Early life Helfgott was born in
Melbourne to
Polish Jewish parents Rachel (
née Granek) and Elias Peter Helfgott. He won the state final of the
ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition. He returned to
Perth in 1970. The following year, he married
Hungarian Jewish immigrant Claire Papp, who had four children. He worked as a
rehearsal pianist for the
West Australian Opera.
Shine Helfgott was the subject of the 1996 film
Shine, which dealt with the pianist's formative years and struggle with mental illness. Helfgott was portrayed by actors
Geoffrey Rush (adult),
Noah Taylor (teenager) and Alex Rafalowicz (child). Rush won numerous accolades for his performance, including the
Academy Award for Best Actor. Helfgott's brother Les has described the portrayal of their father in both
Shine and in Gillian Helfgott's biography as "all outright lies". David Helfgott's first wife Claire Papp has also said that Peter Helfgott was "quite badly maligned" in the film. In a letter to the editor of
Limelight, published in the September 2013 edition, Margaret and Les Helfgott refer to certain claims made in an article in the August 2013 edition and state that "there was no estrangement from members of Helfgott's family following his return to Australia. On the contrary, he moved straight back into the family home, and was cared for by our family. Dad was not 'overbearing', and his main objection to David's going abroad was his concern for his son's welfare." Of the two commercial recordings released by
RCA, the American journal
Fanfare Magazine was critical not only of Helfgott himself, but also of his producers, who were "marketing Helfgott's pain." The British magazine
Gramophone was similarly scathing about the exploitative nature of their issue, which, the magazine said, falsely marketed Helfgott as an "unsung genius". On stage, Helfgott is known for his unusual platform manner. In 1997, critic
Anthony Tommasini noted that Helfgott "stares into the hall and renders a nonstop commentary of grunts, groans and mutterings". Helfgott played piano in the Silverchair song "
Emotion Sickness". Helfgott tours Australia annually and plays a small number of recitals in other countries. His 2015 European tour was the subject of a documentary,
Hello, I Am David! == Personal life ==