Brian James (5 July 1918 – 2 November 2009) 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 A ...

radio, stage, television and film actor.

Early life, radio and theatre

Brian James was born in Melbourne, the son of the Bishop of St. Arnaud and started his career as a teacher at Ivanhoe Grammar School for four years, in 1933 joining the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

, after which he was demobilised five years later, and decided to pursue a career as an actor, attending

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

in London, making his stage debut in 1947 and he featured in the 1952 J.C. Williamson production of ''

Seagulls Over Sorrento ''Seagulls Over Sorrento'' is a 1954 British war drama film made by the Boulting brothers based on the play of the same name by Hugh Hastings. The film stars Gene Kelly and was one of three made by Kelly in Europe over an 18-month period to m ...

''. He would also appear in the 1960 TV production of the play. According to Richard Lane "in that first decade of television it seemed that Brian James was everywhere." He also appeared in

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

radio plays.

Television

James appeared in several

drama plays in the late 1950s, including ''Duke In Darkness'' and '' Killer in Close-Up: The Wallace Case'' in 1957, ''

Gaslight Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either direct ...

'', ''The Small Victory'', ''The Public Prosecutor'', and ''The Governess'' (all 1958), ''Crime Passionel'', ''

Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

'', and ''The House By The Stable'' (1959). He had the lead role as Dr Geoffrey Thompson in the early medical drama '' ''Emergency'''' (1959). He also appeared in commercial dramas '' Shadow of a Pale Horse'' and ''

'' in 1960, along with ABC dramas ''Heart Attack'', '' Eye of the Night'', and ''Mine Own Executioner'', and was awarded the

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

Logie award for "Best Actor" for the plum role of Governor William Bligh in the 1960 ABC drama serial ''Stormy Petrel'' (a role which he reprised in a 1974 episode of the anthology series ''Behind The Legend''). Other ABC drama play appearances included ''The Ides Of March'' (1961), ''The Physicists'', ''Luther'', and ''The Wind From The Icy Country'' (all 1964). In 1962, he took the lead role of Jonah Locke in the

ATN-7 ATN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Seven Network in Australia. The licence, issued to a company named Amalgamated Television Services, a subsidiary of John Fairfax & Sons, was one of the first four licences (two in Sydney, ...

drama series ''

Jonah Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' Ben (Hebrew), son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria ...

''. In 1964, James appeared as a presenter on ''This Is It!'', the opening night program for ATV-0 in Melbourne. He also featured as Ian Bennett in '' Bellbird''. He appeared as George Tippett in the soap opera '' Skyways'' (1979–81) – a character he continued in the ill-fated series ''

Holiday Island ''Holiday Island'' is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for Network Ten. The show aired twice weekly from 1981 to 1982, with the first episode going to air on 17 June 1981. Series synopsis Like preceding Crawford ...

'' in 1981. He is probably best known to international audiences for his part in the cult soap opera ''

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'' (aka ''Cell Block H'') as friendly officer and later prison handyman Stan Dobson, having previously appeared in the series briefly as Dr. Kennedy. He also appeared as John Worthington in '' Neighbours'' in the late 1980s.

Film

On film, he made an uncredited appearance as a naval officer in the 1959 Stanley Kramer film '' On the Beach''. He also played screen father to

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

in ''

A Cry in the Dark ''Evil Angels'' (released as ''A Cry in the Dark'' outside Australia and New Zealand) is a 1988 Australian drama film directed by Fred Schepisi. The screenplay by Schepisi and Robert Caswell is based on John Bryson's 1985 book of the same nam ...

'', the 1988 movie about the

Lindy Chamberlain Alice Lynne "Lindy" Chamberlain-Creighton (née Murchison; born 4 March 1948) is a New Zealand–born Australian woman who was wrongfully convicted in one of Australia's most publicised murder trials. Accused of killing her nine-week-old daught ...

court case.

Personal life and death

Brian James had served with the

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He died at

The Alfred Hospital The Alfred Hospital, also known as The Alfred or Alfred Hospital, is a leading tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the second oldest hospital in Victoria, and the oldest Melbourne hospital still operating on its original si ...

, Melbourne, of complications following a fall in 2009 aged 91.

Selected filmography

Select TV credits

*'' Wind from the Icy Country'' (1964)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Brian 1918 births 2009 deaths Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Logie Award winners