Alwyn Cecil Kurts (28 October 1915 – 4 May 2000) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

drama and comedy actor of radio, television and film, best remembered for his role as gruff Inspector Colin Fox in the TV series ''

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

''.

Biography

Kurts' father, David Day, was a well-known radio personality in the postwar years. Kurts worked on breakfast radio on Perth station

6PR 6PR, known as 882 6PR, is a commercial radio station based in Perth, Western Australia. Owned by Nine Entertainment, its focus is on news, talk and sport, and is Perth's only commercial talkback radio station. It commenced broadcasting on 14 Oc ...

in 1942. He then became an accredited war correspondent reporting from Burma, New Guinea and the Philippines. After the war he moved to 3XY with his program ''Raising a Husband''. His television career started with the television version of his radio show ''

Raising a Husband ''Raising a Husband'' was an Australian television game show which aired in 1957 to 1958. Information on this series is extremely scarce. Based on a Talking Lifestyle 1278, 3XY radio show, it was hosted by Alwyn Kurts, aired on station GTV (Austr ...

'' (which was pushed off air by the success of

Graham Kennedy Graham Cyril Kennedy AO (15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005) was an Australian entertainer, comedian and variety performer, as well as a personality and star of radio, theatre, television and film. He often performed in the style of vaudevilli ...

), then ''Hutton's Family Quiz'', '' Don't Argue'' and ''Fighting Words''. He made the successful transition to television in ''Homicide''; after one 1968 appearance as criminal Frank Inglis, he took on the role of country-based Inspector Colin Fox for one episode the same year. Kurts then returned as a core cast member the following year, playing Fox, now with the additional back story that he had worked in Homicide twenty years earlier and was now seeking a change after the recent death of his wife. 'Colin Fox' formally assumed the Inspector role on 27 May. Kurts remained with the show for four years, after which he starred in another Crawfords production, the comedy ''

The Last of the Australians ''The Last of the Australians'' was an Australian sitcom that was broadcast on the Nine Network in 1975 and 1976. The comedy series was produced by Crawford Productions in two series of 13 episodes each. It was based on Alan Seymour's play ''T ...

''. In 1982 he appeared in the Australian TV drama ''

Cop Shop ''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes. The show The show revolved ar ...

''. For a brief time, he was the Beast in the Australian version of the television panel show ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

''. Kurts also appeared in the 1979 movie '' Tim'' starring

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...

. Late in life he had key roles in the films '' Spotswood'' and ''

Road to Nhill ''Road to Nhill'' is a 1997 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Sue Brooks. The film won the "Golden Alexander" (first prize) for Best Feature-Length Film at The International Thessaloniki Film Festival (Greece). Produced by Sue Maslin, it ...

.'' Kurts supported the 1972 campaign for the election of

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...

and the Labor Party.

Death

Kurts died on 4 May 2000, aged 84 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia, from liver failure.http://74.6.146.127/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=Alwyn+Kurts&rd=r2&fr=yfp-t-501&u=www.jocksjournal.com/vol.20.no9.pdf&w=alwyn+kurts&d=FQOuCrZfVHwp&icp=1&.intl=au&sig=y.8FlkPIBhEwlotmzvSkHA--

Awards

In 1979, Kurts won the

Australian Film Institute Award The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry ...

for

AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. It has been awarded annually since 1974. Previous winners ReferencesAfi.org.au — AFI Award Winners {{Australia ...

for his role as the father of

's character in the film '' Tim''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kurts, Alwyn 1915 births 2000 deaths Australian male television actors Australian male radio actors Male actors from Melbourne 20th-century Australian male actors