BILL KERR has died Aged 92 Australian Actor

The Australian Actor Bill Kerr has died aged 92 at his home in Perth. He was born in Cape Town in 1924 he grew up in Wagga Wagga in NSW and appeared as a child actor in two important early Australian films – Harmony Row and The Silence of Dean Maitland.

 

After serving in WWII, he moved to London to pursue an acting career and picked up roles in radio before appearing in films including The Dam Busters and The Night My Number Came Up. He was very popular in Britain in the 50s as one of the sidekicks of Tony Hancock in Hancock's half hour. However, his character became increasingly simple as the series progressed and I always felt that this did not portray Australians in the best light. His career was diverse, with roles ranging from playing a villain in Dr Who in the 60s to comedy skits on the Benny Hill Show.

 

Like many Australian actors who moved to Britain in the 5os, Bill Kerr took on any role that he was offered including the theatre in London's West End. When he returned to Australia, he appeared in the TV series Glenview High and The Young Doctors and had a significant role in Gallipoli with Mel Gibson. One of the few films that he received top billing was for his role in Dusty in 1983.

 

He went on to appear in Razorback, The Lighthorsemen and Let's Get Skase interspersed with roles in television series and voice work. Bill Kerr continued to work up until recently. In 2013 he recorded a recitation of the Alfred Noyes Poem The Highwayman which appears on YouTube  

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