Bill Hunter (actor)
Bill Hunter | |
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| Born | William John Hunter[1] (1940-02-27)27 February 1940 Ballarat, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 21 May 2011(2011-05-21) (aged 71) Kew, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor/Comedian |
| Years active | 1957–2011 |
| Spouse(s) | Robbie Anderson (m. 1963–1973, divorced) Pat Bishop (m. 1976, divorced) Rhoda Roberts (m. 1993–1999, divorced)[2] |
| Awards | Best Lead Actor in a Telefeature 1989 Police State Best Supporting Actor in a Film 1981 Gallipoli Best Actor in a Film 1978 Newsfront |
William John Hunter (27 February 1940 – 21 May 2011[3]) was an Australian actor of film, stage and television, who was also prominent as a voice-over artist. He appeared in more than 60 films and won two AFI Awards. He was also a recipient of the Centenary Medal.
Contents
1 Life and work
2 Personal life and death
3 Selected filmography
4 Awards and honours
5 References
6 External links
Life and work
Hunter was born in Ballarat, a son of William and Francie Hunter.[2] He had a brother, John, and a sister, Marie Ann.[2]
During his teens, Hunter was a champion swimmer, and briefly held a world record for the 100 yards freestyle until his record was broken by John Devitt in the very next heat ten minutes later.[4] Hunter had qualified for the Australian swimming team in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia but a bout of meningitis ended his Olympic hopes.[5]
Hunter made his film debut as an extra in 1957 film The Shiralee. An introduction to Ava Gardner saw him gain a job as an extra and swimming double in the Hollywood film On the Beach, which was filming in Melbourne.[4] Hunter claimed that he was inspired to take up acting after watching one of the leads (variously claimed to be either Gregory Peck or Fred Astaire) do 27 takes of a scene, and thinking he could do better.[6][7] He took an intensive drama course in Melbourne, and then won a two-year scholarship to the prestigious Northampton Repertory Company in England. In 1966, he made his television debut in an uncredited role in two episodes of the Doctor Who serial The Ark.[8][9]
Returning to Australia in the 1960s, Hunter started out in television, and became a prolific performer in television and feature films, in which he often played the strong, opinionated, archetypal gruff Australian whose exterior belies a softer heart.[10]
Some of his most notable movie roles include Newsfront[11] (1978), Gallipoli (1981), The Dismissal, Scales of Justice[12] (1983), Strictly Ballroom[13] (1992), Muriel's Wedding[14] (1994), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and Australia (2008). In 2007, he reprised the role of Bob in the Australian touring stage production of Priscilla.[15] He also provided the voice of the dentist in Finding Nemo (2003) and the voice of Bubo in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010). He portrayed United Nations Secretary General Spencer Chartwell in the American science fiction series Space: Above and Beyond. His last film role was in The Cup (2011).
Of acting, Hunter said, "As long as the director told me where to stand and what to say, I was happy. Anyone who says there's any more to it than that, is full of bullshit. ... It's a job. It is a craft, but there's no art involved. What you need is common sense and a reasonably rough head. You put on the makeup and the wardrobe, and that is half the performance. That upsets the purists, but never mind, they don't work as much as I do."[16]
Personal life and death
Hunter's first marriage was to Robbie Anderson from 1963 to 1973, with whom he had a son, named James Hunter. His next marriage was to actress Pat Bishop, in 1976.[4] According to writer Bob Ellis, the marriage was short-lived after Hunter ran off with their marriage celebrant.[17] His third marriage was to artist and television presenter Rhoda Roberts, from 1993 until their divorce in 1999.[18]
On 15 May 2011, Hunter was admitted to Caritas Christi hospice in Kew after refusing to go to a hospital.[19] Surrounded by family and friends, he died of liver cancer[20] on 21 May 2011, aged 71.[21]
A memorial service for Hunter was held at Melbourne's Princess Theatre on 26 May.[22]
Close friend and co-star Mick Molloy paid tribute to Bill Hunter on stage at the 54th Logie Awards in April 2012.[23]
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Doctor Who – The Ark | Guardian | Uncredited, two episodes: The Steel Sky, The Plague |
| 1970 | Ned Kelly | Officer | |
| 1974 | 27A | Cornish | |
| 1974 | Stone | Barman | |
| 1975 | The Man from Hong Kong (a.k.a. The Dragon Flies) | Peterson | |
| 1976 | Eliza Fraser | Youlden | |
| 1976 | Mad Dog Morgan | Sgt. Smith | |
| 1977 | Backroads | Jack | |
| 1978 | In Search of Anna | Peter | |
| 1978 | Newsfront | Len Maguire | AFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role |
| 1978 | Weekend of Shadows | Bosun | |
| 1980 | Dead Man's Float | Eddie Bell | |
| 1980 | Hard Knocks | Brady | |
| 1981 | Gallipoli | Major Barton | AFI Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role |
| 1981 | ... Maybe This Time | Stephen | |
| 1982 | Heatwave | Robert Duncan | |
| 1982 | Far East | Walker | |
| 1983 | The Hit | Harry | |
| 1983 | The Return of Captain Invincible | Tupper / Coach | |
| 1984 | Street Hero | Detective Fitzpatrick | |
| 1985 | An Indecent Obsession | Colonel Chinstrap | |
| 1985 | Rebel | Browning | |
| 1986 | Death of a Soldier | Detective Sgt. Adams | |
| 1986 | Sky Pirates | O'Reilly | |
| 1988 | Rikky and Pete | Whitstead | |
| 1989 | Cassidy | Charles Parnell Cassidy | Television film |
| 1989 | Fever | Sgt. Jack Welles | |
| 1989 | Mull | Frank Mullens | |
| 1990 | Call Me Mr. Brown | McNeill | |
| 1991 | Deadly | Vernon Giles | |
| 1992 | The Last Days of Chez Nous | Beth's Father | |
| 1992 | The Leaving of Liverpool | Father O'Neill | Television miniseries |
| 1992 | Strictly Ballroom | Barry Fife | |
| 1993 | Broken Highway | Wilson | |
| 1993 | The Custodian | Managing Director | |
| 1993 | Shotgun Wedding | Police Commissioner Andrews | |
| 1993 | Stark | Ocker Tyron | Television miniseries |
| 1994 | The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | Bob | |
| 1994 | Everynight ... Everynight | Berriman | |
| 1994 | Muriel's Wedding | Bill Heslop | |
| 1995 | Blue Murder | Angus McDonald | Television miniseries |
| 1996 | Cody: Fall from Grace | Sam Wolfe | Television film |
| 1996 | Race the Sun | Commissioner Hawkes | |
| 1996 | River Street | Vincent Pierce | |
| 1997 | Road to Nhill | Bob | |
| 1998 | 15 Amore | Brendan's Voice | Voice |
| 1998 | A Difficult Woman | Paul Scanlon | Television miniseries |
| 1998 | The Echo of Thunder | Cooper | Television film; uncredited role |
| 2000 | On the Beach | Prime Minister Seaton | Television film |
| 2002 | Crackerjack | Stan Coombs | |
| 2003 | Finding Nemo | Dr. Philip Sherman | Voice |
| 2003 | Bad Eggs | Ted Pratt | |
| 2003 | Horseplay | Barry Coxhead | |
| 2003 | Kangaroo Jack | Blue | |
| 2004 | Tom White | Malcolm | |
| 2008 | The Square | Gil Hubbard | |
| 2008 | Australia | Skipper (Qantas Sloop) | |
| 2010 | The Pacific | James | Television miniseries |
| 2010 | The Wedding Party | Priest | |
| 2010 | Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | Bubo | Voice |
| 2011 | Red Dog | Himself | |
| 2011 | The Cup | Bart Cummings | Final film appearance |
Awards and honours
Hunter won the 1978 AFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Newsfront, and the 1981 Best Supporting Actor award for Gallipoli.[24]
In 2001, he was awarded the Centenary Medal for service to acting.[1]
A painting of Hunter by artist Jason Benjamin won the Packing Room Prize in conjunction with the 2005 Archibald Prize.[25]
References
^ ab Hunter, William John Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, It's an Honour, 1 January 2001.
^ abc Blake, Jason: Aussie bloke of screen was larger than life Archived 24 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 May 2011.
^ "Bill Hunter, Actor Who Typified Australia, Dies at 71". The New York Times. Associated Press. 22 May 2011..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ abc Atterton, Margot; Alan Veitch: The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Australian Showbiz (1984).
^ Bill Hunter gravely ill with inoperable cancer, Herald Sun, 19 May 2011.
^ Bill Hunter faces the final curtain, Herald Sun, 19 May 2011.
^ Bodey, Michael: Charismatic wild man of cinema, The Australian, 23 May 2011.
^ Muriel's Wedding star Bill Hunter 'gravely ill' Archived 20 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, ninemsn, 18 May 2011.
^ Production notes Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Ark DVD, BBC.
^ Preiss, Benjamin (18 May 2011). "Acting legend Bill Hunter gravely ill". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
^ "National Film and Sound Archive: Newsfront on australianscreen online". Aso.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
^ "National Film and Sound Archive: Scales of Justice on australianscreen online". Aso.gov.au. Archived from the original on 31 March 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
^ "National Film and Sound Archive: Strictly Ballroom on australianscreen online". Aso.gov.au. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
^ "National Film and Sound Archive: Muriel's Wedding on australianscreen online". Aso.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
^ "Bill Hunter to join Priscilla cast". Aussie Theatre. 16 April 2007.
^ Bill Hunter, 71, voiced the dentist in Finding Nemo[dead link]. blog.bcdb.com, 23 May 2011
^ Ellis, Bob: "I don't do auditions, mate": remembering Bill Hunter Archived 27 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, ABC The Drum Unleashed, 23 May 2011.
^ Queen of arts Archived 15 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Sun-Herald, 17 November 2003.
^ Actor Bill Hunter dies Archived 23 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News, 21 May 2011
^ "Mourners farewell acting great Bill Hunter". Sydney Morning Herald. 26 May 2011. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
^ "Australian acting legend Bill Hunter dies from cancer at 71", The Australian, 21 May 2011.
^ Quinn, Karl: A man of the people, Hunter farewelled with heart Archived 7 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Bendigo Advertiser, 27 May 2011.
^ "The 54th TV Week Logie Awards – Television.AU". televisionau.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
^ Feature Film Award Winners 1958–2010 Archived 19 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Australian Film Institute, 2010.
^ "Bill gets a kiss from the packing room". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 April 2007. Archived from the original on 19 November 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
External links
Bill Hunter on IMDb
"Bill Hunter's list of film and television credits". The Australian. Retrieved on 21 May 2011
Bill Hunter on australianscreen
- Strictly Heslop – Bill Hunter Tribute Fanzine
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