I went to England in the '70s, and I was in my early 20s. There was still a residue of that era of being an underclass or colonial. I assume it must have been a more aggressive and prominent attitude 40 years before that, because Australia internationally wasn't regarded as having much cultural value. We were a country full of sheep and convicts.

In August 2011 he was appointed the foundation President of the newly formed Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. A pun on Geoffrey Rush's name (and the circumstances) was used in the opening prologue of the play with the comment that the "Optus Playhouse was opening with a Rush". In 2010 Rush played speech therapist Lionel Logue in The King's Speech a part that earned him a BAFTA and nominations for the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor.

Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor and film producer. He is the foundation President of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts and was named the 2012 Australian of the Year.