From schoolboy Fagin to award-winning star of the Australian stage
In short: Before he was a fixture of Australian television and musical theatre, Bert LaBonté was a nine-year-old boy discovering his calling in a school production. His journey from Melbourne's suburbs to international musical tours reveals the enduring versatility of a true performer.
Born in the mid-1970s, Bert LaBonté’s path to the spotlight began in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne. The son of Mauritian immigrants who arrived in Australia during the late 1960s, LaBonté first experienced the thrill of the stage at age nine, playing the character Fagin in a school rendition of Oliver!. This early spark led him to formal training at the University of Ballarat, where he enrolled in performing arts at age 17.
His career is defined by a remarkable breadth of genre, spanning classical drama, contemporary television, and large-scale musical theatre. On screen, he has appeared in notable productions such as The Newsreader, Animal Kingdom, and My Life is Murder. His stage repertoire is equally diverse, ranging from Shakespearean roles like Richard III to modern works like The Mountaintop for the Melbourne Theatre Company.
LaBonté has achieved significant critical acclaim in the musical theatre circuit. In 2012, his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman earned him both a Helpmann Award and a Sydney Theatre Award for his supporting role. His ability to inhabit iconic personas is evident in his work as Marvin Gaye in Let's Get It On!, and his recent credits include the 2023 musical production of Moulin Rouge!.
Beyond acting, LaBonté has maintained a presence in the local music scene, having served as the lead vocalist for the Geelong-based band Madhouse during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Today, he continues to shape the industry through his service on the board of Essential Theatre.
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