 April 2013). "Ten Announces Wonderland Cast". TV Tonight. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ Catherine Blanch (8 June 2014). "Swing on This – Adelaide Cabaret Festival Review". The Clothesline. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ Leigh Ritchie (22 July 2014). "Entertainment Centre Opening Celebrations". Planet Bunbury. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
- ^ Bamford, Matt (17 May 2015). "Ben Mingay goes from Wonderland to Home and Away: I've had some low points but I'm positive". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Pants Off For a Good Cause". Gay News Network. 31 January 2013. Archived from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ^ a b c Jo Litson (22 December 2023). "A Secret Love Affair". Limelight. pp. 60–61. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "The Magic Flute, Newcastle City Hall, 22–27 September 2000". AusStage. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "Ben Mingay". AusStage. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Simon Parris (14 March 2012). "An Interview with Amanda Harrison and Ben Mingay". Theatre People. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ "Shrek the Musical to return to Sydney stage". 17 June 2019.
- ^ "About Wonderland". 10Play. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "History Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 July 2022.
External links
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