Lewis Fiander
as Giacomo Puccini


Lewis Fiander started his stage career with the Australian National Movement whilst still at school in Melbourne. He went on to become a successful young radio actor in Sydney, and appeared in the first Australian-written television play ‘Sub Editors Room’ for ABC-TV.

He was a member of the Union Theatre Repertory in Melbourne, and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in Sydney where he had great success in ‘Ah Wilderness!’, ‘A Taste of Honey’ , “Moby Dick - Rehearsed’, ‘The Glass Menagerie’ and ‘The Hostage’. Later he was sent to London by the Trust to appear in Alan Symour’s Australian play ‘The One Day of the Year’.

At the recommendation of Sir John Gielgud he was offered a two year contract with the distinguished West End management H.M. Tennent, after which he was invited by Sir Laurence Oliver to join the first National Theatre Company of Great Britain at the Old Vic. He has also appeared with the major repertory companies in the U.K. The Bristol Old Vic, The Glasgow Citizens Theatre, The Birmingham Repertory Theatre, and most notably the Oxford Playhouse.

His first starring part in London was as John Adams in the American musical ‘1776’, followed by a dazzling Benjamin Disraeli in the musical ‘I and Albert”, and Jack Rover in the commercial run of ‘Wild Oats’ for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Other shows include ‘Noel & Gertie’, ‘The Killing Game’, ‘Clounds’, ‘The Duel’, ‘Follow the Star’, ‘Cafe Puccini’, and at the Chichester Festival, ‘Old Heads and Young Hearts’, and ‘Cavalcade’ co-starring Joanna McCallum and boasting a cast of 200 performers. He has also appeared in Dallas -Texas as Pangloss in Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Candide’.

He was invited back to Australia by J.C.Williamson for ‘1776’, ‘Same Time, Next Year’ with Nancye Hayes,
‘Aren’t We All’ with Rex Harrison and Claudette Colbert, and as Professor Higgins in ‘My Fair Lady’ for the Victorian State Opera.

He has also appeared in ‘The Browning Version’ with Paul Eddington, ‘A Woman in Black’ with Richard Todd, Neil Simons’ ‘Rumors’, ‘Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Sweet Charity’, ‘Ruddigore’, and the star studded concert version of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Follies’ for the Melbourne Festival.

For the Melbourne Theatre Company he has played in ‘Private Lives’, ‘Arcadia’, ‘A Flea in Her Ear’ , and ‘The Visit’. Other shows include Rodney Hall’s ‘A Return to the Brink’ for the Melbourne Festival, ‘The Funniest Man in the World’, ‘Mysteries’, and ‘Two Shanks’ by Daniel Keene for Kenne Taylor Projects. Recently he received outstanding reviews for his performance in ‘God Only Knows’ at Sydney’s Marian Street Theatre, and further accolades for ‘Afterplay’ by Brain Friel here in Melbourne.

He has also performed with the Australian Pops Orchestra, the Melbourne Youth Orchestra, the Australian Boys Choir, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and last year made his ballet debut in “The Nutcracker” for the Christine Walsh Dance Company.

He has made a number of films and television series for Australian, British, American, Spanish, and Indian production companies.

Lewis is currently in “Melba Memories” with Stephanie Daniel at Beleura Mornington, and will be with the Pops Orchestra for their Gala Anniversary concerts, and narrate Babar the Elephant for the M.S.O Christmas concert “Symphony of the Angels” - both at Hamer Hall.