William John Hunter (27 February 194021 May 2011) was an Australian actor of film, stage and television, who was also prominent as a voice-over artist. He appeared in more than 60 films and won two AFI Awards. He was also a recipient of the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate ...

Early life

Hunter was born in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

, Victoria, the son of William and Francie Hunter. He had a brother, John, and a sister, Marie Ann. During his teens, Hunter was a champion swimmer, and briefly held a world record for the 100 yards freestyle until his record was broken by John Devitt in the very next heat 10 minutes later.Atterton, Margot; Alan Veitch: ''The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Australian Showbiz'' (1984). Hunter qualified for the Australian swimming team for the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, wh ...

in Melbourne, Australia before a bout of

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion ...

ended his Olympic hopes.

Career

Hunter made his film debut as an extra in 1957 film '' The Shiralee''. An introduction to

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...

saw him gain a job as an extra and swimming double in the Hollywood film '' On the Beach'', which was filming in Melbourne. Hunter claimed that he was inspired to take up acting after watching one of the leads (variously claimed to be either

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...

or Fred Astaire) do 27 takes of a scene, and thinking he could do better.Bill Hunter faces the final curtain
''Herald Sun'', 19 May 2011. He took an intensive drama course in Melbourne and sailed aboard the

RHMS Ellinis SS ''Lurline'' was the third Matson Lines vessel to hold that name and the last of four fast and luxurious ocean liners that Matson built for the Hawaii and Australasia runs from the West Coast of the United States. ''Lurline''s sister ships wer ...

on New Year's Eve 1964 for England. There he won a two-year scholarship to the prestigious

Northampton Repertory Company Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

in England. In 1966, Hunter made his first television appearance, two episodes in '' The Ark'', a serial within the third season of the BBC television drama series '' Doctor Who''. Hunter returned to Australia in 1967 and began working in television drama and feature films. He had interviewed with

Gavrik Losey Gavrik Losey (born 1938) is an American-born participant in various aspects of filmmaking including producer and production manager. Gavrik was born in New York, the son of film director Joseph Losey and fashion designer Elizabeth Hawes. He att ...

in London making no great impression in that highly competitive atmosphere but Losey was able to offer Hunter his first Australian film appearance in Ned Kelly when it came into being in Australia with Losey as production supervisor. Hunter often played characters who were the strong, opinionated, archetypal gruff Australian whose exterior belies a softer heart and sensibilities vulnerable to pressure. Some of his most notable movie roles include '' Mad Dog Morgan'' (1976), '' Newsfront'' (1978), '' Gallipoli'' (1981), ''

The Dismissal The 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, also known simply as the Dismissal, culminated on 11 November 1975 with the dismissal from office of the prime minister, Gough Whitlam of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), by Governor-General Sir Joh ...

'', '' Scales of Justice'' (1983), '' Strictly Ballroom'' (1992), '' Muriel's Wedding'' (1994), '' The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' (1994) and '' Australia'' (2008). In 2007, he reprised the role of Bob in the Australian touring stage production of ''Priscilla''. He also provided the voice of the dentist in '' Finding Nemo'' (2003) and the voice of Bubo in '' Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole'' (2010). He portrayed United Nations Secretary General Spencer Chartwell in the American science fiction series '' Space: Above and Beyond''. His last film role was in '' The Cup'' (2011). Of acting, Hunter said, "As long as the director told me where to stand and what to say, I was happy. Anyone who says there's any more to it than that, is full of bullshit. ... It's a job. It is a craft, but there's no art involved. What you need is common sense and a reasonably rough head. You put on the makeup and the wardrobe, and that is half the performance. That upsets the purists, but never mind, they don't work as much as I do."

Personal life and death

Hunter's first marriage was to Robbie Anderson from 1963 to 1973, with whom he had a son, named James Hunter. His next marriage was to actress

Pat Bishop Patricia Mary Bishop (13 June 1946 – 28 March 2000) was an Australian actress, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland noted for her performances in theatre, film and television series. She was married to the renowned Australian actor Bill Hunter ...

, in 1976. According to writer Bob Ellis, the marriage was short-lived after Hunter ran off with their marriage celebrant. His third marriage was to artist and television presenter

Rhoda Roberts Rhoda Ann Roberts (born 1959) is an Australian actress, director and arts executive. Born in Canterbury Hospital in Sydney in 1959, Bundjalung woman Roberts grew up and completed Year 10 in Lismore, then moved back to Sydney where she quali ...

, from 1993 until their divorce in 1999. Hunter was a supporter of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms ...

, appearing in the party's official 1996 Federal Election Campaign advertisement. On 15 May 2011, Hunter was admitted to Caritas Christi hospice in Kew after refusing to go to a hospital. Surrounded by family and friends, he died of

Liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

on 21 May 2011, aged 71. A memorial service for Hunter was held at Melbourne's Princess Theatre on 26 May 2011. Close friend and co-star

Mick Molloy Michael Molloy (born 11 July 1966) is an Australian comedian, writer, producer, actor and television and radio presenter who has been active in radio, television, stand-up and film. He currently hosts '' The Front Bar'' on the Seven Network. ...

paid tribute to Bill Hunter on stage at the 54th Logie Awards in April 2012.

Filmography

Awards and honours

Hunter won the 1978 AFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for '' Newsfront'', and the 1981 Best Supporting Actor award for '' Gallipoli''. In 2001, he was awarded the

for service to acting. A painting of Hunter by artist Jason Benjamin won the

Packing Room Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor ...

in conjunction with the 2005

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor ...

References

External links

*
"Bill Hunter's list of film and television credits"
''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatewat ...

''. Retrieved on 21 May 2011
Bill Hunter
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Strictly Heslop – Bill Hunter Tribute Fanzine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Bill 1940 births 2011 deaths Australian male film actors Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Australian male voice actors Australian male freestyle swimmers Best Actor AACTA Award winners Best Supporting Actor AACTA Award winners British male film actors English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors Recipients of the Centenary Medal People from Ballarat Male actors from Victoria (Australia) Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from cancer in Victoria (Australia)