Jeremy Cumpston

Today I will be learning about the actor Jeremy Cumpston. He played Connor on All Saints.

You know, I get so confused with these posts about whether I should use present tense or past tense. All Saints is not on anymore, and Jeremy Cumpston is no longer pretending he's Connor (well, at least not professionally). So it's past tense in that sense. But I've been watching All Saints lately. Every morning. So for me, it's in the present.

Connor is a male nurse. He's one of two. He and the other are roommates. They're both wonderful and if I ever have to go to the hospital, I would want my nurses to be just like those guys. The female nurses are wonderful too. The doctors are usually shit which matches my prejudices. Maybe that's why I like the show so much.

I worry I'm being sexist by talking about Connor as a male nurse rather than just a nurse. Should his gender matter?

Well, I guess it kind of matters to me. I don't encounter many male nurses. I'm trying to think of nurses I've had in my life. I'm pretty sure they've all been female.

I imagine, these days, a lot of people (whether male or female) who express interest in going into the medical field are pressured to become doctors. It's more prestigious.  But with men, I think the pressure is even stronger. So for that reason, I think I have a lot of admiration for a man who ignores the pressure and stigma and goes for the job he wants. If the reason they want to become a nurse is that they have compassion for people in need; well, that makes it even better.

The one thing I don't like about the nurses at All Saints is they order agitated patients to relax.  I've had that with my real life doctors and nurses; and I hate it. When I'm tense, talking back to me in a tense voice and telling me to relax doesn't make me feel relaxed. I think it makes me feel more tense.

I'm wondering, though, what should be said instead? Or does it even need to be changed? Maybe most people don't mind it, and I'm a rare case.

On the episode I watched today, a patient was having a bit of a fit which was understandable. He was realizing he was going to be a paraplegic. So he lashed out. When the medical staff said relax, I think what they really meant was STOP.  I think maybe that would have been a better word.

In other cases, patients are simply tense which makes procedures more difficult. Saying Stop wouldn't be appropriate. Maybe relax would be fine but only if the doctor or nurse can say it in a soothing relaxing tone. Or something reassuring can be said. How about, I know this isn't fun, but it will be over soon.

Now...enough with my medical ramblings. I should get on with the Jeremy Cumpston stuff.

I'm going to start with his bio page on IMDb.

They say he was born on January 10, 1967. He's six months older than Tim. I'm ashamed to say I don't know the age of my own husband. I had to do some math just now. Anyway...both Tim and Jeremy Cumpston are 47.

Holy crap. Here's something interesting. Very interesting. Jeremy Cumpston is a doctor!  In 2001-2002, he worked in Bourke at the Aboriginal Medical Centre.  Is that before or after All Saints?  Was he a doctor while playing a nurse on the show, or did the show inspire him to become a doctor?

You know when I googled Cumpston's name a few minutes ago, I saw an article about a doctor named Jeremy Cumpston. I thought, how funny. There's a real medical professional named Jeremy Cumpston. But now I'm thinking that might have been the one I'm writing about today.

I'll go back and look....

Here's the article. And yep. It's the actor-doctor Jeremy Cumpston.

Unfortunately, it's not a happy story. In 2010, Cumpston was suffering financial ills and marriage problems. Hopefully, now...4 years later, things have gotten better.

I'm trying to understand what the article is saying. It sounds really awful.

There's this maybe-evil company called Idameneo.  In the article, they sound definitely evil. But as they say, there are always two sides to the story.

So Cumpston needed money. He sold his practice and started working for an Idameneo medical center. He was overworked there, and Idameneo ignored his needs and complaints. So Cumpston tried to work elsewhere and then Idameneo sued him for breach of contract.

It's bad for any company to make any person work too much. But with some careers, it's even worse. Like doctors! Not only is it bad for Jeremy Cumpston's personal life, but it can put patients' lives in danger.

According to IMDb, Cumpston married a woman named Jessica Bretnall in 2005.  There's no divorce date given, so maybe they resolved their problems and are still together. Or IMDb hasn't updated their information.

Cumpston and Bretnall have two sons—one was born in 1999; the other was born in 2005.  So now they'd be 15 and 9.

I just looked up Jessica Bretnall's filmography. She's a producer. She produced the Julie Leigh movie I wrote about weeks ago: Sleeping Beauty.

I just went to look up the dates for All Saints.  It started in 1998. That's pretty close to 2001. I don't think you can get yourself a medical career that fast. So I'm going to assume, for now, that Cumpston was a doctor BEFORE starring on All Saints.

I have so many questions swimming in my mind right now.  When did he decide to become a doctor? When did he decide to become an actor? Why? And Why? When did he go to medical school?

If he was a doctor before starring on All Saints, did portraying a nurse help him have more respect and compassion for the real nurses who worked with him?

Is Dr. Jeremy Cumpston as wonderful with patients as nurse Connor?

The other thing I'm thinking is that the only other actor-medical professional I know of is Mayim Bialik. Bialik was a child actress. She become a doctor of neuroscience. Then she went back to acting and now stars as a neuroscientist on The Big Bang Theory.

Maybe Cumpston did sort of the opposite. Maybe he pursued medicine; decided he didn't want to do it, and went into acting instead. And then later he returned to medicine.

Or maybe not.

Hopefully I'll find out more later.

For now I'm going to look at his filmography.

Not only is Jeremy Cumpston an actor and doctor; he's also done some directing and producing.

Here's a short film Cumpston directed in 2011. It's called The Last Race. I'm going to watch it later. I saw the first few seconds. It seems to be about medical stuff.

Cumpston's first screen thing was in 1997. He appeared on Roar, the show starring Heath Ledger. Cumpston played Aiden in the pilot episode.

Here's part of the episode on YouTube. I'll see if I can find Cumpston.

I just looked at the credits of the show. Vera Fermiga from Bates Motel is in the episode. I was just thinking of the show, because I was thinking that the scenery in Roar is pretty. I should find out where it's filmed. Tim and I often find ourselves wanting to travel places because we see them in TV shows. Right now we're both eyeing Cardiff. Prior to that, Tim was interesting in visiting Canada, because Bates Motel is filmed there.

I might not be able to find Cumpston in this show. There are a lot of people, and some of them are disguised with beards and such.

Wait never mind. Someone just said Aiden. So now he must be here somewhere....

His scene begins at 4:18. He's getting married.

By the way, I just looked. Roar was filmed in Queensland. IMDb doesn't specify where in Queensland it was filmed, though.

Jeremy Cumpston guest-starred on another TV show in 1997. This was in a show called Murder Call. It was a homicide detective type thing. Cumpston played a character called Adrien in the second episode. That name is sort of a similar name to Aiden.

He did some short films in 1998. I'm not seeing them, so I'm going to skip over those.

Cumpston was in 66 episodes of All Saints. The seasons of that show have a lot of episodes, so I'm guessing he was on about 1 1/2 seasons.

No. Never mind.

I just looked at his last episode. It was the 33rd episode of the 4th season. Though he might have been back just for a visit.

Let me look closer....

He was not in many episodes in 1999. Only four.

He doesn't show up in season 2 until the 6th episode. He's in episode 8 and then he disappears until episode 32.

He's in 5 episodes of season 3.

He was in 17 episodes of season 4.

What was Connor doing in 1999 and 2000? And what was Jeremy Cumpston doing? Maybe he was getting a medical degree in that time?  Maybe I'm wrong about it taking so many years. Or maybe he had the beginning of his medical education, and he just needed to finish it.

From 2001-2003, there's a gap in Cumpston's filmography. For part of that time, he was working at the medical center in Bourke.

In 2004, Cumpston was in the TV movie The Mystery of Natalie Wood.  He played John Payne. Lord Wiki says John Payne was an American actor. He provides a photo of Payne. I see a slight resemblance to Cumpston.

The last thing on Cumpston's acting filmography is a 2004 movie called Get Rich Quick.

I can't find a trailer for it.

Cumpston had directed three short films. I mentioned one before. I found another on YouTube. The third I can't find. So...I'll have two to watch.

Before I watch the films, I'm going to see what Lord Wiki has to say about Cumpston.

Lord Wiki says that Cumpston was born in Darwin. I don't find many actors who are born in the Northern Territory. So, that's something sort of unique.

He has two children that IMDb didn't mention. One was born in 2007 and the other was born in 2008. Cumpston now lives in the Eastern Suburbs. I'm going to guess his family lives with him as well. Lord Wiki doesn't mention any divorce or separation.

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Now I'll watch the films.

The first is from 2008, and it's called The Sky is Always Beautiful.

I'm watching it....

I totally did not get that. And it seems like it ended really abruptly. I'm not sure if that's the whole movie; or there was a mistake with the uploading.

Now I'm going to watch The Last Race.

Well, now I'm confused. The video I found is only 3 minutes, but IMDb lists it as being 28 minutes. So I think what I've found on YouTube is just a clip from the movie.

Oh well. I'll just watch that.

The movie is about organ transplants.  What I just saw was the last three minutes, and the end has a public service type message.

I think organ donation is one of those times where you have to REALLY put yourselves in other people's shoes. I'm not talking about registering to be a donor.  I think for most people that's an easy thing to do. But when you're in a situation where doctors are asking for your loved one's organs, I imagine it's very hard. When you're about to lose the one you love, I think it's probably hard to care about the people who might get to keep their loved ones.

And it's strange hoping for an organ donation. Because when you're wishing for that, you're kind of wishing for someone to die.  I guess the best mindset to have is understanding shit is going to happen. We might as well make the best of that shit.

This Australian television website has information about Cumpston. They provide the doctor facts.

Cumpston completed six years of medical school. He worked as an intern and a general practitioner. THEN he went to acting school.

While working as an actor, Cumpston would sometimes do doctoring stuff. Because he still liked that career as well.

I like what Cumpston says about himself as a doctor. I'd like to think I am a good GP because I really like people and I always try to be fair and honest when dealing with my patients. Listening is the key to medicine for me and in this regard I am interested in my patient's life on the whole and not just their symptoms. 

I definitely agree that listening is very important.

Cumpston has medical people in his family. His dad is/was a hospital administrator. Then his grandfather and uncle are doctors.

I wonder what Cumpston was like on the set of All Saints. I wonder if he often shared his expertise with the directors and actors.

Cumpston's family was in the Northern Territory because his father did X-ray screenings in an Aboriginal community. Then they moved to Canada for awhile.  When he was 11, the family moved to South Australia.

Cumpston planned to pursue acting. Then in year 12, he decided to study medicine.

Basically...it looks like the guy was torn between both careers. It's fantastic that he was able to do both. And it's really great that he worked on a medical TV show.

From what I see, it seems in the 1990's, he did both acting and doctoring. He pursued both.  Then in this century, it seems he's doing more medical stuff than acting. I wonder if that's because he got tired of acting. Or was he unable to find more acting jobs, so he decided to fall back on the medical stuff?

This website has an interview with Cumpston about the organ donation movie.

I kind of missed something on the other website, but now I'm paying more attention to it here. That happens to me sometimes.

Anyway...Cumpston created a theater company called Tamarama Rock Surfers.  He performed a one man boxing play there called Shadow Boxing.

I just went back to reread the Australian television website. They say Shadow Boxing was the first play produced by TRS, and that Cumpston created it along with his sister and some other guy.  It's a pretty big deal. The theater company is still in business.  I mean it was a successful project...and a lasting one.

Cumpston asks why he wanted to make a movie about organ donation. He says it's because he learned that Australia has low donation rates.  He says about 20 people die a week, because they didn't get an organ.

Cumpston talks about how it's important for people to talk to their family about organ donation— tell their family that this is what they want.

I wonder, though, if this is the main thing that makes people hesitate. Do they sit around thinking...Well, I'd like to donate dad's organs, but I don't know if he'd want us to do that? 

Maybe there are cases where people are against organ donation, but the brain dead patient expressed their wishes, and the person, against the donating thing, is nice enough to respect the wishes of the almost dead.

I imagine in most cases it's a matter of people agreeing with organ donation, but they're not willing to let go. They had a storyline on All Saints like that.  There was a psychiatrist who was definitely pro-organ donation. But when it was his wife who was dying, he refused to let go. At first. Later they were able to convince him to donate.

It's very easy to check off a box on your license. It's maybe a little harder to have the talk with your family. But both of those things are much easier than actually being faced with someone who asks you to give up all hope, so someone else can live.

Right now I can easily think. Yes, of course I'd make the right choice, so someone else can live. But I know if I'm ever in that situation I would sit there asking, Are you sure he or she is completely brain dead? Are you sure there's no hope? Are you sure there couldn't be some type of miracle in the next few days?

Here's where Jeremy Cumpston works now. It's called the Ageless Clinic.  He does anti-aging work.
So if you're brain dead, he wants you to give up your organs. If you're brain is intact, he can help you look as young as possible...for as long as possible.

I wonder why and how he got into aesthetic medicine. Is it something he's passionate about, or did he need the money?

It's not the most noble medical profession.  That being said, today I looked in the mirror and started pulling at my face, wondering about plastic surgery. I think it's a bad thing. I want to grow old gracefully. At the same time, I miss being beautiful.

Again, it's one of those things that's easy to have an opinion about when you're not dealing with the problem. When you're young and beautiful, it's easy to declare you'll never get plastic surgery. It's different when your beauty points begin to drop.

And even the not-so-young. There are these beautiful women my age, or older, who say they have never done any plastic surgery and don't plan to do it.  But maybe they're the lucky who don't need it!  What if they weren't so pretty anymore?  What if they turned a bit ugly? Would they still say no to plastic surgery?

I probably won't end up getting plastic surgery. I'd be embarrassed to do so. I'd feel like a moral failure. Plus, I don't like having medical stuff done.  On top of that, I'm cheap. I wouldn't be willing to spend the money.

Here's a video with Cumpston talking about something called Cool Sculpting.

It gets rid of your fatty bulges.

This video is making me feel kind of content in my ugliness. Or I should say my reduction of beauty. I'm not really ugly. And that's in the eyes of the beholder, anyway.

I think I just have to learn to accept my age and my changing self.

I don't think these types of treatments would work on me. I mean physically...they probably would. But I'd feel like a lie. If someone complimented me, I'd have the urge to blurt out Well, it's not really me. See I went to this clinic and had something done....

In the long run, I think I'd be more embarrassed about the treatments than I would about the aging.

MAYBE, though, if it was affordable, I'd want to fix my pigmentation problems.  It could be because I see that as being abnormal.  I see wrinkles as something that's supposed to happen as you get older. Hyper-pigmentation feels more like a mistake.

You know what. I think I know the difference. Let's say I go to a party. Someone says, Dina you look so young! I can't believe you're in your 40's. I'd feel compelled to confess the plastic surgery thing. And that would make me feel ashamed. I'd feel like I'm one of those people who can't accept that humans age.

But if I went to a party, no one is going to blurt out, Dina! What happened to the dark patch of skin over your lip?  So I wouldn't feel compelled to explain anything.

I watched more of the Cool Sculpting video. I have to admit...it sounds tempting.  You lose fat and it's noninvasive.

Lord Wiki calls it Cryolipolysis, and he has nothing really bad to say about it.

This website says the average cost is $1675.  There's messages from people talking about their experience. From what I see, many of them tried exercising and dieting but that didn't get rid of the love handles and stuff.

The thing is I know that's not the case for me. I've lost a lot of weight...twice. First I had an eating disorder. Then recently, I lost my appetite.  With this last weight loss, I lost the love handles and my pudgy little tummy. My thighs had a lovely little space between them.  So it IS possible to lose the fatty parts with a reduction of calories. The thing is you have to be awfully extreme about it.  Then I have to wonder what's better—to go on an extreme diet where you're eating less than a thousand calories a day and pacing around your office so you get in 10-15 miles of walking a day.  Or is it better to just pay the thousands of dollars and get the treatment?

The best thing is to accept your body for what it is and eat and exercise reasonably.

That's easier said than done sometimes.

It's such a huge question. If there's something that can help you fit in better with our society's idea of beauty, and it's not dangerous to your health, is it a bad thing to partake in it?

Again, I'd be embarrassed about doing it. And I'd feel like I've joined in all the shit that pushed me to have an eating disorder—the horrible mentality that's pervasive in the media.  And I'd feel like I'm rewarding my parents who have too much admiration for thinness.

On the other hand, I think about a lunch conversation in which my table mates confessed to wearing undergarments that hid their fat. Is that any different from Cool Sculpting?  I don't think so. And I didn't look down at these people for wearing these garments.

And when I get dressed, I try to shy away from stuff that makes me "look fat". If I think we should all embrace our size and love ourselves for who we are, shouldn't I not care how my clothes make me look?

I gained back most of the weight I lost. I should be okay with that. I tell myself it was a medical fluke, one that caused me a lot of emotional stress, because I worried I might have cancer.  I shouldn't want or expect to keep that weight loss. But I do.

All of this stuff is so complicated.

I think I'm going to end here, though, because I have work to do. We're going on a road trip. I need to work on packing, and I want to finish my episode of House Husbands.

Plus, I kind of want to stop thinking about all this plastic surgery and weight stuff. It's making my head spin.


It's hours later, and there's one more thing I want to add.

We just watched Torchwood; and then I watched a little bit of Doctor Who. Here's the thing. Captain Jack Harkness is as very handsome guy. But you know what? So, is the Face of Boe.

Being beautiful won't make us loved. But being loved will make us beautiful.



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