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 Aus ...

radio, stage, television and film actor.

Early life 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 navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

, 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, commonly shortened to Central, is a drama school 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 ...

in London, making his stage debut in 1947 and he featured in the 1952 J.C. Williamson production of '' Seagulls Over Sorrento''. He would also appear in the 1960 TV production of the play.

Television and film

According to screenwriter Richard Lane "in that first decade of television it seemed that Brian James was everywhere." James appeared in several ABC drama plays in the late 1950s, including ''Duke In Darkness'' and '' Killer in Close-Up: The Wallace Case'' in 1957, '' Gaslight'', ''The Small Victory'', ''The Public Prosecutor'', and ''The Governess'' (all 1958), ''Crime Passionel'', ''

Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

'', 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 '' Seagulls Over Sorrento'' 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 drama series ''

Jonah Jonah the son of Amittai or Jonas ( , ) is a Jewish prophet from Gath-hepher in the Northern Kingdom of Israel around the 8th century BCE according to the Hebrew Bible. He is the central figure of the Book of Jonah, one of the minor proph ...

''. 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'' 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 or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...

'' (aka ''Prisoner: 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 ''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 ...

'' in the late 1980s. On film, he made an uncredited appearance as a naval officer in the 1959

Stanley Kramer Stanley Earl Kramer (September 29, 1913February 19, 2001) was an American film director and producer, responsible for making many of Hollywood's most famous " message films" (he called his movies ''heavy dramas'') and a liberal movie icon.

film '' On the Beach''. He also played screen father to

Meryl Streep Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...

in '' A Cry in the Dark'', the 1988 movie about the Lindy Chamberlain court case.

Personal life and death

Brian James had served with the

during

World War II 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 ...

. He died at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, of complications following a fall in 2009 aged 91.

Filmography

Television

References

External links

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