William Henry Kerr (10 June 1922 – 28 August 2014) was a British and Australian actor, comedian and vaudevillian. Born in South Africa, he started his career as a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...

in Australia, before emigrating to Britain after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, where he developed a career as a performer in comedy, especially gaining notice in the radio version of ''

Hancock's Half Hour ''Hancock's Half Hour'' was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy series, broadcast from 1954 to 1961 and written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The radio series starred Tony Hancock, with Sidney James, Bill Kerr and,at various ...

''. In 1979 Kerr returned to Australia and developed a second career as a character actor.

Biography

Kerr was born in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, South Africa, on 10 June 1922Obituary: Bill Kerr
''Daily Telegraph'', 29 August 2014 to an Australian performing arts family, growing up in

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...

, New South Wales, Australia.Stephen Dixo
"Bill Kerr obituary"
''The Guardian'', 31 August 2014 His career in show business began when he was very young. Wilton, his son, recalled: "His mum used him instead of using a prop, a baby prop, she actually used her son, her newborn son, so he was literally kind of born to do it." Kerr began to work in radio for ABC in 1932, and continued performing child parts for about eight years.Adam Sallu
"'I'm only here for four minutes' – The Bill Kerr Story"
ABC (Australia), 31 July 2013 His first screen appearance was in ''Harmony Row'' (1933), where he gives a feisty performance as a juvenile delinquent alongside the great Australian vaudeville comedian

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...

. Kerr's first dramatic role on screen was a high-profile one in the

Cinesound Cinesound Productions Pty Ltd was an Australian feature film production company. Established in June 1931, Cinesound developed out of a group of companies centred on Greater Union, Greater Union Theatres that covered all facets of the film proc ...

film ''The Silence of Dean Maitland'' (1934), where he displays striking presence as a blind child. Kerr is one of the most important child performers in early Australian film. He saw service in the Australian army during the Second World War, and performed in theatrical shows at home and abroad and toured with his friend, the actor Peter Finch.

Career in Britain

Kerr moved to Britain in 1947."Bill Kerr, Australian actor and radio star, dies aged 92"
BBC News, 29 August 2014 During the next few years he was regularly featured in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

radio series '' Variety Bandbox'', part of the BBC Light Programme. Retaining his accent, an unusual choice for performers moving to Britain at this time, he was billed as "the boy from Wagga Wagga." A spokesman for the Australian town's museum said that this "struck an instant chord with the post-war British audience, who thought of 'Wagga Wagga' as a comically surreal, end of the earth, magical place somewhere left of Narnia." Harry Secombe described Kerr as having a "very laconic act" on the show, beginning his spots with the catchphrase "I'm only here for four minutes." From 1954 to 1959, he had a regular role as an Australian lodger in the

radio comedy series ''

''. (b)p.158 The series, with comedian Tony Hancock as the eponymous lead and also featuring Sid James, ran for six series. Initially sharper than Hancock's characterisation, Kerr's portrayal eventually developed into a more dim-witted character who became the butt of Hancock's jokes. Unlike James, Kerr did not feature in the television version of the Hancock series. Kerr also starred in the radio drama series '' The Flying Doctor'' (1958–63), regularly flying in and out of the fictitious Wollumboola base as he and his "doctor" colleague brought reprobates to justice in the outback. Later, after Sid James had ended his professional partnership with Hancock, Kerr briefly resumed working with him in the first series of the television comedy '' Citizen James'' (1960). Kerr's other television appearances in Britain include a ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' serial called '' The Enemy of the World'' (1968), with

Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor. He became best known for his roles in television, most notably starring as the Second Doctor, second incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the lo ...

, and a long-running part in the early 1960s BBC-TV soap, ''

Compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact, a type of agreement used by U.S. states * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a t ...

''. Kerr had much theatrical success in Britain, playing the Devil disguised as Mr Applegate in the first West End production of ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., d ...

'', directed by

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American choreographer, dancer, filmmaker, and stage director. Known for his work on stage and screen, he is arguably the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in th ...

and first performed in March 1957. He appeared in a touring production of the play '' The Teahouse of the August Moon'' in 1956. He also worked with

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...

and appeared in Milligan and John Antrobus's stage play '' The Bed-Sitting Room'',Milligan, Spike, & Antrobus, John (1973) ''The Bedsitting Room''. Tandem: London. First published in Great Britain by Margaret & Jack Hobbs, 1970. Published by Universal-Tandem, 1972. which opened at the Mermaid Theatre on 31 January 1963. (a)pp.203–204, (b)pp.242–243 A subsequent production opened on 3 May 1967 at the Saville Theatre, and "a cast containing an unusually high proportion of Australian actors including Kerr and David Nettheim." In the 1969 London production of '' Play It Again, Sam'' at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...

, Kerr played

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...

.Simon Farquha
"Bill Kerr: Comedian and actor who began as a child star and became best known working with the Goons and Tony Hancock"
''The Independent'', 3 September 2014 In 1972 he co-starred with Anthony Newley in the Newley/Bricusse musical, ''The Good Old Bad Old Days'', which enjoyed a run lasting 309 performances. Later he had a role (with Julia McKenzie and Una Stubbs) in the musical play '' Cole'', dedicated to the work of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

and first staged at the Mermaid Theatre, London in July 1974. Kerr took the part of Bluey Notts, described as "an Australian bookie's clerk, a crude racialist", in ''The Melting Pot'' (1975). This was a sitcom written by

and Neil Shand, which was cancelled by the BBC after just one episode had been broadcast. He also appeared in several British films, such as '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) and '' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963).

Return to Australia and later life

In 1979, Kerr returned to Australia and settled in Perth, Western Australia. Now concentrating on character roles, he played serious roles in Australian films, including Peter Weir's films ''

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

'' (1981) and '' The Year of Living Dangerously'' (1982). In 1982 Kerr acted in the film '' The Pirate Movie''. He worked on the Australian stage during the 1980s, in musicals such as ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

'', where he received excellent reviews as Alfred Doolittle. Kerr played real-life Australian military personalities on three occasions, appearing as bomber pilot Micky Martin in ''The Dam Busters'' (1955), as General

John Monash General (Australia), General Sir John Monash (; 27 June 1865 – 8 October 1931) was an Australian civil engineer and military commander of the World War I, First World War. He commanded the 13th Brigade (Australia), 13th Infantry Brigade befor ...

in the TV mini-series '' Anzacs'' (1985) and as General Harry Chauvel in the film '' The Lighthorsemen'' (1986). In addition to his serious roles, he also continued to appear in comedies including the film '' The Coca-Cola Kid'' (1985) and '' Let's Get Skase'' (2001). Kerr also appeared in '' Glenview High'' (1978–79) and the television comedy series '' Minty'' (1998) and played the part of Douglas Kennedy in the soap opera '' The Young Doctors'' (1980). He was seen as Dave Welles in the Australian mini-series '' Return To Eden'' (1983) where he helped Stephanie Harper after she had been attacked by a crocodile. He reprised his role of Dave Welles in the 1985 series of '' Return To Eden'' by giving Stephanie a deed to a worthless section of land in the Northern Territory. Kerr provided the narration for the documentaries ''No Survivor – The Mysterious Loss of HMAS Sydney'' (1995) for the

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

, ''Malice or Mutiny'' (2003) for the ABC), and a series for Discovery, released in the US as '' Animal X'' (originally ''Animal X Natural Mystery Unit''). Bill Kerr 2011 Walk of Honour plaque

On 26 January 2011, Kerr received the 2011 Walk of Honour in

, which was unveiled on 17 May 2011. Kerr died in his family home in Perth, Western Australia, on 28 August 2014 at the age of 92. Kerr had been married three times. He had four children: William, Peter, Wilton and Anne. The last two were born late in Kerr's life, to his third wife, Sandra.Doug Aston, 'What Went on Behind the Curtain', Melbourne ''Age'', 3 October 1993 p. 32

Filmography

* '' Harmony Row'' (1933) – Leonard aka Sonny * '' The Silence of Dean Maitland'' (1934) – Cyril Maitland Jr. * '' Penny Points to Paradise'' (1951) – Digger Graves * '' My Death Is a Mockery'' (1952) – Hansen * '' Appointment in London'' (1952) – Bill Brown * '' You Know What Sailors Are'' (1954) – Lieutenant Smart * '' The Night My Number Came Up'' (1955) – The Soldier * '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) – Flight Lieutenant H. B. Martin, D.S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C. * '' Port of Escape'' (1956) – Dinty Missouri * '' The Shiralee'' (1957) – (uncredited) * '' The Captain's Table'' (1959) – Bill Coke * '' A Pair of Briefs'' (1962) – Victor – Club Owner * '' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963) – Jack Coombes * '' Doctor in Distress'' (1963) – Australian Sailor * '' Doctor in Clover'' (1966) – Digger * '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' (1966) – Gladiator-in-Training * ''

'' serial '' The Enemy of the World'' (1967–68, TV series) – Giles Kent * '' Tiffany Jones'' (1973) – Morton * '' Ghost in the Noonday Sun'' (1973) – Giacomo * '' Girls Come First'' (1975) – Hugh Jampton * '' House of Mortal Sin'' (1976) – Mr. Davey * '' The Young Doctors'' (1980, TV series) – Douglas Kennedy * ''

'' (1981) – Jack * '' Save the Lady'' (1982) – MacDuff * '' The Pirate Movie'' (1982) – Major General * '' The Year of Living Dangerously'' (1982) – Colonel Henderson * '' Platypus Cove'' (1983) – Mr. Anderson * '' Dusty'' (1983) – Tom Lincoln * '' Return to Eden'' (1983, TV miniseries) – Dave Welles * ''

Razorback A feral pig is a pig, domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. The term feral pig has also been applied to wild boars, which can interbreed with domestic pigs. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorb ...

'' (1984) – Jake Cullen * '' Vigil'' (1984) – Birdie * '' The Settlement'' (1984) – Kearney * '' White Man's Legend'' (1984) (TV movie) * '' A Fortunate Life'' (1985, TV miniseries) – Narrator * '' The Coca-Cola Kid'' (1985) – T. George McDowell * '' Anzacs'' (1985, TV miniseries) – Gen. Monash / General Monash * '' Relatives'' (1985) – Grandpa * '' Return to Eden'' (1986, TV series) – Dave Welles * '' The Lighthorsemen'' (1987) – General Sir Harry Chauvel * '' Running from the Guns'' (1987) – Gilman * '' Bushfire Moon'' (1987) – Trevor Watson * '' Kokoda Crescent'' (1989) – Russ * '' The New Adventures of Black Beauty'' (1990) – Samuel Burton * '' The Private War of Lucinda Smith'' (1990, miniseries) * '' Sweet Talker'' (1991) – 'Uncle' Cec * ''

The River Kings ''The River Kings'' is a 1991 Australian mini series based on the novels ''The River Kings'' (1966) and ''Conquest of the River'' (1970) by Max Fatchen. It had a budget of $3.5 million.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'' ...

'' (1991, TV miniseries) – Captain Elijah * '' Over the Hill'' (1992) – Maurice * '' Snowy'' (1993) * '' No Survivors – The Mysterious Loss of HMAS Sydney'' (1995, TV) * '' Let's Get Skase'' (2001) – Mitchell Vendieks * ''

Changi Changi ( ) is a planning area located in the geographical region of Tanah Merah in the East Region of Singapore. Sharing borders with Pasir Ris and Tampines to the west, Changi Bay to the southeast, the South China Sea to the east and the ...

'' (2001, TV miniseries) – Older Eddie * '' Peter Pan'' (2003) – Fairy Guide * '' Malice or Mutiny'' (2003, TV series) * ''Southern Cross'' (2004) – Tom Casely * '' Animal X Natural Mystery Unit'' (2004–06, TV series)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, Bill 1922 births 2014 deaths Australian male film actors Australian male radio actors Australian male television actors South African emigrants to Australia Male actors from Cape Town People from Wagga Wagga Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian expatriate male actors in the United Kingdom South African male actors