Jeff Kevin

Jeffrey Kevin (born 1944) is an Australian actor, theatre director, choreographer, writer, and former drama lecturer best known for his role in the television soap opera Number 96, from 1972 to 1977 as Arnold Feather for 338 episodes.

His character was involved in some of the more-remarkable story lines in the program, including his marriage to Patti Olsen and her subsequent death at the hands of the "Pantyhose Strangler". He also fell in love with Robyn Ross, who he did not realise was transgender. That broke new ground for a TV serial, in that Ross was played by cabaret artist Carlotta, who was the first transgender actress to portray a transgender character anywhere in the world.

Career Jeffrey Kevin was born in 1944 and started his performance career in theatre in the late 1960s and by the early 1970s, started appearing in several television guest appearances, including roles in the Crawford Productions police dramas Homicide and Division 4, and in police dramas The Long Arm and The Link Men.

In 1972, Kevin was cast in the comedic role of 19-year-old, unlucky-in-love Arnold Feather in the soap opera Number 96, although Kevin was 27 at the time. The role was created by series screenwriter Johnny Whyte. Feather continued in the role from mid-1972 until the series ended in August 1977. He also appeared in the series' 1974 spin-off film, Number 96. During 1977, Arnold's character was briefly phased out and replaced by his twin brother, Charles "Chook" Feather, also played by Kevin.

In the late 1970s, he acted in the serial The Sullivans and made an appearance in Skyways. In 1988, he briefly acted in the soap opera Home and Away as Catholic priest Father Rawlings.

In 2003, Kevin became a drama lecturer at Wollongong University he since retired, but as of 2021 and 2025 still works as an actor and director in occasionally local theatre.

Personal life Kevin married English-born Australian actress and model, Suzanne Church (born , in August 1977. She had also appeared in Number 96, as Jane Chester.

Filmography Year Title Role Type 1969 Division 4 Gary Vickers TV series 1969 Voyage Out Peter TV movie 1970 The Link Men Benito Costello TV series 1970 The Long Arm Tony TV series 1970 Eden House Bernie TV movie 1969–71 Homicide Various roles TV series 1972–77 Number 96 Arnold Feather / Chook Feather TV series 1974 Number 96 Arnold Feather TV movie The Sullivans TV series 1979–81 Skyways Geoff Goodwin TV series 1988 Home and Away Father Rawlings TV series 1991 The Miraculous Mellops Mr. O'Neil TV series 1993 Tonight Live with Steve Vizard Guest TV series

Theatre source: AusStage database Production Writer/Company Year Shows Production Status Type Reference Two Programs of Short Plays Writer-Michael Thomas/ NIDA production company 1966 (September) 1 non-world premiere/Australian English spoken word/one act EI = 153773 Point of Departure Jean Anouilh / NIDA 1967 1 non-world premiere spoken word//historical EI Three Men on a Horse George Abbott/John Cecil Holm 1967 1 non-world premiere (US English) (Broadway original) spoken word/comedy farce The Winter's Tale Shakespeare 1967 (July) 1 non-world premiere (British English) spoken word/romantic/tragi-comedy 3661 The Rise and Fall of Boronia Aveunue Tony Morphett 1969 1 Australian premiere production spoken word/Australian National Identity Rooted Alexander Buzo/NIDA production 1969 1 Australian premiere production spoken word/Australian National Identity The Legend of King O'Malley Michael Boddy 1971 1 non-world premiere/tour production Musical theatre (Historical/Musical/Musical Biography) Edward John Eyre/The Soldier's Tale 1971 featuring New Sydney Woodwind Quintet and Sinfonia of Sydney) 1 World premiere Operetta/Musical Theatre EI= 154327 King Edward (note; Kevin serves here as stage director) William Leonard Marshall 1971 1 Australian premiere production spoken word /one man show Gordon Chater 248205 Truth David Young 19711 Australian premiere production spoken word/historical Childhead's Doll Willy Young 1971 1 Australian premiere production Musical Small Craft Warnings Tennessee Williams/Independent Theatre 1974 1 non-world premiere spoken word/drama Star Turns 1978 1 Musical production Bedroom Farce Alan Ayckbourn 1980 9 shows (tour) National tour (English Australia) spoken word Same Time, Next Year (play) Bernard Slade 1986 1 non-world premiere spoken word Trumpets and Raspberries Dario Fo 1987 1 non-world premiere (original text Italian) Comedy/Satire Juno and the Paycock Sean O'Casey 1988 1 Professional, (non world premiere) Irish Comedy/Tragedy EI 74287 Mother Courage Bertolt Brecht 1989 1 non-world premiere (German) Theatre (spoken word) ET 1829 Hating Alison Ashley (novel) Richard Tullock 1989 1 non-world premiere spoken word/Youth theatre The Christian Brothers Ron Blair' 1991 2 non-world premiere theatre - spoken word The Cherry Orchard Anton Chekhov 1991 spoken word EI 15845 The Tragedy of Richard III Shakespeare 1992 3 shows Theatre (spoken word) Twelfth Night Shakespeare 1993 Theatre (spoken word (English Australian)) 145252 A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens 1993 2 shows (return season) Theatre (spoken word (English Australian) The Time is Not Yet Ripe Louis Esson 1996 non-world premiere Theatre (spoken word) Hamlet Shakespeare 2002 4 shows Theatre/drama (spoken. word) EI 19224 Kangaroo Adaptation of D. H. Lawrence novel 2003 1 World premiere Theatre (spoken word) The Stranger Agatha Christie 2021 1 World premiere theatre (spoken word) The Last Resort 2023 1 Theatre (spoken word/Comedy/drama The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams 2023 1 Theatre (spokon word) Shakespeare R and J as Director 2025 1 Theatre (spoken word)