| Paul Hogan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 October 1939 Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor/Comedian |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouse | Noelene Hogan (1958-90) Linda Kozlowski (1990-present) |
Paul Hogan, AM (born 8 October 1939) is an Australian actor, comedian, film producer, and screen writer most famous for his acting role as Crocodile Dundee, for which he won a Golden Globe award.
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Hogan was born in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales and went on to become a painter working on the Sydney Harbour Bridge before rising to fame in the early 1970s after a comical interview on A Current Affair. Hogan followed this with his own comedy sketch programme, The Paul Hogan Show, which he produced, co-wrote, and in which he played a panoply of characters with John Cornell. The series, which ran for 60 episodes between 1973 and 1984, was popular both in his native country and in the UK, and showcased his trademark lighthearted but laddish "Aussie Ocker" humour. In 1985, Hogan was awarded Australian of the Year and was also appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
In the 1970s Hogan regularly advertised Winfield cigarettes in television, print and billboard advertisements where he wore a formal dinner suit. These advertisements featured the catch word "Anyhow".
During the early 1980s, Hogan filmed a series of television advertisements promoting the Australian tourism industry, which aired in the United States. An advertisement featuring the phrase "shrimp on the barbie" which aired from 1984, was particularly successful.[1] Throughout the decade, he appeared on British television in a long-running series of advertisements for Foster's Lager, in which he played an earthy Australian abroad in London. The character's most notable line (spoken incredulously at a ballet performance) "Strewth, there's a bloke down there with no strides on!", followed Hogan for years, and the popularity of its "fish out of water" humour was repeated with his next endeavour.
Hogan's first film, Crocodile Dundee (1986), featuring a similarly down-to-earth hunter travelling from the Australian Outback to New York City, was privately funded by Hogan and a group of private investors including much of its cast, entrepreneur Kerry Packer, the rock band INXS and cricketers Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh. Hogan also wrote the screenplay.
Crocodile Dundee became the most successful Australian film ever, and launched Hogan's international film career. It won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and two BAFTA Award nominations (one for Best Actor, one for Best Original Screenplay). Following the success of Crocodile Dundee Hogan starred in the sequel, Crocodile Dundee II in 1988, and finished the story in 2001 with Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. He then went on to star in a handful of other films such as Almost an Angel, Flipper and Lightning Jack.
In the early 2000s Hogan was a spokesman for Subaru, promoting their Outback models.
In an interview with Ray Martin, Hogan spoke of some of the films he has declined in his career, including Ghost and Three Men and a Baby.
In October 2008, Hogan appeared in Charlie and Boots, co-starring Shane Jacobson and directed by Dean Murphy. The film was shot in Echuca, Victoria and in surrounding areas.
Hogan and his first wife Noelene married in 1958. They separated and divorced in 1981 and remarried less than a year later. Their second divorce began in 1986 and was considered one of Australia's "ugliest celebrity divorces."[2] Hogan married his Dundee co-star Linda Kozlowski in 1990. He has five children from his first marriage and one from his second marriage. The couple reside in California. He is Roman Catholic.[3][4]
He has been named as one of a group in connection to a AU$300 million Australian tax fraud investigation called Operation Wickenby, investigating 23 companies for allegedly using overseas companies to hide income.[5] In July 2008, Hogan commented to Network Ten that he had "paid plenty of tax" in Australia and that he had nothing to fear from the Australian Taxation Office investigation.[6]
In October 2008, Hogan scored a major victory in his tax fight with the Australian Crime Commission, who were forced to pay up to an estimated AU$5 million for legal bills dating back to 2006 and were required to return seized personal financial documents that they had admitted were irrelevant.[7] Hogan has not been charged in connection with the investigation, which began in 2003.[7]
On 18 June 2010 in the Australian High Court, Hogan lost a long-running legal battle to keep the contents of his tax documents secret, paving the way for details of his offshore accounts to be published. Earlier the same year, Australian media reported that the Australian Crime Commission was in the final stages of preparing to lay criminal charges of tax evasion against him, film producer John Cornell and their accountant, whom it suspects of channelling millions of dollars from the proceeds of the film Crocodile Dundee and other films into offshore tax havens. The release of the documents is expected to help finalise their case.[8]
On 20 August 2010 Hogan flew to Sydney for his mother's funeral. Upon arrival he was issued a Departure Prohibition Order by the Australian Taxation Office, which prevented him leaving the country until his alleged tax debt was paid or settled. The nation's tax office claims he owes taxes on AU$37.5 million of undeclared income.[9]
On 03 September 2010, Hogan was granted permission to return to the USA through an agreement between his lawyers and Australian tax officials, though the terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. Hogan continues to deny any wrongdoing in the case.[10]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Fatty Finn | Third Delivery Man | |
| 1985 | Anzacs | Pte. Pat Cleary | Mini-series aka Anzacs: The War Down Under |
| 1986 | Crocodile Dundee | Michael J. 'Crocodile' Dundee | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1988 | Crocodile Dundee II | Michael J. 'Crocodile' Dundee | |
| 1990 | Almost an Angel | Terry Dean/Bonzo Burger Man | |
| 1994 | Lightning Jack | Lightning Jack Kane | |
| 1996 | Flipper | Porter | |
| 1998 | Floating Away | Shane | |
| 2001 | Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles | Michael J. 'Crocodile' Dundee | |
| 2004 | Strange Bedfellows | Vince Hopgood | |
| 2009 | Charlie and Boots | Charles |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | The Paul Hogan Show | TV Series |
| 1975 | Hogan In London | (TV) |
| 1986 | Crocodile Dundee | Screenplay and story Nominated — Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Writing |
| 1988 | Crocodile Dundee II | |
| 1990 | Almost an Angel | |
| 1994 | Lightning Jack | |
| 2001 | Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles | "Character by" credit |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Crocodile Dundee II | Executive producer |
| 1990 | Almost an Angel | Executive producer |
| 1994 | Lightning Jack | Producer |
| 2001 | Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles | Producer |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | A Current Affair | TV Series |
| 1973 | The Paul Hogan Show | TV Series |
| 1975 | Hogan In London | TV |
| 1984 | Olympic Gala | TV |
| 1987 | 59th Academy Awards | Co-host |
| 1991 | Thank Ya, Thank Ya Kindly | TV |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lois O'Donoghue |
Australian of the Year Award 1985 |
Succeeded by Dick Smith |
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