Simon Chilvers
Simon Chilvers is an English-born, Australia-based television actor.
Early life
Chilvers was born in London in 1939, and discovered art as a young child, drawing images of planes flying overhead during World War II.He attended Knox Grammar School, in the Sydney suburb of Wahroonga, from 1949 to 1956. Upon leaving school, his parents encouraged him to pursue a career in advertising. Unenthused, he was instead inspired by his grandmother to attend an acting audition, where he was immediately offered a role.
Career
Chilvers started off his career acting for the stage, at the Melbourne Theatre Company, playing roles In productions by Shakespeare, Ibsen and Chekhov.He went on to appear in television series such as A Country Practice, Prisoner, Homicide and Division 4. He also played the main role of Sergeant Julian Flicker in drama series Rafferty's Rules.
Chilvers won the 1986 AFI Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Mini Series for his role in the miniseries The Dunera Boys. He was nominated for the same award in 1988 for political miniseries True Believers, and for the 1983 AFI Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for comedy-drama film Buddies.
Chilvers' acting career was upended in 1996 when he was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis, after experiencing an incident on stage. He gradually became less mobile and eventually his work was limited mostly to narration work in documentaries.
Personal life
Chilvers and his wife Sally met at the ages of 43 and 21, respectively, while working together on a Sydney Theatre Company production of A Happy and Holy Occasion in 1982. Sally was the assistant manager on the production. After conducting a long distance relationship between Melbourne and Sydney, they moved into a flat together in Manly in 1986.In 1996, Chilvers was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. In 2016, his wife qualified as a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, and treats him on a daily basis.
Chilvers has resided in the Sydney suburb of Fairlight for 30 years.