Robert James Hornery (28 May 1931 – 26 May 2015) was an Australian actor. He won both the

Helpmann Award The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

s and the

Equity Awards The Equity Ensemble Awards (or Equity Awards) are an Australian awards system, that is an accolade presented by The Equity Foundation, the performers branch of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). The awards have been presented annua ...

lifetime achievement award, with a career spanning 60 years, in both Britain and Australia. He was well known for his ability to ad lib.

Early life and education

Robert Hornery was born on 28 May 1931, in

Randwick, New South Wales Randwick is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government ar ...

, to Edward Hornery, a sales rep, and his wife, Veronica (née Gallen). He appeared in plays at the local Catholic secondary school, Marcellin College. Upon leaving school, he worked as a booking clerk for Butler Airways. During this period, he also performed in revues with amateur companies.

Career

Theatre

Hornery started his career in theatre in 1949, and made his professional debut in 1953, when he played Eustace Smell, the town crier and sidekick, in a production of

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale with ancient origins. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition :File:Round about our Coal Fire, or, Christmas Entertainments, 4th edn, 1734.pdf, On C ...

, at

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 ...

's Capitol Theatre. As well as other stage roles, he appeared in the stage production of ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1892), ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1893) and ''An Ideal Husban ...

'' as the Rev. Canon Chasuble. This ran from 1988 to 1992 and was televised by the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

. He was particularly associated with the

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...

, and with roles ranging from comic to the dramatic, including '' The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin'' and ''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specif ...

''.

Screen

He also appeared in Australian film and television production including '' Thunderstone'' and guested in ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...

'' as the father of

Karl Kennedy Karl Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Alan Fletcher. The actor previously appeared in the soap in 1987 as mechanic Greg Cooper. He made his first screen appearance as Karl during the episo ...

, Tom Kennedy. He appeared in the television series ''

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 ...

'' and ''

Sapphire and Steel Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name ''sapphire ...

''. His film roles included ''

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome ''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'' (also known as ''Mad Max 3'') is a 1985 Australian post-apocalyptic dystopian action film directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie and written by Terry Hayes and Miller. It is the third installment in the ''M ...

'' and '' Crackerjack''.

Personal life and death

In 1973, Hornery married Patricia Allen. They had a daughter, Jane. He died on 26 May 2015 after a long cancer illness, two days before his 84th birthday. He was survived by his wife, daughter and stepson, Max Allen.

Filmography

Film roles

*''Phoelix'' (1980) - Queen Nefertiti *''

Britannia Hospital ''Britannia Hospital'' is a 1982 British black comedy film, directed by Lindsay Anderson, which targets the National Health Service and contemporary British society. It was entered into the 1982 Cannes Film Festival and Fantasporto. ''Britannia ...

'' (1982) - BBC Cameraman *'' Stanley: Every Home Should Have One'' (1984) - Dr Chambers *''

'' (1985) - Waterseller *''

Ground Zero A hypocenter or hypocentre (), also called ground zero or surface zero, is the point on the Earth's surface directly below a nuclear explosion, meteor air burst, or other mid-air explosion. In seismology, the hypocenter of an earthquake is its p ...

'' (1987) - Meteorologist *'' Road to Nhill'' (1997) - Alvin *'' Crackerjack'' (2002) - Ron

References

External links

Bob Hornery
- Stage acting credits * "The Importance of Being Earnest" — (information and photos): *http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=1549 *http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=12571 *http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=12850 *http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=14306 *http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=13283 *http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104490/ *http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an23386505 *http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an23386438 * 1931 births 2015 deaths Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Helpmann Award winners People educated at Marcellin College Randwick {{Australia-actor-stub