John Meillon
| John Meillon | |
|---|---|
 John Meillon in They're a Weird Mob | |
| Born |
1 May 1934 Mosman, Sydney, Australia |
| Died | 10 August 1989 (aged 55) from cirrhosis |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1959–1988 |
| Spouse(s) |
June Salter (1958–71) "Bunny" Gibson (1972–89) |
| Children | John Meillon Jr. |
John Meillon, OBE (1 May 1934 – 10 August 1989) was an Australian character actor, known for many straight as well as comedy roles, he became most widely known internationally however as Walter Reilly in the films "Crocodile" Dundee and "Crocodile" Dundee II. He also voiced Victoria Bitter beer adverts.[1]
Biography
Meillon was born in Mosman, Sydney. His younger brother was director Bob Meillon (1943–2012).[2] He began his acting career at the age of eleven in the ABC's radio serial "Stumpy", and made his first stage appearance the following year. He joined the Shakespeare Touring Company when he was sixteen. Like many actors of his generation from 1959 to 1965 he worked in England.[3]
He had a recurring role in the TV series My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?. He featured in two episodes of Skippy in 1968 and 1969 appearing as "Nimble Norris". In 1976, he won the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role of 'Casey' in the film The Fourth Wish (1976).
With his rich baritone, Meillon was used extensively in voice over work- the most famous being his work as the "you can get it any old how" Victoria Bitter narrator.[4]
He married Australian actress June Salter in 1958. They were divorced in 1971. They had one son, John Meillon, Jr. He then married actress Bunny Gibson ("Rita the Eta Eater") on 5 April 1972: they also had a son.
Meillon was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1979 Queen's Birthday Honours, for service to theatre.[5]
At 16 Meillon had been junior diving champion of New South Wales. He continued to enjoy swimming, as well as fishing, golf and pub culture. Survived by his wife and his son from his first marriage, he died of cirrhosis on 10 August 1989 at his home at Neutral Bay and was cremated. He was awarded the Raymond Longford lifetime achievement award posthumously.
Selected filmography
- 1988 – "Crocodile" Dundee II .... Walter Reilly
- 1988 – The Everlasting Secret Family .... The Judge
- 1986 – "Crocodile" Dundee .... Walter Reilly
- 1985 – The Dunera Boys (TV) .... Brig. Templeton
- 1983 – The Dismissal – (TV mini-series) – Sir John Kerr
- 1983 – The Wild Duck .... Old Ackland
- 1983 – Scales of Justice (TV mini-series) .... Barnes
- 1982 – Heatwave .... Freddie Dwyer
- 1978 – Bit Part
- 1977 – The Picture Show Man .... Maurice 'Pop' Pym
- 1976 – Arena
- 1976 – The Fourth Wish .... Casey
- 1975 – Inn of the Damned .... George Parr
- 1975 – Ride a Wild Pony .... Charles Quayle
- 1974 – The Dove .... Tim
- 1974 – The Cars That Ate Paris .... The Mayor
- 1974 – The Fourth Wish – (TV mini-series) .... James Casey
- 1971 – Walkabout .... Man (the father)
- 1971 – Wake in Fright .... Charlie aka Outback
- 1968, 1969 – Skippy....... Nimble Norris
- 1967 – My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? – (TV series) .... Wally Stiller
- 1966 – They're a Weird Mob .... Dennis
- 1965 – Out of the Unknown S1E7 – Sucker Bait .... Dr. Sheffield
- 1964 – 633 Squadron .... Flight Lt. Gillibrand
- 1964 – Guns at Batasi .... Sergeant 'Aussie' Drake
- 1963 – The Running Man .... Jim Jerome
- 1962 – Billy Budd .... Neil Kincaid
- 1962 – The Longest Day .... RAdm. Alan G. Kirk
- 1962 – Operation Snatch .... Medical Officer
- 1961 – The Long and the Short and the Tall.... Private "Smudge" Smith
- 1961 – Offbeat .... Johnny Hemick
- 1960 – The Sundowners .... Bluey Brown
- 1959 – On the Beach .... Ralph Swain (ashore in San Francisco)
References
- ↑ Sinclair, Lara: Victoria Bitter douses 'hard-earned thirst' slogan, The Australian, 13 June 2009.
- ↑ "Bob Meillon dies; one of the great characters of the tv industry". mumbrella.com.au. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ↑ "He proposes to his wife eight times a week.". The Australian Women's Weekly (National Library of Australia). 29 July 1964. p. 15. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
- ↑ Edited by Andrew Hornery with Bonnie Malkin Rest in peace, The Age, 15 October 2004.
- ↑ http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1108560&search_type=quick&showInd=true
- O'Neill, Josephine (3 May 1964). "The actor who won't be typed". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 44. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- Owen, Wendy (7 September 1975). "Top actor just acts the part". The Age. p. 2. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- "John Mellion – now they name a pub after him". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 July 1980. p. 53. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- Creswell, Toby; Samantha Trenoweth (2006). 1001 Australians You Should Know. North Melbourne: Pluto Press Australia. p. 159. ISBN 978-1-86403-361-8. OCLC 154953129. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
External links
- John Meillon at the Internet Movie Database.
- John Meillon at AusStage
- John Meillon at the National Film and Sound Archive
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