Edward Sidney Devereaux (27 August 192517 December 2003), better known professionally as Ed Devereaux, was an Australian actor, director, and scriptwriter who lived in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

for many years. He was best known for playing the part of Matt Hammond the head ranger in the Australian television series '' Skippy the Bush Kangaroo''. He was also involved in the series behind the scenes, Devereaux writing the script and directing the episode ''The Veteran'' (1969), for which he received much critical acclaim. Devereaux based the story of the episode "Double Trouble" on an idea conceived by his children, wrote the screenplay of "Summer Storm" and the script for "The Mine". He also played the part of Joe in the Australian 1966 film ‘They’re a Weird Mob’. The film was a local success.

Biography

He had been a boy soprano, teenage soldier in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

, cabbie, storeman and truck driver before moving to the UK in 1950. Devereaux appeared as Mr. Gubbins in the 1963 British comedy film '' Ladies Who Do'' and in several ''Carry On'' films including ''

Carry On Sergeant ''Carry On Sergeant'' is a 1958 British comedy film about National Service starring William Hartnell, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Barker; it is the first in the series of ''Carry On'' films, with 31 entries released from 1958 to 1992. The film was ...

'', '' Carry On Nurse'', '' Carry On Regardless'' and ''

Carry On Jack ''Carry On Jack'' is a 1964 British comedy film, the eighth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Most of the usual ''Carry On'' team are missing from this film: only Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey appear throughout, wi ...

''. He also appeared as Thomas Macaulay in series five of ''

The Onedin Line ''The Onedin Line'' is a BBC television drama series that ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and covers the rise of a fictional shipping company, the Onedin Line, na ...

'', as Lord Beaverbrook in both '' Edward & Mrs. Simpson'' and ''

The Life and Times of David Lloyd George ''The Life and Times of David Lloyd George'' is a BBC Wales drama serial first broadcast in 1981 on BBC Two. It stars Philip Madoc as David Lloyd George, the final Liberal prime minister of the UK. The cast also includes Lisabeth Miles, Kik ...

'', and as Mac in the British comedy series ''

Absolutely Fabulous ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (also known as ''Ab Fab'') is a British television sitcom based on the ''French and Saunders'' sketch, "Modern Mother and Daughter", created by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. The show was created and written by Saund ...

'' and in '' The Professionals'' (episode "Runner") and '' The Sweeney'' ("Jackpot"). In 1964 he appeared in '' The Saint'' episode "The Loving Brothers". In 1970 he played the villain in ''The Persuaders !'' episode "Anyone Can Play". Australian TV roles included the title role of Jack Meredith in ''My Brother Jack'' (ABC-TV, 1965), and George King in '' Kings'' (1983). He also received critical acclaim, including the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama, for his role as

Australian Prime Minister The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the principl ...

Ben Chifley Joseph Benedict Chifley (; 22 September 1885 – 13 June 1951) was an Australian politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1945, follow ...

, in the ABC TV mini series '' The True Believers'' (1988).

Personal life

Memorial plaque to Ed Devereaux, Golders Green Crematorium

Devereaux's first wife was Rene (Irene) Champion. Together they had four children: John (b. 1954), Steven (b. 1955), Timothy (b. 1956) and Matthew (b. 1962). Champion wrote the song for the ''Skippy'' spin-off film '' The Intruders'' in 1969. The couple had experienced a

marital separation Marital separation occurs when spouses in a marriage stop living together without getting divorced. Married couples may separate as an initial step in the divorce process or to gain perspective on the marriage and determine whether divorce is warra ...

sometime before their 1986 divorce, when Devereaux married his second wife, Julie.

Death

Three months after he was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, Devereaux died in his sleep of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

at his Hampstead home on 17 December 2003 at the age of 78. He had insisted on being released from Royal Free Hospital to be at home with wife Julie. He was cremated at the

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...

, where his ashes remain.

Selected filmography

* ''

Little Red Monkey ''Little Red Monkey'', released in the United States as ''Case of the Red Monkey'', is a 1955 British crime film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Richard Conte, Rona Anderson and Russell Napier. Detectives from Scotland Yard investigate a seri ...

'' (1955) - American Sailor (uncredited) * '' The Shiralee'' (1957) - Christy * ''

'' (1958) - Sergeant Russell * '' Floods of Fear'' (1958) - National Guard #2 * '' The Captain's Table'' (1959) - Brickwood * '' Carry On Nurse'' (1959) - Alec Lawrence * '' Bottoms Up'' (1960) - Policeman (uncredited) * ''

The Savage Innocents ''The Savage Innocents'' is a 1960 adventure film directed and co-written by Nicholas Ray. Anthony Quinn and Yoko Tani star, with Lee Montague, Marco Guglielmi, Carlo Giustini, Anthony Chinn, and Michael Chow in supporting roles, alongside ...

'' (1960) - Pilot * ''

There Was a Crooked Man "There Was a Crooked Man" is an English nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 1826. Origin The rhyme was first recorded in print by James Orchard Halliwell in 1842: :There was a crooked man and he went a crooked mile, :He ...

'' (1960) - American Colonel * '' Watch Your Stern'' (1960) - Cmdr. Phillips * ''

Man in the Moon In many cultures, several pareidolic images of a human face, head or body are recognized in the disc of the full moon; they are generally known as the Man in the Moon. The images are based on the appearance of the dark areas (known as lunar ma ...

'' (1960) - Storekeeper * '' Carry On Regardless'' (1961) - Mr. Panting * ''

Very Important Person A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples incl ...

'' (1961) - Webber (uncredited) * '' Carry On Cruising'' (1962) - Young Officer * ''

Mix Me a Person ''Mix Me a Person'' is a 1962 British crime drama film directed by Leslie Norman, starring Anne Baxter, Donald Sinden, Adam Faith, Walter Brown and Carole Ann Ford. The screenplay concerns a young London criminal who is faced with being hang ...

'' (1962) - Supt. Malley * ''

The Password Is Courage ''The Password Is Courage'' is a 1962 British comedy-drama war film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, based on John Castle's 1954 World War II memoir of the same name. Written, produced, and directed by Andrew L. Stone, the film stars Dirk Bogarde, Mar ...

'' (1962) - Aussie * '' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963) - Bluey May * '' Heavens Above!'' (1963) - Communications Officer (uncredited) * '' Ladies Who Do'' (1963) - Mr. Gubbins * '' Live It Up!'' (1963) - Herbert Martin * ''

'' (1963) - Hook, Pirate * ''

The Bargee ''The Bargee'' is a 1964 British comedy film shot in Techniscope directed by Duncan Wood, and starring Harry H. Corbett, Hugh Griffith, Eric Sykes and Ronnie Barker. The screenplay was written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Plot Hemel Pike ...

'' (1964) - Boat Man (uncredited) * ''

Never Put It in Writing ''Never Put It in Writing'' is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Andrew L. Stone and starring Pat Boone, Milo O'Shea, Fidelma Murphy and Reginald Beckwith. Plot While in Ireland, an insurance executive learns that somebody else has been p ...

'' (1964) - Pringle * '' My Brother Jack'' (1965) - David Meredith * ''

They're a Weird Mob ''They're a Weird Mob'' is a popular 1957 Australian comic novel written by John O'Grady under the pseudonym "Nino Culotta", the name of the main character of the book. The book was the first published novel by O'Grady, with an initial print run ...

'' (1966) - Joe Kennedy * '' Journey Out of Darkness'' (1967) - Jubbal * '' The Intruders'' (1969) - Matt Hammond, Head Ranger * ''

Game, Set and Match ''Game, Set and Match'' is a 1988 television serial directed by Ken Grieve and Patrick Lau and written by John Howlett. It is based on the books ''Berlin Game'' (1983), '' Mexico Set'' (1984), and '' London Match'' (1985) by Len Deighton. The t ...

'' - Currie * ''

Nickel Queen ''Nickel Queen'' is a 1971 Australian comedy film starring Googie Withers and directed by her husband John McCallum. The story was loosely based on the Poseidon bubble, a nickel boom in Western Australia in the late 1960s, and tells of an outback ...

'' (1971) - Harry Phillips * ''

Anyone can play ''Anyone Can Play'' ( it, Le dolci signore) is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring two Bond girls Ursula Andress and Claudine Auger. Cast * Ursula Andress as Norma * Virna Lisi as Luisa * Claudine Auger as Esmerelda ...

'' - Ryker * '' Bless This House'' (1972) - Jim * ''

Fall of Eagles ''Fall of Eagles'' is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series was created by John Elliot and produced by Stuart Burge. The series portrays historical events from 1848 to 1918, dealing with the ruling dynasties of ...

'' (1974) - Purtales * ''

Barry McKenzie Holds His Own ''Barry McKenzie Holds His Own'' is the 1974 sequel to the 1972 Australian comedy film '' The Adventures of Barry McKenzie''. Returning from the original film is Barry Crocker in the title role, as well as Barry Humphries in the role of Barry ...

'' (1974) - Sir Alec Ferguson * '' The Sweeney '' (1975) - Harry Biggleswade * '' To the Devil a Daughter'' (1976) - Reporter (uncredited) * ''

Pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...

'' (1976) - Police Inspector * ''Three Dangerous Ladies'' (1977) - Ferryman (segment "The Island") * ''

Money Movers ''Money Movers'' is a 1978 Australian crime action drama film directed by Bruce Beresford. The film was based on the 1972 book ''The Money Movers'' by Devon Minchin, founder of Metropolitan Security Services. The story deals loosely with two ...

'' (1978) - Dick Martin * ''

Robbery Under Arms ''Robbery Under Arms'' is a bushranger novel by Thomas Alexander Browne, published under his pen name Rolf Boldrewood. It was first published in serialised form by ''The Sydney Mail'' between July 1882 and August 1883, then in three volumes i ...

'' (1985) - Ben * ''Claudia'' (1985) - George * ''

Reunion at Fairborough ''Reunion at Fairborough'' is a 1985 American romantic drama television film directed by Herbert Wise, written by Albert Ruben, and starring Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. It premiered on HBO on May 12, 1985. Plot After 40 years, a disillusio ...

'' (1985) - George Klass *'' Goldeneye: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming'' (1989) - Sir William Stephenson * '' I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle'' (1990) - Landlord * '' Buddy's Song'' (1991) - Bookie

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devereaux, Ed 1925 births 2003 deaths AACTA Award winners Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Male actors from Sydney Deaths from cancer in England Golders Green Crematorium Australian emigrants to England