John Meillon

John Meillon was an Australian character actor and voice-over artist who had a prolific career in film, television, radio and theatre. He was known for his versatility and ability to portray a wide range of characters, from comedy to drama, from urban to rural, from Australian to foreign. He was also famous for his distinctive baritone voice, which he used in many voice-over works, most notably for Victoria Bitter beer commercials. Meillon was born on 1 May 1934 in Mosman, Sydney, as the eldest of three children of Theodor Boesan Meillon, a clerk, and Florence Beatrice "Jill" Meillon (née Callaghan), who were both founding members of the Mosman Children's Theatre Club. He began his acting career at the age of 11 in the ABC radio serial Stumpy, and made his first stage appearance the following year. He joined the John Alden Shakespeare Touring Company when he was 16 and appeared in a number of early Australian TV plays. Like many actors of his generation, he worked in England from 1959 to 1965, but consciously steered away from Australian roles. He claimed that he learned discipline while working in theatre, and that television was not a good medium for training. He returned to Australia in 1966 and became a household name for his roles in popular TV series such as My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?, Rita and Wally, The Aunty Jack Show and Kingswood Country. He also appeared in several Australian New Wave films, such as They're a Weird Mob, Wake in Fright, The Cars That Ate Paris, The Fourth Wish (for which he won the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role), The Picture Show Man and The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith. He achieved international fame as Walter Reilly, the eccentric bushman friend of Paul Hogan's Mick Dundee, in the films Crocodile Dundee and Crocodile Dundee II. Meillon was married twice and had two children. His first wife was actress June Salter, whom he married in 1958 and divorced in 1971. They had one son, John Meillon Jr., who also became an actor. His second wife was actress Bunny Gibson, whom he married in 1972 and remained with until his death. They had one daughter, Justine Meillon. Meillon was appointed an OBE in the 1979 Queen's Birthday Honours for service to theatre. In June 1980, his favourite pub, The Oaks at Neutral Bay, opened The John Meillon OBE Bar in his honour. He continued to frequent the bar over the following decade, despite his declining health due to alcoholism. He died of cirrhosis on 11 August 1989 at his home in Neutral Bay. He was posthumously awarded the Raymond Longford Lifetime Achievement Award by the Australian Film Institute.