Greig Pickhaver
Gordon Greig Pickhaver | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 10, 1948 Myrtle Bank, South Australia, Australia |
| Other names | HG Nelson |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, writer |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
| Known for | Portrayal of HG Nelson; part of Roy and HG comedy duo |
| Notable work | This Sporting Life (radio and TV), The Dream with Roy and HG, Blah Blah Blah, Club Buggery, Roy and HG's Russian Revolution, This Won't Hurt a Bit (film) |
Gordon Greig Pickhaver (born 10 February 1948) is an Australian actor, comedian, and writer, widely recognized for his portrayal of HG Nelson, one half of the satirical sports comedy partnership Roy and HG. The acclaimed duo began their collaboration in 1986 with the Triple J radio show This Sporting Life, which was broadcast nationally for 22 years and led to multiple successful television adaptations.
Personal life
Pickhaver was born at Walwa private hospital in Myrtle Bank, South Australia, the son of Gordon Samuel Pickhaver—a World War II veteran and dairy industry expert—and Beryl Marion Rebecca Pickhaver (née Skuce). He grew up alongside three sisters and a brother. His early years were spent in Warradale before relocating to Prospect, South Australia. His education included Oaklands Park Primary School, Brighton Secondary School, and Adelaide High School. A graduate of Flinders University, Pickhaver has spoken openly about being dyslexic and attributes his academic success to strong memory and recall abilities.
Radio career
Pickhaver’s performance career began with roles in school and university theatre productions before he worked as a roadie for Australian rock musician Billy Thorpe during the early 1970s. Subsequently, he joined Melbourne’s theatre collective The Pram Factory and later moved into radio broadcasting on station 3RRR. It was there that he created the character HG Nelson while performing on the sports comedy show Punter To Punter in the early 1980s.
In 1985, Pickhaver met fellow comedian John Doyle while both were cast in an SBS television program. Together, they formed the comedic duo Roy (Rampaging Roy Slaven) and HG in 1986. Their program This Sporting Life initially aired on Sydney's Triple J before expanding nationally across the Australian Broadcasting Corporation network, continuing for 22 years until 2008. In 2013, the show was honored by being included in the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry. Since March 2020, Roy and HG have presented Bludging on the Blindside on ABC radio, a sports-focused show centered on rugby league culture and business within Australia.
Television and film career
Together with Doyle as Rampaging Roy Slaven, Pickhaver has appeared on a variety of television programs such as The Dream with Roy and HG, This Sporting Life, Blah Blah Blah, Club Buggery, and Roy and HG's Russian Revolution. He co-hosted It's a Knockout from 2011 to 2012 alongside Charli Robinson and Brad McEwan, contributed to the coverage of Sochi Tonight during the 2014 Winter Olympics, and participated in SBS's documentary series Who Do You Think You Are? in 2015. Many of his television roles have involved alternative commentary on both Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
Pickhaver also starred in the cult classic Australian comedy film This Won't Hurt a Bit (1993) opposite Jacqueline McKenzie, as well as appearing in the political satire The Honourable Wally Norman released in 2003.
Published works
- 1989: Pants off, this sporting life, authored by Roy Slaven and H. G. Nelson
- 1994: Where it all went wrong [sound recording]: address delivered by H. G. Nelson, anti-smoking activist, to the National Press Club, Canberra on World No Tobacco Day, 1 June 1994
- 1994: Boys and balls, by Brian Nankervis; featuring Roy Slaven and H. G. Nelson in the press box
- 1996: Petrol, bait, ammo & ice, written by H. G. Nelson with a foreword from Roy Slaven; illustrations by Reg Mombassa
- 1999: It's yours for a sawn-off!: Sameranch's Sydney, authored by H. G. Nelson with artwork by James de Vries
- 2006: The really stuffed guide to good food 2006, edited by H. G. Nelson
- 2008: Sprays, written by H. G. Nelson
- 2011: My life in SHORTS, authored by H. G. Nelson
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Australian male comedians
- Australian game show hosts
- People from Nuriootpa, South Australia
- Triple J announcers
- Living people
- Flinders University alumni
- Members of the Order of Australia
- 1948 births
- People educated at Adelaide High School
- Male actors from Adelaide
- Comedians from Adelaide
- Australian sports podcasters
- Triple M presenters
- Australian male writers