Bill Hunter

William John Hunter (27 February 194021 May 2011) was an Australian actor of film, stage and television, who was also prominent as a voice-over artist. He appeared in more than 60 films and won two AFI Awards. He was also a recipient of the Centenary Medal.

Early life William John Hunter was born on 27 February 1940 in Ballarat, Victoria, the son of William and Francie Hunter. He had a brother, John, and a sister, Marie Ann.

During his teens, Hunter was a champion swimmer, and briefly held a world record for the 100 yards freestyle until his record was broken by John Devitt in the very next heat 10 minutes later. Hunter qualified for the Australian swimming team for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, before a bout of meningitis ended his Olympic hopes.

Career Hunter made his film debut as an extra in 1957 film The Shiralee. An introduction to Ava Gardner saw him gain a job as an extra and swimming double in the Hollywood film On the Beach, which was filming in Melbourne. He took an intensive drama course in Melbourne and sailed aboard the RHMS Ellinis on New Year's Eve 1964 for England. There he won a two-year scholarship to the prestigious Northampton Repertory Company in England. In 1966, Hunter made his first television appearance, two episodes in The Ark, a serial within the third season of the BBC television drama series Doctor Who.

Hunter returned to Australia in 1967 and began working in television drama and feature films. He had interviewed with Gavrik Losey in London, making no great impression in that highly competitive atmosphere, but Losey was able to offer Hunter his first Australian film appearance in Ned Kelly in 1970 with Losey as production supervisor. Hunter often played characters who were the strong, opinionated, archetypal gruff Australian whose exterior belies a softer heart and sensibilities vulnerable to pressure.

Some of his most notable movie roles include Mad Dog Morgan (1976), Newsfront (1978), Gallipoli (1981), The Dismissal, Scales of Justice (1983), Strictly Ballroom (1992), Muriel's Wedding (1994), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and Australia (2008). In 2007, he reprised the role of Bob in the Australian touring stage production of Priscilla. He also provided the voice of the dentist in Finding Nemo (2003) and the voice of Bubo in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010). He portrayed United Nations Secretary General Spencer Chartwell in the American science fiction series Space: Above and Beyond. His last film role was in The Cup (2011).

Of acting, Hunter said, "As long as the director told me where to stand and what to say, I was happy. Anyone who says there's any more to it than that, is full of bullshit. ... It's a job. It is a craft, but there's no art involved. What you need is common sense and a reasonably rough head. You put on the makeup and the wardrobe, and that is half the performance. That upsets the purists, but never mind, they don't work as much as I do."

Awards and honours Hunter won the 1978 AFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Newsfront, and the 1981 Best Supporting Actor award for Gallipoli.

In 2001, he was awarded the Centenary Medal "for service to acting, including the films Gallipoli and Frontline.

Personal life Hunter was a supporter of the Australian Labor Party, appearing in the party's official 1996 Federal Election Campaign advertisement.

Hunter's first marriage was to Robbie Anderson from 1963 to 1973, with whom he had a son, named James Hunter. His next marriage was to actress Pat Bishop, in 1976.

His third marriage was to artist and television presenter Rhoda Roberts, in 1993. They lived together until 1999, when he suddenly announced that he wanted to leave the marriage. She did not know why until he visited her shortly before his death in 2011 and told her that he did not want her to have to nurse him. They did not, however, get divorced. She also said that, despite the common perception that he contracted liver cancer because he drank too much, he was in Alcoholics Anonymous when they met and was not a drunk.

Death On 15 May 2011, Hunter was admitted to Caritas Christi hospice in Kew, after refusing to go to a hospital. Surrounded by family and friends, he died of liver cancer on 21 May 2011, aged 71.

A memorial service for Hunter was held at Melbourne's Princess Theatre on 26 May 2011. Close friend and co-star Mick Molloy paid tribute to Bill Hunter on stage at the 54th Logie Awards in April 2012.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1970 Ned Kelly Officer (uncredited) Feature film 1974 27A Cornish Feature film 1974 Stone Barman Feature film 1975 The Man from Hong Kong (a.k.a. The Dragon Flies) Peterson Feature film 1976 Eliza Fraser Youlden Feature film 1976 Mad Dog Morgan Sgt. Smith Feature film 1977 Backroads Jack Feature film 1978 In Search of Anna Peter Feature film 1978 Newsfront Len Maguire Feature filmAFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role 1978 Weekend of Shadows Bosun Feature film 1980 Dead Man's Float (a.k.a. Smuggler’s Cove) Eddie Bell Feature film 1980 Hard Knocks Brady Feature film 1981 Gallipoli Major Barton Feature filmAFI Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1981 Stephen Feature film 1982 Heatwave Robert Duncan Feature film 1982 Far East Walker Feature film 1983 The Hit Harry Feature film 1983 The Return of Captain Invincible Tupper / Coach Feature film 1984 Street Hero Detective Fitzpatrick Feature film 1985 An Indecent Obsession Colonel Chinstrap Feature film 1985 Rebel Browning Feature film 1986 Death of a Soldier Detective Sgt. Adams Feature film 1986 Sky Pirates O'Reilly Feature film 1987 The Shiralee Extra TV film 1988 Rikky and Pete Whitstead Feature film 1989 Fever Sgt. Jack Welles Feature film 1989 Mull Frank Mullens Feature film 1989 Police State TV film 1990 Call Me Mr. Brown Detective Sergeant ‘Jim’ Jack McNeill Feature film 1991 Deadly Vernon Giles Feature film 1992 Beth's Father Feature film 1992 Strictly Ballroom Barry Fife Feature film 1993 Broken Highway Wilson Feature film 1993 The Custodian Managing director Feature film 1993 Shotgun Wedding Police Commissioner Andrews Feature film 1994 Bob Feature film 1994 Everynight ... Everynight Berriman Feature film 1994 Muriel's Wedding Bill Heslop Feature film 1996 Cody: Fall from Grace Sam Wolfe TV film 1996 Race the Sun Commissioner Hawkes Feature film 1996 River Street Vincent Pierce Feature film 1997 Road to Nhill Bob Feature film 1998 15 Amore Brendan (voice) Feature film 1998 Cooper (uncredited) TV film 2000 On the Beach Prime Minister Seaton TV film 2002 Crackerjack Stan Coombs Feature film 2003 Finding Nemo Dentist Philip Sherman Feature film 2003 Bad Eggs Ted Pratt Feature film 2003 Horseplay Barry Coxhead 2003 Kangaroo Jack Blue Feature film 2004 Tom White Malcolm Feature film 2008 Gil Hubbard Feature film 2008 Australia Skipper (Qantas Sloop) Feature film 2010 The Wedding Party Priest Feature film 2010 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole Bubo (voice) Animated feature film 2011 Red Dog Himself Feature film (posthumous release) 2011 Bart Cummings Feature filmFinal film appearance (posthumous release)

Television Year Title Role Notes 1966 Doctor Who – The Ark Guardian (uncredited) TV series2 episodes: "The Steel Sky", "The Plague'" 1977 Beyond Reasonable Doubt Ronald Ryan Documentary series 1984 The Keepers Jack Wolfe TV series 1989 Cassidy Charles Parnell Cassidy Miniseries 1992 The Leaving of Liverpool Father O'Neill Miniseries 1993 Stark Ocker Tyron Miniseries 1995 Blue Murder Angus McDonald Miniseries 1995–96 Space: Above And Beyond United Nations Secretary General Spencer Chartwell TV series 1998 A Difficult Woman Paul Scanlon Miniseries 2006 Two Twisted Grandfather TV series 2010 The Pacific James Miniseries

Theatre Hunter's theatre roles included: Year Title Role Notes 1961 The World of Suzie Wong Palais Theatre 1973 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Nimrod Street Theatre 1974 Well Hung Nimrod Upstairs 1975 Down Under Stables Theatre 1976 The Season at Sarsaparilla Rowley Masson Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre 1979 Makassar Reef Perry Glasson Nimrod Upstairs 1979 Errol Flynn's Great Big Adventure Book for Boys Errol Flynn Russell Street Theatre 1991 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Roo Seymour Centre 2000 The Caribbean Tempest Royal Botanic Garden 2007–08 Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Bob Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Civic Theatre, Auckland, Lyric Theatre, Sydney