Ron Blanchard

Ronald Blanchard (born 1945) is an Australian stage, television and film actor.

He is best known as a character actor, and for his starring roles in five popular children's television series Breakfast-a-Go-Go, The Lost Islands, Alexander Bunyip's Billabong, Watch This Space and Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin.

Blanchard had numerous appearances on television series and films from the late 1960s up until the late 1990s, most especially, his recurring guest role as Lenny Sawyer on A Country Practice but has since returned to theatre work. He made his film debut in a supporting role in Caddie in 1976 and appeared in the 1997 film Oscar and Lucinda.

Biography Blanchard got his start in theatre in a production of MacBeth in 1957 and his first big break on the small screen when he appeared on the children's variety show Breakfast-a-Go-Go in 1969 as 'Witless Wonder', the comedic sidekick of new host Sue Smith. In 1972 he appeared as a guest star on the soap opera Number 96 and on the comedy series Snake Gully with Dad and Dave.

He continued working on-and-off for the next several years and, in 1976, Blanchard landed the part of the villainous Quell on the children's adventure series The Lost Islands. As one of the show's main antagonists, the series provided his breakout role.

As well as appearing on The Outsiders, in the same year he also made his film debut with a supporting role in Caddie. He followed this with appearances on The Garry McDonald Show (1977), Alexander Bunyip's Billabong (1978), Doctor Down Under (1979) and, most notably, co-starring with Paul Chubb in the children's science fiction series Watch This Space (1982). He began to work more regularly during the early 1980s and had parts in the television movie Chase Through the Night (1983), miniseries The Last Bastion (1984) and films Silver City (1984), Warming Up (1985) and Burke & Wills (1985).

In January 1986, he joined former co-star Paul Chubb and Perry Quinton in a pantomime called Humpty Dumpty. It featured the fictional characters of the Harry and Ralph Show at the Footbridge Theatre. In the same year, he starred in yet another children's television series, the popular but short-lived Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin. After a supporting role in the thriller film Dark Age (1987), he returned to television acting with guest appearances in Mother and Son (1988), True Believers (1988) and G.P. (1991). That same year, he also had a minor role in the action film Gotcha (1991).

Beginning in 1992, Blanchard had a recurring role as Lenny Sawyer on the television series A Country Practice. His last regular acting role was in the film Country Life (1994), although he made appearances in the television movie Hart to Hart: Harts in High Season (1996) and the romance film Oscar and Lucinda (1997).

For the past 12 years, he has been travelling the world playing the role of an English butler for the famous Swedish illusionist Joe Labero.

Selected filmography

Film Production Year Role Type Caddie 1976 Bill Feature film Chase Through the Night 1982 Mert TV movie Silver City 1984 Arthur Calwell Feature film Burke & Wills 1985 Bill Patton Feature film Warming Up 1986 Len Feature film Dark Age 1987 Bluey Noakes Feature film Rock 'N' Roll Cowboys 1987 Uncle Sam TV movie Gotcha 1991 Tuba Player TV short film Country Life 1994 Wally Wells Feature film Hart to Hart: Harts in High Season 1996 TV movie Oscar and Lucinda 1997 Steamer Captain Feature film

Television Production Year Role Type Breakfast-a-Go-Go 1969 Witless Wonder TV series Snake Gully with Dad and Dave 1972 Doug Creedy TV series, episode: "Hold that Tiger" Number 96 1973 Dennis Parker TV series Certain Women 1974 TV series, 1 episode Alvin Purple 1976 Curly TV series The Outsiders 1976 Hannan TV series, episode: "Ghost Town" The Lost Islands 1976 Quell TV series, 26 episodes The Garry McDonald Show 1977 Various TV series Alexander Bunyip's Billabong 1978-88 Ron TV series Doctor Down Under 1979 First Wardsman TV series, episode "Identity Crisis" Tickled Pink 1981 TV series, episode: "Three Blind Mice" Watch This Space 1982 Ron TV series The Last Bastion 1984 Arthur TV miniseries Professor Poopsnaggle and His Flying Zeppelin 1985 Murk TV series, 24 episodes Mother and Son 1988 Emile the fridge repairman TV series, episode "The Fridge" True Believers 1988 Arthur Calwell TV miniseries, episodes Rafferty's Rules 1991 Jones Worthington TV series, episode "Best and Brightest" G.P. 1991 Ron Slater TV seriesA Country Practice 1985 Kevin Crooke TV series, 4 episodes A Country Practice 1992-93 Norman Leonard "Lennie" Sawyer TV series, 12 episodes Home and Away 1989-93 Athletic Official, Peter Braithwaite TV series