Nigel Lovell

Lovell was born in Sydney, the son of H(enry) Tasman Lovell, Professor of Psychology and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sydney University, living at Honda Road, Neutral Bay. He was educated at 'Shore' (Sydney Church of England Grammar School)^[1] and studied law at Sydney University, graduating with a BA in 1938, and was an active member of the Sydney University Dramatic Society (SUDS), under director May Hollinworth. While with SUDS, he was spotted by the director of drama for the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Frank Clewlow, who gave him small roles in several radio plays.^[2][3]

In 1950, Lovell joined Sydney's Metropolitan Theatre under Hollinworth, and when she fell ill he took over production.

In 1951, Lovell won a Commonwealth Jubilee Arts Scholarship in Drama, a travelling scholarship awarded by the British Council to study production in England.^[4]

He continued acting for the ABC under producers Eric John and Frank Zeppel in the last decade of Australian radio drama, and in several ABC-TV historical plays.

In 1959, Lovell appeared as the main protagonist in the convict-themed Pardon Miss Westcott, which was the first Australian musical written specially for live television. That same year, he had a small role in feature film The Restless and the Damned.^[5]

Lovell was also a regular in Crawford Productions for commercial TV; notably as the avuncular spy chief on late 1960s series Hunter. During the 1970–1972 seasons of Crawfords' long-running Melbourne police series Homicide, he served as a line producer and television dialogue director, before it moved completely into being a fully-filmed program. In 1972 he returned to Sydney, joining the staff of ABC Radio as a producer of education programs.^[1]

Lovell was a brother of Dr. Bruce Tasman Lovell (1910 – 19 September 1986) and Guy Tasman Lovell (15 August 1919 – ). Former cricketer Geoff Lovell is a nephew.

Lovell married Sue Dalton in 1941 and had a daughter Catherine Lovell on 1 January 1947. His wife died of a heart condition later that year.

He married again, to Patricia Anna Parr in 1956, having met through work with Sydney's Metropolitan Theatre. They had two children – Simon Lovell, a helicopter pilot, and Jenny Lovell, an actor known for her role in the television series Prisoner. Patricia Lovell had a significant career in radio and film both before and after their divorce.