Wayne Pygram

{{Short description|Australian actor}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Wayne Pygram | image = Wayne Pigram.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Pygram at an Australia Day ceremony in Wagga Wagga (2011) | birth_name = Wayne Pigram | birth_date = | birth_place = Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia | death_date = | othername = | website = }}

'''Wayne Pigram''', known professionally as '''Wayne Pygram''', is an Australian actor and musician. He is known for his role as Scorpius in the science fiction series ''Farscape'' (2000-2004). He briefly appeared in ''Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'', portraying Grand Moff Tarkin in 2005. He also appeared in the television series ''Lost'' in 2006.

He has played the drums in numerous bands, including Signal Room, and has taught percussion, including at the Riverina Conservatorium of Music.

==Early life and education== Wayne Pigram was born in Cootamundra, New South Wales, and raised in Wagga Wagga.<ref name="DA"/> As a teen, he was a drummer in a dance group in Wagga Wagga.<ref name="DA"/>

He initially studied art at Riverina College of Advanced Education, but later changed majors to primary school education. While in college, Pygram became a member of a theatre troupe known as the Riverina Trucking Company.<ref name="DA">{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Kree |date=20 January 2011 |title=Riverina residents prepare for Australia Day |url=https://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/739761/riverina-residents-prepare-for-australia-day/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2011-01-20 |newspaper=The Daily Advertiser |publisher=Fairfax Media}}</ref>

He left Wagga Wagga in the early 1980s.<ref name="csu"/>

==Career== ===Acting=== Before acting in films and television, Pygram was a regular on the Australian theatre circuit, and has continued to appear on stage until at least 2005. Productions he has appeared in include ''The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' (1985) and ''All's Well That Ends Well'' with Nimrod Theatre Company, as well as ''The Rocky Horror Show'', ''Sweet Bird of Youth'', ''King Lear'', and ''The Threepenny Opera''.<ref name=ausstage>{{cite web | title=Wayne Pygram | website=AusStage | url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/2359 | access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref> He also performed in several productions by The Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir St Theatre, the Nimrod, and Griffin Theatre Company.<ref name="csu"/>

He appeared in the films ''Farewell to the King'' (1989) and ''Return to the Blue Lagoon'' (1991), and ''Doing Time for Patsy Cline'' (1997).<ref name="csu">{{cite web |title=Wayne Pigram – Drums & Percussion |url=http://www.csu.edu.au/special/riverinaconservatorium/staff/wp.html |work=Riverina Conservatorium of Music |publisher=Charles Sturt University |access-date=2011-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405073911/http://www.csu.edu.au/special/ riverinaconservatorium/staff/wp.html |archive-date=2011-04-05 }}</ref>

In 1995 he played the role as firefighter Quentin "Spit" Jacobsen in the TV series ''Fire'', and was one of the few to return for its second series in 1996.<ref>{{cite web | title=Australian Television: Fire: episode guide: series 2 | website=Australian Television Information Archive | date=30 October 1998 | url=http://www.australiantelevision.net/fire/series2.html | access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref> In 1998, he guest-starred as Sam Kristovsky in episode 24 of ''Wildside''.<ref>{{cite web | title=Australian Television: Wildside: guest stars | website=Australian Television Information Archive | date=30 October 1998 | url=http://www.australiantelevision.net/wildside/guests.html | access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref>

In 2001 he played Ian Woodford{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} in the long-running Australian soap ''Home and Away''<ref name=bibby2023>{{cite web | last=Bibby | first=Daniel | title=Farscape Cast | website=ScreenRant | date=10 December 2023 | url=https://screenrant.com/farscape-cast-where-are-they-now/ | access-date=6 September 2024}}</ref> from 2001,

He played Scorpius in the science fiction series ''Farscape'' (2000–2003) and the miniseries that followed, ''Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars'' (2004). He returned to ''Home and Away'' after ''Farscape''.<ref name=bibby2023/>

In 2005, Pygram made a brief cameo appearance in ''Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' as a young Grand Moff Tarkin, the character which Peter Cushing had played 28 years earlier in ''A New Hope''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Breznican |first1=Anthony |title=Star Wars: Grand Moff Tarkin resurrected in new Rogue One teaser |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/11/28/grand-moff-tarkin-resurrected-new-rogue-one-teaser/ |website=ew.com |publisher=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=3 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Gartenberg |first1=Chaim |title=Rogue One animators on that character: 'Realism had to trump likeness' |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/12/27/14090152/rogue-one-animators-star-wars-grand-moff-tarkin-peter-cushing-cgi |website=theverge.com |date=27 December 2016 |publisher=Vox Media, LLC. |access-date=3 November 2023}}</ref> For this role, he wore extensive facial prosthetics to make him look more like Peter Cushing, the original actor in this role in the first three movies.<ref name=bibby2023/>

In 2006, he appeared in an episode of ''Lost''<ref name=bibby2023/><ref>{{cite web | title=Episode 2x19 publicity still of Wayne Pygram & L. Scott Caldwell | website=MovieStillsDB.com | url=https://www.moviestillsdb.com/tv/lost-i411008/YFjGlO | access-date=6 September 2024}}</ref><ref name="csu"/> called "S.O.S."<ref>{{cite web | last=Doux | first=Billie | title=Lost: S.O.S. | website=Doux Reviews | url=https://www.douxreviews.com/2002/05/lost-sos.html | access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref> as a faith healer named Isaac of Uluru.<ref>{{cite web | title=Where Is The Cast of Farscape Now? | website=Crustula | date=16 March 2014 | url=https://crustula.com/2014/03/16/where-is-the-cast-of-farscape-now/9/ | access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref> He has also had guest roles on the series ''My Place'', ''A Country Practice'', ''All Saints'', ''Water Rats'', ''Stingers'', ''Murder Call'', ''Medivac'',<ref name="csu"/> ''Time Trax'', and ''The Lost World'' (1999–2001).<ref>{{cite web | title=Actor profiles | website=BBC | date=18 June 2014 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/farscape/profiles/actors/page8.shtml | access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref> In 2010 he was in ''Underbelly: The Golden Mile''.<ref name="csu"/>

In 2018 he played Ryland Webster, Prime Minister of Australia, in the final season of ''Rake''.<ref name=lichen>{{cite web | title=Lichen Creators | website=Lichen Collective | url=https://lichencollective.com/bios/ | access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Australian Television: Rake: cast | website=Australian Television Information Archive | date=30 October 1998 | url=http://www.australiantelevision.net/rake/cast.html | access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref>

After moving back to Wagga Wagga, he became a member of the Lichen Collective,<ref name=lichen/> a collective of actors, creators, and designers. They produced a theatrical piece called ''Rush'', which was written and performed by Pygram, Samantha Dowdeswell, and Dominique Sweeney,<ref>{{cite web | title=Rush | website=Lichen Collective| url=https://lichencollective.com/ | access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref> at the Riverina Playhouse in 2020.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Sweeney | first1=Dominique | last2=Dowdeswell | first2=Sam | last3=Mueller | first3=Maxine | last4=Pigram | first4=Wayne | title=Rush | website=Charles Sturt University Research Output | date=5 November 2020 | url=https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/rush | access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref>

In 2022, he was a voice actor in the video game ''High on Life''.<ref name=bibby2023/>

===Music=== Pygram has played the drums in numerous bands, including with ''Farscape'' co-star Anthony Simcoe in Signal Room.<ref>{{cite web | title=Home | website=Signal Room | url=http://www.signalroom.com/ | access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref> He has also collaborated with musicians such as Lloyd Swanton (The Necks), Klaus Bussman, and Michael King. He has worked with producer Tim Winton of Powderfinger, and as a member of the bands Ha Ha Ha and Edot. He toured southeast Asia with the dance collective Kix Interactive, and did drumming work for Kodak, Visa Corporation, Foster's, and Heineken.<ref name="csu"/>

{{as of|2018}} he has been teaching Percussion at the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in Wagga Wagga.<ref>{{cite web | title=Annual Report 2017/2018: Presented to the Annual General Meeting Tuesday 25th September 2018| date=2018| publisher=Riverina Conservatorium of Music | url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/537c02d1e4b08712dabd748e/t/5c9c0a34c83025604f1f7c49/1553730116577/Annual+Report+2018+Ver+1+-+Final+Web.pdf | access-date=7 September 2024|quote= Currently the RCM has only one percussion teacher, Wayne Pigram, who covers the extensive school lessons and after school teaching.|pages=30–31}}</ref><ref name=lichen/>

==Personal life== Pygram lived and worked in Los Angeles for three years from around 2003 to 2006/7.<ref name="csu"/>

He has a son.<ref name="csu"/>

==Filmography==

===Film=== * ''Warming Up'' (1985) – Wombat * ''The First Kangaroos'' (1988) – Abie Rosenfeldt * ''Farewell to the King'' (1989) – Bren Armstrong * ''Return to the Blue Lagoon'' (1991) – Kearney * ''Hammers Over the Anvil'' (1993) – Snarley Burns * ''The Custodian'' (1993) – Det. Massey * ''Doing Time for Patsy Cline'' (1997) – Geoff Spinks * ''The Day of the Roses'' (1998, TV Mini-Series) – Sgt. Joe Beecroft * ''Risk'' (2000) – Mick * ''Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' (2005) – Wilhuff Tarkin * ''Heatstroke'' (2008) – Mental Blanakoff

===Television=== * ''The Last Resort'' (1988) * ''Heroes II: The Return'' (1991) – Lt Bruno Reymond (Rimau member) * ''The Girl From Tomorrow'' (1992) – Guard * ''Fire'' (1995) – Senior Station Officer Quentin 'Spit' Jacobsen * ''Roar'' (1997) – Goll * ''The Lost World'' (1999–2001) – Captain Tark, Noru * ''Home and Away'' (2001–2008) – Ian Woodford / Ian Muir * ''Farscape'' (2000–2003) – Scorpius / Harvey * ''Heroes' Mountain'' (2002, TV Movie) – Col Langdon * ''Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars'' (2004) – Scorpius / Harvey * ''Through My Eyes'' (2004) – Rice * ''Lost'' (2006) – Isaac of Uluru * ''Underbelly: The Golden Mile'' (2010) – Police Commissioner

==References== {{reflist|1}}

==External links== * {{IMDb name|id=0701460}} * [https://www.moviestillsdb.com/people/wayne-pygram-i19330#ZqjHo8 Wayne Pygram] photos on Movie Stills database

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pygram, Wayne}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Australian male film actors Category:Australian male stage actors Category:Australian male television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Wagga Wagga Category:Male actors from New South Wales