John Meillon ( ; 1 May 1934 – 11 August 1989) was an Australian character actor known for dramatic as well as comedy roles. He portrayed Walter Reilly in the films '' Crocodile Dundee'' and '' Crocodile Dundee II''. He also voiced advertisements for Victoria Bitter beer. He appeared in several Australian New Wave films including '' Wake in Fright'' and '' The Cars That Ate Paris''.

Early life

Meillon was born in Mosman, a suburb of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. His younger brother was director Bob Meillon (1943–2012).

Career

Acting

Meillon 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 John Alden Shakespeare Touring Company when he was sixteen. He appeared in a number of early Australian TV plays. Like many actors of his generation from 1959 to 1965, he worked in England, but while working in Britain he consciously steered away from Australian roles. Meillon claimed that he learned discipline while working in theatre, and that television was not a good medium for training. Meillon had a lead role in the television series '' My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?''. In 1968 he co-starred in the spin off, '' Rita and Wally''. He was 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).

Voice-over

With his rich baritone, Meillon was used extensively in voice-over work – most famously in his work as the Victoria Bitter narrator who says "you can get it any old how". Meillon was appointed an OBE in the 1979 Queen's Birthday Honours, for service to theatre.

Music

In 1977, Meillon released the single "Tap Tap"/"Picture Show Man", which peaked at number 80 on the Australian singles chart.

Personal life

Meillon 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. In June 1980, Meillon's favourite pub, The Oaks at Neutral Bay, opened The John Meillon OBE Bar in his honour. He continued to frequent the bar over the following decade, including visiting in the week before his death.

Death

Meillon died from

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...

Neutral Bay Neutral Bay is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Neutral Bay is around 1.5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council. Neutral Bay takes ...

, Sydney, on 11 August 1989. Meillon was posthumously awarded the Raymond Longford Lifetime Achievement Award.

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Singles

Awards & honours

References

External links

* .
John Meillon profile
AusStage.edu.au; accessed 27 December 2015.
John Meillon profile
,

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...

; accessed 27 December 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Meillon, John 1934 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Australian male actors Australian male film actors Australian radio personalities Australian male radio actors Australian male television actors Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Best Actor AACTA Award winners Logie Award winners Male actors from Sydney