Bill Kerr

Bill Kerr

  • Birthday: 1922-06-10
  • Deathday: 2014-08-28
  • Place of birth: Cape Town, South Africa
  • Also know as: William Henry Kerr

Biography

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   William Henry Kerr (10 June 1922 – 28 August 2014) was a British and Australian film and television actor. He was born into a performing arts family in Cape Town, South Africa, but grew up in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. He began working as a child actor in depression era Australia, taking his first major role in The Silence of Dean Maitland, one of Australia's first talking films. After serving in the Second World War, Kerr moved to England to further his acting career, and during the 1940s he was regularly featured in the BBC radio series Variety Bandbox. His trademark was his catch phrase "I'm only here for 4 minutes..." In the 1950s, he had a recurring role as an Australian lodger in the BBC radio comedy series Hancock's Half Hour. Initially sharper than Hancock's characterisation, it was developed into a more dim-witted character who became the butt of Hancock's jokes. His television appearances in Britain include a 1968 Doctor Who story called The Enemy of the World, with Patrick Troughton, and a long running part in the early 1960s BBC-TV soap, Compact. Bill Kerr had much theatrical success in Britain, playing The Devil in the original West End production of Damn Yankees, directed by Bob Fosse, and Cole. He also worked with Spike Milligan. He appeared in Milligan and John Antrobus's stage play The Bed-Sitting Room, which opened at the Mermaid Theatre on 31 January 1963. A subsequent production opened on 3 May 1967 at the Saville Theatre, and "a cast containing an unusually high proportion of Australian actors including Bill Kerr and David Nettheim." Then in 1972 he co-starred with Anthony Newley in the long running Newley/Bricusse musical, The Good Old Bad Old Days. In 1975, Kerr took the part of Bluey Notts, described as "an Australian bookie's clerk, a crude racialist", in The Melting Pot. This was a sitcom written by Spike Milligan and Neil Shand, which was cancelled by the BBC after just one episode had been broadcast. He also appeared in several British films, including The Dam Busters and The Wrong Arm of the Law, before moving back to Australia. Although probably best known as a comic actor, and especially for his appearances in Hancock's Half Hour, he has since played a number of serious roles, notably in Peter Weir's films Gallipoli (1981) and The Year of Living Dangerously (1982). He also worked on the Australian stage in the 1980s, in musicals such as My Fair Lady, where he received excellent reviews as Alfred Doolittle. In 2001, he appeared in the Australian comedy Let's Get Skase. Kerr also appeared in Glenview High and the 1998 television comedy series Minty. Kerr has also been involved in documentaries, providing the narration for No Survivor - The Mysterious Loss of HMAS Sydney Nine Network Australia (1995), Malice or Mutiny for the ABC Australia 2003 and Animal X Natural Mystery Unit series for Discovery in the US, TV2 Norway and many others. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bill Kerr, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

Dusty

1983

As Tom Lincoln

The Settlement

1984

As Kearney

Great Expectations

1983

As (Voice)

Girls Come First

1975

As Hugh Jampton

My Death Is a Mockery

1952

As Hansen

Gallipoli

1981

As Jack

Razorback

1984

As Jake Cullen

Vigil

1984

As Birdie

Kokoda Crescent

1989

As Russ

The Coca-Cola Kid

1985

As T. George McDowell

Port of Escape

1956

As Dinty Missouri

The Pirate Movie

1982

As Major General

Bushfire Moon

1987

As Trevor Watson

Let's Get Skase

2001

As Mitchell Vendieks

Deadline

1982

As Willliam Ashby

Double Sculls

1986

As Curly

Sweet Talker

1991

As 'Uncle' Cec

The Year of Living Dangerously

1982

As Colonel Henderson

Harmony Row

1933

As Leonard

Over the Hill

1992

As Maurice

Save the Lady

1981

As MacDuff

The Wrong Arm of the Law

1963

As Jack Coombes

Appointment in London

1953

As Bill Brown

Rob Roy

1987

As

The Captain's Table

1959

As Bill Coke

Penny Points to Paradise

1951

As Digger Graves

The Lighthorsemen

1987

As Gen. Sir Harry Chauvel

Ghost in the Noonday Sun

1973

As Giacomo

House of Mortal Sin

1976

As Mrs. Davey

Platypus Cove

1986

As Mr. Anderson

House of Mortal Sin

1976

As Mr. Davey

A Pair of Briefs

1962

As Victor

Peter Pan

2003

As Fairy Guide

Doctor in Distress

1963

As Australian Sailor

A Pair of Briefs

1962

As Victor - Club Owner

Doctor in Clover

1966

As Digger

The Dam Busters

1955

As Flight Lieutenant H. B. Martin, D.S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C.

The Shiralee

1957

As Shopkeeper (uncredited)

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