His brother Les has described the portrayal of Peter in both Shine and in Gillian Helfgott's biography as ". The film has come in for strong criticism from Helfgott's sister Margaret for a range of alleged inaccuracies, particularly for the portrayal of his father Peter as a violent and tyrannical despot. Helfgott was portrayed by actors Geoffrey Rush (adult), Noah Taylor (teenager) and Alex Rafalowicz (child). Helfgott was the subject of the 1996 film Shine, which dealt with the pianist's formative years and struggle with mental illness. In 1984, at Riccardo's, Helfgott met Gillian Murray, an astrologer. In 1983 his brother Les Helfgott found him working at a Perth wine bar called Riccardo's. Over the next ten years, he underwent psychiatric treatment which included psychotropic medication and electroconvulsive therapy. After his brief marriage broke down he was institutionalised in Graylands, a Perth mental hospital. He worked as a rehearsal pianist for the Western Australian Opera Company and also took part in several ABC concerts. The following year he married Clare Papp, an older woman with four children. ĭuring his time in London he began showing more definite manifestations of schizoaffective disorder. The awards he won at the RCM included the Dannreuther Prize for Best Concerto Performance for his performance of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. Īt the age of nineteen, Helfgott won a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied under the pianist Cyril Smith for three years. He won the state final of the ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition six times. From age 17 he studied with Alice Carrard, a former student of Béla Bartók and István Thomán. However, his father denied him permission. When he was ten years old he studied under Frank Arndt, a Perth piano teacher, and won several local competitions-sometimes alone and sometimes with his elder sister Margaret.Īt the age of fourteen while studying at Mount Lawley Senior High School, people such as Perth composer James Penberthy and writer Katharine Susannah Prichard raised money to enable him to go to the United States to study music. He became known as a child prodigy after his father started teaching him the piano when he was five. Helfgott was born in Melbourne to Polish Jewish parents. Helfgott's life inspired the Oscar-winning film Shine, in which he was played by Geoffrey Rush. David Helfgott (born ) is an Australian concert pianist.
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