John Callen

John has worked for almost 40 years as a professional actor, director and writer in theatre, radio, film and television.  He has been awarded three best actor titles for his stage work and best supporting actor in a short film.  He has performed in or directed more than 100 stage productions and two dozen television series. John has also appeared in a number of films including Pictures, The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior (in which he played NZ Prime Minister David Lange), Treasure Island Kids with Randy Quaid, Fly, and The Man Who Lost His Head alongside noted British actor Martin Clunes.  In 2010 John played Professor Craddock with Rhys Darby and Bafta Award winner Sallly Hawkins in Love Birds, and had a small role in local TV film Bliss.  He was again a "mad professor" in a popular series of tv commercials for Fisher and Paykel.

Most recently John has been working in the core cast of The Hobbit directed by multi-Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson.

John has also done a considerable amount of voicework including narrating almost 150 documentaries for National Geographic, Discovery, Animal Planet and other local and international producers and broadcasters.

Major directing credits include Shortland Street, Comedy Central, Epitaph, Jackson's Wharf I and II, The Tribe, Taonga and most recently the story of World War II hero Sir Keith Park, The Kiwi Who Saved Britain.  He has also directed more than 50 television commercials and corporate A/Vs.

John has also worked as a lecturer at Tio Whakaari-the NZ Drama School, Unitec's drama school and the University of Auckland.  All this has given him an excellent insight into what works best in the training of young actors.  The Actors' Program is a return to the "basics," the development of core skills geared specifically to performance.  It's an exciting new venture that will deliver a new age of actors directly to New Zealand's stage and screen industry.