Person
John O'May
Acting · Born 1947-01-15 · Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Biography
John O'May is an American-born Australian actor, best known for his stage performances. O'May was born at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, one of four children. He grew up with a love of reading and literature. At university he dabbled in theatre, learning acting, stagecraft and building sets. He became a teacher at Patapsco High School, where he himself had attended high school. He taught English literature for two and a half years. He eventually travelled overseas, and after visiting his sister in Australia and ended up staying. In 1972, O'May auditioned for the role of Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind. He took singing lessons and found an agent. In 1973, he was offered an audition and role in Godspell, replacing John Waters as Judas. He created and performed in the revues Gershwin (with John Diedrich) in 1975 and The 20s and All That Jazz (with Diedrich and Caroline Gilmer) O'May played Che Guevara in the original Australian cast of Evita which opened in Adelaide in April 1980. In the 1980s he was a regular performer with the Melbourne Theatre Company, and played Bobby in Company for the Sydney Theatre Company in 1986 and Captain Corcoran in H.M.S. Pinafore for the Victoria State Opera in 1987. Film credits include supporting roles in the films Starstruck and Rebel and the television opera The Divorce (2015). In 2000, O’May guest-starred in season 2, episode 11, "Sponsorship and Media Discontent", of the ABC mockumentary, The Games.
Known for

The Flying Doctors
Max Prescott

Late Night with the Devil
Walker Bedford

Better Man
Terry Swinton

The Games
George Birmingham

Good Guys, Bad Guys
Tyrone O'Keefe

The Divorce
Jed

Skin Deep
Roger Crane

The Four Minute Mile
Bill Easton

Starstruck
Terry

Rebel
Benie
Filmography
- 2024Better ManTerry Swinton
- 2024Late Night with the DevilWalker Bedford
- 2015The DivorceJed
- 2001Child Star: The Shirley Temple StoryLouis B. Mayer
- 1998The GamesGeorge Birmingham
- 1997Good Guys, Bad GuysTyrone O'Keefe
- 1988The Four Minute MileBill Easton
- 1986The Flying DoctorsMax Prescott
- 1985RebelBenie
- 1983Skin DeepRoger Crane
- 1982StarstruckTerry
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