John Meillon
| John Meillon | |
|---|---|
John Meillon in They're a Weird Mob
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| Born | 1 May 1934 Mosman, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Neutral Bay, New South Wales, Australia |
| Cause of death | Cirrhosis of the liver |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1959–1988 |
| Spouse(s) | June Salter (1958–71; divorced); 1 child Bunny Gibson (1972–89; his death); 1 child |
| Children | 2 |
John Meillon, OBE (/ˈmiːlɒn/ MEE-lon; 1 May 1934 – 10 August 1989)[1] was an iconic 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.[2]
Biography
Meillon was born in Mosman, New South Wales. His younger brother was director Bob Meillon (1943–2012).[3]
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,[4] but while working in in Britain he consciously steered away from Australian roles.[5] Meillon claimed that he learnt discipline while working in theatre and that television was not a good a medium for training.[6]
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).[citation needed]
With his rich baritone, Meillon was used extensively in voice-over work—most famously in his work as the "you can get it any old how" Victoria Bitter narrator.[7]
He married Australian actress June Salter in 1958 and they had one son, John Meillon, Jr. Meillon and Salter were divorced in 1971. Meillon married actress Bunny Gibson on 5 April 1972; they also had a son.[citation needed]
Meillon was appointed an OBE in the 1979 Queen's Birthday Honours, for service to theatre.[8]
In June 1980, his favourite pub, The Oaks at Neutral Bay, opened The John Meillon OBE Bar in his honour.[9] Meillon continued to frequent the bar over the following decade, including visiting in the week before his death from cirrhosis. His body was found in his home at Neutral Bay on 11 August 1989.[10][11][12] He was awarded the Raymond Longford lifetime achievement award posthumously.[citation needed]
Selected filmography
- 1959 – On the Beach .... Ralph Swain (ashore in San Francisco)
- 1960 – The Sundowners .... Bluey Brown
- 1961 – Offbeat .... Johnny Hemick
- 1961 – The Long and the Short and the Tall.... Private "Smudge" Smith
- 1962 – Operation Snatch .... Medical Officer
- 1962 – The Longest Day .... RAdm. Alan G. Kirk
- 1962 – Billy Budd .... Neil Kincaid
- 1963 – The Running Man .... Jim Jerome
- 1963 - Cairo .... Willy
- 1964 – Guns at Batasi .... Sergeant 'Aussie' Drake
- 1964 – 633 Squadron .... Flight Lt. Gillibrand
- 1965 – Out of the Unknown S1E7 – Sucker Bait .... Dr. Sheffield
- 1966 – They're a Weird Mob .... Dennis
- 1967 – My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? – (TV series) .... Wally Stiller
- 1968, 1969 – Skippy....... Nimble Norris
- 1971 – Wake in Fright .... Charlie aka Outback
- 1971 – Walkabout .... Man (the father)
- 1974 – The Fourth Wish – (TV mini-series) .... James Casey
- 1974 – The Cars That Ate Paris .... The Mayor
- 1974 – The Dove .... Tim
- 1975 – Ride a Wild Pony .... Charles Quayle
- 1975 – Inn of the Damned .... George Parr
- 1976 – The Fourth Wish .... Casey
- 1976 – Arena
- 1977 – The Picture Show Man .... Maurice 'Pop' Pym
- 1978 – Bit Part
- 1982 – Heatwave .... Freddie Dwyer
- 1983 – Scales of Justice (TV mini-series) .... Barnes
- 1983 – The Wild Duck .... Old Ackland
- 1983 – The Dismissal – (TV mini-series) – Sir John Kerr
- 1985 – The Dunera Boys (TV) .... Brig. Templeton
- 1986 – "Crocodile" Dundee .... Walter Reilly
- 1988 – The Everlasting Secret Family .... The Judge
- 1988 – "Crocodile" Dundee II .... Walter Reilly
References
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External links
- John Meillon at the Internet Movie Database.
- John Meillon profile, AusStage.edu.au; accessed 27 December 2015.
- John Meillon profile, National Film and Sound Archive; accessed 27 December 2015.
- Use dmy dates from June 2013
- Use Australian English from October 2015
- All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
- Articles with hCards
- Articles with unsourced statements from December 2015
- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2016
- 1934 births
- 1989 deaths
- Disease-related deaths in New South Wales
- Australian male film actors
- Australian radio personalities
- Australian male radio actors
- Best Actor AACTA Award winners
- People from Sydney
- Australian male television actors
- 20th-century Australian male actors
- Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire
