Bert La Bonté

Bert La Bonté is an Australian stage, film and television actor. With a career that has spanned over 20 years, La Bonté's most known roles include Five Bedrooms, The Newsreader and many more.

Early life

La Bonté grew up in Melbourne's southeastern suburbs with his parents and two older sisters. His parents migrated from Mauritius in the late 1960s. He discovered a passion for acting at nine when he played Fagin in his school production of Oliver!.[1]

Career

At 17 La Bonté enrolled in performing arts at the University of Ballarat.[1]

His extensive theatre credits include Rupert, Birdland, Elling, Lungs, Richard III, A Behanding in Spokane, The Female of the Species and The Mountaintop (Melbourne Theatre Company), Phèdre (Bell Shakespeare), I Am a Miracle and The Good Person of Szechuan (Malthouse Theatre).[2][3]

His musical theatre credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Melbourne Theatre Company/Sydney Theatre Company), An Officer and a Gentleman, Dream Lover: The Bobby Darin Musical, The Book of Mormon (GFO), Grey Gardens, Chess, and Kismet (The Production Company), Guys and Dolls (Ambassador Theatre Group), Next to Normal (Melbourne Theatre Company), Pippin (Kookaburra), Jesus Christ Superstar (UK tour for Really Useful Group), When I Fall In Love – The Nat King Cole Story, and Let's Get It On – The Life & Music of Marvin Gaye.

His film and television credits include Animal Kingdom, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Rats and Cats, Salem's Lot, The Newsreader and My Life is Murder.

La Bonte serves on the board of Essential Theatre.[4]

In 2023, La Bonte performed in the musical theatre version of Moulin Rouge.[5]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2023 Teach Me How to Cry Sol Desmond Short film
2020 The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee Roland Day Feature film
2012 In Fantasy Ashane Short film
2010 Animal Kingdom (film) PSG Santo Feature film
2007 Rats and Cats Teddy Taiwan TV movie
2003 The Situation Room Short film
2003 Evil Never Dies Rookie Cops TV movie

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2023 SugarHope Records Luketha 4 episodes
NCIS: Sydney NCIS Special Agent Ken Carter 1 episode
Spooky Files Robert 2 episodes
Erotic Stories George 1 episode (Philia) [6]
Home and Away Samuel Edwards TV series, 3 episodes
2022-23 Five Bedrooms Ed Laurent TV series, 7 episodes
2022-24 Colin From Accounts Matt TV series, 2 episode
2022 Surviving Summer Mattias Mercer TV series, 3 episodes
Pieces of Her Interviewing Reporter TV series, 2 episodes
More Than This Mr E TV series, 6 episodes [7]
2021-23 The Newsreader Gordon TV series, 6 episodes
2021 The Power of a Dream Retired Athlete TV series, 1 episode
With Intent (aka Lie With Me) Phil TV series, 3 episodes
Jack Irish Det. Dufrense TV series, 1 episode
Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries Dirk Wade TV series, 1 episode
Fisk William TV series, 1 episode
1996-2020 Neighbours James Soloman / Peter Dwyer / Fire Officer TV series, 5 episodes
2020 Retrograde Semesa TV series, 1 episode
2019 Playing for Keeps Nick Siddiqui TV series, 2 episodes
2019 My Life Is Murder Iman Abarr TV series, 1 episode
2019 Squinters Lacey TV series, 1 episode [8]
2018-19 Wentworth Rodney Gavin TV series, 4 episodes
2019 The Letdown Neale TV series, 2 episodes [9]
Mr Black Mike Edwards TV series, 1 episode
2013-16 Upper Middle Bogan Constable Miklis TV series, 3 episodes
2016 Tomorrow When the War Began Dr Novak TV miniseries, 3 episodes
2015 Winners & Losers Snr Constable Singh TV series, 1 episode
2010-12 Lowdown Shane McKay / Mike Lavish TV series, 2 episodes
2010 Sea Patrol Rudy TV series, 1 episode
2010 Wilfred Third AD TV series, 1 episode
2009 City Homicide Aban Nasir TV series, 1 episode
2007 Pirate Islands: The Lost Treasure of Fiji Sharktooth Pete TV series, 13 episodes
2006 Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King Otis Redding TV miniseries, 1 episode
1997-04 Blue Heelers Karl Tyler / Roy Nicol TV series, 2 episodes
2000 Flipper Robie's Friend TV series, 1 episode
1998 Good Guys, Bad Guys Constable #1 TV series, 1 episode
1997 Simone deBeauvoir's Babies Foreign Man TV miniseries, 2 episodes

Self appearances

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2024 The Cook up with Adam Liaw Self TV series [10]
2023 Thrash and Treasure Self Podcast [11]
2022 Backstage Self Podcast [12]

Theatre and stage

La Bonte has performed across theatre and stage for over 20 years. In 2023, La Bonte appeared in the musical Moulin Rouge!.[13] La Bonte performed as Marvin Gaye in Let's Get It On!.[14] On 1 November 2024, La Bonte would be announced alongside Pamela Rabe for the co-production between Belvoir St and Black Swan Theatre Co for the play August: Osage County.[15]

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2024-2025 August: Osage County Belvoir / Black Swan
2024 Top Dog/Under Dog Play director [16]
2023 Fences Troy Maxon STC [17]
Moulin Rouge! Toulouse Lautrec Global Creatures
2021 The Truth Paul MTC [18]
2019 Kiss of the SpiderWoman Warden Melbourne Theatre Co
2017 The Book of Mormon Mafala Watchtower
2016 Dream Lover Charlie
Lungs M Melbourne Theatre Co [19]
2015 High Society Dexter Haven Hayes Theatre
2014 Let's Get It On! Marvin Gaye
2012 An Officer and a Gentleman Officer Foley [20]

Awards

La Bonté received the Helpmann Award and Sydney Theatre Award for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2012 for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman. He was also nominated in 2005 for Spelling Bee and again in 2017 for The Book of Mormon.

Bert La Bonte on IMDb

References

  1. ^ a b Cormack, Bridget (17 September 2011). "A real actor". The Australian. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  2. ^ "On the Couch with Bert LaBonte | Australian Arts Review". artsreview.com.au. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  3. ^ "AusStage". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Management Committee Archive". Essential Theatre. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Bert LaBonté". the little red company. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  6. ^ Knox, David (27 April 2023). "Production begins on Erotic Stories for SBS | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  7. ^ Knox, David (2 December 2021). "New local drama More Than This, written by teens, set for Paramount+ | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  8. ^ Knox, David (21 November 2018). "New cast join Squinters | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  9. ^ Knox, David (3 May 2019). "Returning: The Letdown | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  10. ^ Watch The Cook Up with Adam Liaw: Season 6 Episode 7. Retrieved 20 July 2024 – via www.sbs.com.au.
  11. ^ "Ep106 Simons are a Bert's Best Friend w/ Bert LaBonté and Simon Burke! (AUS)". listennotes.com. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  12. ^ Development, PodBean. "Bert LaBonte | Backstage". redvelvetproductions.podbean.com. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  13. ^ McLoughlin, Sean (9 May 2023). "Bert Labonté cast as Toulouse-Lautrec for return Melbourne season of Moulin Rouge! The Musical". AussieTheatre.com. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  14. ^ Altman, Lillian (24 July 2019). "Interview: Bert LaBonte (Australia) on playing Marvin Gaye in "Let's Get It On"". The AU Review. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  15. ^ Theatre, Aussie (1 November 2024). "PAMELA RABE and BERT LABONTÉ will join the cast of the Perth season of August: Osage County". AussieTheatre.com. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Topdog/Underdog". www.mtc.com.au. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  17. ^ First, Alex (3 April 2023). "Fences: a Sydney theatre review by Alex First". J-Wire. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  18. ^ Valentish, Jenny (28 May 2021). "Oscar winner lures Stephen Curry back to the stage after 17 years". The Age. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  19. ^ Wilson, Sean (5 February 2016). "Wentworth's Kate Atkinson talks about performing in Lungs at Arts Centre Melbourne". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  20. ^ Tongue, Cassie (20 May 2012). "An Officer and a Gentleman - World Premiere". AussieTheatre.com. Retrieved 20 July 2024.