Grant Dodwell

Grant Radnor Dodwell is an Australian actor, producer, writer, director, voice artist, and drama teacher. He is best known for his roles in television soap operas including as an original cast member in A Country Practice, Willing and Abel and Home and Away.

Dodwell studied acting at Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1971.

Dodwell has over 50 years' experience in the entertainment industry, in theatre, television and film, appearing in many of Australia's best known stage shows and television series.

He appeared as Dr. Sam Wilkinson in The Young Doctors in 1980. He is best known however, for his role playing Dr. Simon Bowen in soap opera A Country Practice, opposite Penny Cook from 1981 to 1986. He is a triple recipient of the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor for the role, which he received consecutively from 1984 to 1986.

Dodwell later played Charles Willing in the comedy series Willing and Abel (1987), in which he co-starred with his former A Country Practice co-star Shane Withington, who played the role of Abel Moore, and Rebecca Rigg, who played Angela Reddy.

In 1992, Dodwell played Leo Riener in the 1992 miniseries Good Vibrations. In 1996, he featured in the recurring role of Dr. James McLaren in the long-running soap opera Home and Away. In 2011, he also played the guest role of Gary O'Connor in the series.

He has also made guest appearances in Homicide, Glenview High, Father, Dear Father in Australia, Skyways G.P., The Girl from Tomorrow, Heartbreak High, Pacific Drive Roar, Fallen Angels, Medivac, Water Rats, Rescue Special Ops and Packed to the Rafters.

Dodwell has appeared in several films, including Cathy's Child (1979) with Bryan Brown, Goodbye Paradise (1983) alongside Ray Barrett, Cops and Robbers (1993) and The Pact (2003). He also performed in the TV movies Cass (1978) and The Distant Home (1992). In 2008, he worked on the feature film Men's Group, produced by John L. Simpson and directed by Michael Joy. He won the Australian IF Best Actor Award and the film won Best Film and Script.

After A Country Practice, Dodwell resumed his theatre career, including a national tour of Noises Off. He also appeared with Hugh Jackman in a production of Sunset Boulevard. When theatre roles and television guest roles no longer provided a sufficient income, Dodwell focussed on corporate theatre and videos.

After filming a live performance of the play Codgers Dodwell co-founded Australian Theatre Live in 2016, advocating for younger generations to have affordable access to theatre. Their first production, Liberty Equality Fraternity screened in cinemas in 2016. Other productions have included David Williamson’s Emerald City, STC’s Wharf Revue, Rumpelstiltskin, The Dapto Chaser and a STC/Malthouse Theatre production of Michael Gow's Away.

Dodwell is married to Sian Dodwell, a shoe designer who worked on the Australian production of Billy Elliot. The couple's daughter, Celeste Dodwell, is also an actor, who scored a role on Home and Away immediately after finishing high school and has gone on to work on numerous film, television and stage productions.