John Batchelor (actor)


John David Batchelor is a Singaporean born Australian television and film actor. He is most known for portraying Chief Petty Officer Marine Technical / Chief Engineer Andy 'Charge' Thorpe on the Australian drama series Sea Patrol, and Peeto in the Australian feature film Red Dog.

Career

Batchelor graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art with a degree in Performing Arts in 1992.
Besides portraying Andy 'Charge' Thorpe on Sea Patrol, Batchelor has had guest roles on All Saints, Water Rats, Stingers, and Murder Call. He appeared in the 2003 films, Inspector Gadget 2 and Danny Deckchair, and in the 2008 film The Tender Hook.
Batchelor also had a minor role as a bodyguard in the Australian comedy film Fat Pizza.
In 2011, Batchelor starred as Peeto in the Australian film Red Dog and also portrayed the heart wrenching Wally Tomlinson, associate of underworld figure Kate Leigh in the highly acclaimed Nine Network series .
In 2012, Batchelor's first main role for the year was as policeman Tony Lewandowski in the Channel 9 telemovie, The Great Mint Swindle, the tale about the three innocent Mickelberg brothers who became embroiled in one of the most famous heists in Australia's history.

Personal life

Batchelor was born in Singapore to Australian parents. When he turned 7, he moved to Brisbane Australia where he resided for most of his childhood. He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his family.
In a 2012 interview Batchelor revealed that he nearly died from a bacterial infection at age 3. After passing out from a cardiac arrest in the emergency room in Melbourne Children's Hospital, he was revived with CPR and it took 3 months to get better.
As a child, Batchelor and his family moved around frequently, as his father was a high-ranking officer in the Australian army. He spent most of his childhood living in Brisbane while his father worked in the Australian army. He acted in many plays there including And a Nightingale Sang, Jacques and his Master, Bouncers, Cyrano de Bergerac, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Shaughraun, Sweet Phoebe, Julius Caesar and The Misanthrope. He was awarded 2 State Theatre Awards before leaving to go back to Sydney, Australia.

Awards

Batchelor has won a range of awards, including: