Frankie J. Holden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frankie J. Holden
Born Peter Brian
(1952-12-18) 18 December 1952
Other names Frank Holden
Occupation Singer
Actor
TV presenter
Business owner
Spouse(s) Michelle Pettigrove

Frankie J. Holden (born Peter Brian, 18 December 1952) , also known as Frank Holden, is an Australian singer, actor and TV presenter. In the 1970s, he fronted, Ol' 55 which had a hit with "On the Prowl" from their debut album, Take It Greasy which peaked at number three on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in 1976.[1][2][3] For Return Home Holden was nominated for Best Actor in a Lead Role at the 1990 AFI Awards.[4]

Singing career

During the 1970s Holden was the frontman for the Australian retro-rock band Ol' 55, which also included Wilbur Wilde and Jimmy Manzie. In the early 2000s, Holden re-emerged on the music scene with the Ol' Skydaddies, a band featuring members from Ol' 55, Daddy Cool and Skyhooks.

Television career

Actor

In the 1980s, Holden appeared in two episodes of Channel Ten's drama series Prisoner (1982–1983) and in the first season of the ABC children's program Round the Twist (1989).

In the early 1990s, he appeared in four episodes of A Country Practice, and in 1992 starred in the short-lived Late for School.

He then played Senior Sergeant Glenn "Spider" Webb in Police Rescue (1994–1996). The series was about the New South Wales police rescue squad based in Sydney.

From 2000 until 2002, he played ex-cop, then local publican, Stuart McGregor in ABC1's Something in the Air. This series was notable for its high output, producing 320 episodes in just two seasons.

In 2008, Holden was in two Channel Nine dramas - Underbelly and in The Strip.

In 2013, Holden joined the cast of A Place to Call Home, a drama set in rural Australia in the 1950s. He plays the part of Roy Briggs, described as "a rugged, unbreakable man capable of charm, good humour as well as a crusty grumpiness".[5]

Presenter

From 1996 until 1999, Holden was the host of the revamped Monday evening variety show In Melbourne Tonight, co-featuring Julia Morris and Denise Drysdale.

In 2009, Holden co-presented, alongside with his wife Michelle, "Discover Downunder", a half-hour Australia-based travelling/caravanning program for the Nine Network. In 2010, he co-hosted "What's Up Down Under" on Channel Seven. This show is similar to Discover Downunder.

Film

Frankie J. Holden has starred in films as recent as 2007 with Clubland, his most recent film directed by Cherie Nowlan and written by Keith Thompson.

Personal life

He married his first wife Leigh Hunter in the mid seventies, divorcing in the early eighties. He had 3 daughters from his second marriage, to dancer Melda Rees, who died in 1997 from cancer. Holden married actress Michelle Pettigrove two years later. They have had one daughter together.

Holden currently resides on the Sapphire Coast of New South Wales Australia and is still performing around Australia as a successful entertainer.

In 2010, Frankie and Michelle, with two other couples, purchased the Tathra Beach Family Park, a seaside holiday park in Tathra, NSW.[6]

Popular culture

A caricature of Frank Holden appears in the animation Hyper Parsnip Bitches by animator Paul Robertson.

Frankie J Holden has a star in Caloundra's "Walk of Stars" between Red Symons and Daryl Somers.

References

General
Specific
  1. McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry for 'Ol' 55'. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  2. Spencer et al, (2007) OL 55 entry. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  3. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.  NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  4. IMDb awards
  5. Roy Briggs | Seven website. Retrieved 22 April 2013
  6. Frankie J Holden's holiday escapes | News Limited 10 November 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2013
  7. "Who's who of Australian rock / compiled by Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara & Paul McHenry". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 4 January 2010. 

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.