Michael A. Noonan
Michael A. Noonan | |
---|---|
Born | Michael Anthony Noonan (1940-12-04)4 December 1940 Ireland |
Died | 11 June 2023(2023-06-11) (aged 82) Auckland, New Zealand |
Language | English |
Genre | Screenwriting, television |
Spouse | Ros Noonan |
Michael Anthony Noonan (4 December 1940 – 11 June 2023) was a New Zealand writer, most often associated with his writing for television drama series. He is usually credited under either his full name or as Michael A. Noonan, so as to be distinguished from New Zealand-born Australian writer Michael Noonan.
Biography
Born on 4 December 1940,[1] Noonan grew up in the southern South Island, in Dunedin and Oamaru.[2] After leaving school he began writing, notably drama such as The Rattle, whilst supplementing his income through work in radio and stage acting and as a regional television newsreader. He moved to Auckland in 1965, where he began writing for television. In 1969, he became the first script editor for the newly created television drama department of the NZBC. In this capacity he worked alongside and helped mentor a group of new writing talent including the likes of Roger Hall and Fiona Kidman. He left his editing position in the early 1970s, and in the proceeding years scripted several series, notable among them early children's television series The Games Affair.[2]
In the following years, Noonan formed a close working relationship with director Tony Isaac.[3] In 1975 their collaboration won a Feltex Award for The Longest Winter, a docu-drama about the Great Depression. The same year saw the debut of Close to Home, for which Noonan and Isaac became a principal writer and director. This was to prove to be New Zealand's most successful soap opera until the launch of Shortland Street 17 years later. In 1977, Noonan wrote the docu-drama The Governor, based on the life of Sir George Grey. This series, also directed by Isaac, too was to become a New Zealand television landmark.[2]
In 1979, Noonan became the first scriptwriter to be awarded a Robert Burns Fellowship by the University of Otago. During this time he wrote two series which were cancelled before going into production, notably one based on Bill Pearson's novel Coal Flat. The cancellation was, in part, due to financial concerns, especially given that The Governor had proved controversial over its high production costs. Television New Zealand was approached again over the Coal Flat project in 2002, but funding was declined.[4] Noonan later successfully adapted Roger Hall's stage play Glide Time into a long-running television comedy series, Gliding On.[2]
Noonan died in Auckland on 11 June 2023, at the age of 82.[5]
Filmography
Television
The numbers in writing credits refer to the number of episodes.
Title | Year | Credited as | Network | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Creator | Writer | ||||
Pukemanu | 1971 | No | Yes (2) | NZBC | Story editor |
Section 7 | 1972 | No | Yes (2) | Story editor | |
An Awful Silence | 1972 | No | No | Script editor Television film | |
Richard John Seddon: Premier | 1973 | No | Yes | Television documentary film | |
The Longest Winter | 1974 | No | Yes | ||
The Games Affair | 1975 | No | Script | Credited as Michael Anthony Noonan | |
Close to Home | 1975–1983 | Yes | Yes (1,130) | Television One | |
On the Day | 1975 | No | Yes | Television film Credited as Michael Anthony Noonan | |
The Governor | 1977 | Stories by | No | Television One | Credited as Michael Anthony Noonan |
Loose Enz | 1982 | No | Yes (2) | Credited as Anthony Noonan | |
An Age Apart | 1983 | No | Yes (1) | Credited as Anthony Noonan | |
Mortimer's Patch | 1984 | No | Yes (1) | Television 2 | Credited as Anthony Noonan |
Homeward Bound | 1992 | Developer | Yes | TV3 | Credited as Michael Anthony Noonan |
References
- ^ "Death search: registration number 2023/17474". Births, deaths & marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d Pryor, Ian (15 June 2023). "Michael Noonan biography". NZOnScreen. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ Tony Isaac biography", nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "Michael Noonan", University of Otago Burns Fellows. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "Michael Noonan obituary". The New Zealand Herald. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
External links
- Michael Noonan at IMDb
- v
- t
- e
- 1959 Ian Cross
- 1960 Maurice Duggan
- 1961 John Caselberg
- 1962 R.A.K. Mason
- 1963 Maurice Shadbolt
- 1964 Maurice Gee
- 1965 Janet Frame
- 1966–67 James K. Baxter
- 1968 Ruth Dallas
- 1969 Warren Dibble
- 1970 O. E. Middleton
- 1971 Noel Hilliard
- 1972 Ian Wedde
- 1973 Graham Billing
- 1974 Hone Tuwhare
- 1975 Witi Ihimaera
- 1976 Sam Hunt
- 1977 Keri Hulme
- 1977–78 Roger Hall
- 1978 Peter Olds
- 1979 Michael A. Noonan
- 1980 Philip Temple
- 1981–82 William Sewell
- 1983 Rawiri Paratene
- 1984 Brian Turner
- 1985–86 Cilla McQueen
- 1987 Robert Lord
- 1988 John Dickson
- 1989 Renée
- 1990 David Eggleton
- 1991 Lynley Hood
- 1992 Owen Marshall
- 1993 Stuart Hoar
- 1994 Christine Johnston
- 1995 Elspeth Sandys
- 1996 Bernadette Hall
- 1997 Paddy Richardson
- 1998–99 Michael King
- 1999 Paula Boock
- 2000 James Norcliffe
- 2001 Jo Randerson
- 2002 Alison Wong
- 2003 Nick Ascroft
- 2003 Sarah Quigley
- 2004 Kate Duignan
- 2005–06 Catherine Chidgey
- 2006 Dianne Ruth Pettis
- 2007 Laurence Fearnley
- 2008 Sue Wootton
- 2009 Michael Harlow
- 2010 Michele Powles
- 2011 Fiona Farrell
- 2012 Emma Neale
- 2013 David Howard
- 2014 Majella Cullinane
- 2015 Louise Wallace
- 2016 Victor Rodger
- 2017 Craig Cliff
- 2018 Rhian Gallagher
- 2019 Emily Duncan
- 2020 John Newton
- 2021 Becky Manawatu
- 2022 Albert Belz
- 2023 Kathryn van Beek
- 2024 Mikaela Nyman