Frank Edward Wilson (11 April 1924 – 24 October 2005) was an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n film, stage and television actor; musical comedy singer and director; and television game show and variety host.

Early life

Frank Wilson was born in 1924 in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote. He left school at the age of 13. In 1943, he joined the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

, where he served as a

Signalman A signalman is a rank who makes signals using flags and light. The role has evolved and now usually uses electronic communication equipment. Signalmen usually work in rail transport networks, armed forces, or construction (to direct heavy equi ...

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

until his discharge in 1945.

Career

He began acting in 1947, when he appeared at Melbourne's Tivoli Theatre. Wilson had a small role as a cane cutter in ''Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' (1959). His best-known film appearances were in '' The Club'' (by

David Williamson David Keith Williamson (born 1942) is an Australian playwright, who has also written screenplays and teleplays. He became known in the early 1970s with his political comic drama '' Don's Party'', and other well-known plays include '' The Clu ...

; a role that Wilson had created on stage), '' Crackerjack'', ''

Breaker Morant Harry Harbord "Breaker" Morant (born Edwin Henry Murrant, 9 December 1864 – 27 February 1902) was an English horseman, bush balladist, military officer, and war criminal who was convicted and executed for murdering nine prisoners-of-war ...

'', '' Black Robe'' and ''

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

''. He also appeared in the 1957 Charlie Chaplin film A King in New York. On television he appeared in ''

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 ...

'' (a mini-series written by John Doyle), '' SeaChange'', ''

Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for twelve years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted th ...

'', '' Water Rats'', ''

Power Without Glory ''Power Without Glory'' is a 1950 historical novel written by Australian author Frank Hardy, following the life and ambitions of John West, a politician born into a working-class family who rises to prominence in Australian federal politics. ...

'', ''

A Country Practice ''A Country Practice'' is an Australian television soap opera/serial which was broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 22 November 1993, and subsequently on Network Ten from 13 April 1994 to 5 November 1994. Altogether, 14 ...

'', '' Bellbird'', '' Doctor Down Under'' and other programs. His stage work included ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

'', ''

Wonderful Town ''Wonderful Town'' is a 1953 musical theatre, musical with book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Leonard Bernstein. The musical tells the story of two sisters who aspire to be ...

'', ''

Lola Montez Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludw ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (which he directed), and as ''Falstaff'' in Shakespeare's ''

Henry IV, Part 2 ''Henry IV, Part 2'' is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by '' Richard II'' and ''Henry IV, Part 1'' and succeeded by '' Henry V''. The p ...

''. David Williamson wrote the character of Frank in ''Travelling North'' for Wilson, having admired his interpretation of Jock Riley in ''The Club''. However, after creating Frank on stage, Wilson was not given the role in the film adaptation — it went to

Leo McKern Reginald "Leo" McKern (16 March 1920 – 23 July 2002) was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British, Australian and American television programmes and films, and in more than 200 stage roles. His notable roles include Clang in ...

instead. To television audiences, he was the well-known and encouraging compere for the influential amateur

talent show A talent show or talent contest is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are p ...

''New Faces'' throughout the 1960s to mid-70s.

Awards

He won a

Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Television in Australia, Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The eve ...

for Best Compere in 1972 for ''

New Faces ''New Faces'' is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central. Original series: ...

''. His last role, in the short film ''The Chess Set'' (by Alexander Murawski) won the Best Actor award at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. Wilson heard this news the day before he died.

Family

Wilson and his wife Beryl had 4 children: Amanda, Damien (dec), Matthew and Shauna. Matthew and Shauna went on to become child actors. He had 7 grandchildren.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

*
Frank Wilson at Filmbug
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Frank 1924 births 2005 deaths Diabetes-related deaths Australian male film actors Australian game show hosts Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers Male actors from Melbourne People from Northcote, Victoria Military personnel from Melbourne Television personalities from Melbourne