William Roderick Collins (4 December 1934 – 20 June 2019) was an Australian film critic and film historian, radio and television presenter, journalist, author and lecturer best known for presenting

Hollywood films The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of Ame ...

on television in Australia. Collins specialised in the era of

Classical Hollywood cinema Classical Hollywood cinema is a term used in film criticism to describe both a narrative and visual style of filmmaking which became characteristic of American cinema between the 1910s (rapidly after World War I) and the 1960s. It eventually be ...

, and his favourite film was ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

''. He was well known for his association with

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

, presenting ''Bill Collins' Golden Years of Hollywood'' for fifteen years, and later with

Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

, presenting movies on the cable channel

FOX Classics FOX Classics is an Australian cable and satellite channel that specializes in showing television series and ad-free classic movies, themed movie nights and miniseries from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. History FOX Classics began as ...

from 1995 to 2018.

Biography

Bill Collins was born in

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...

, Sydney, the son of a policeman and school teacher. He was educated at

Canterbury Boys' High School Canterbury Boys' High School (CBHS) is a public secondary day school for boys located in Canterbury, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located near the Canterbury Park Racecourse and about 200 metres north o ...

and the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, where he obtained a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

with Honours in Latin in 1959, a

Diploma of Education The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overview The diploma can build on the ...

in 1960 and a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

in 1965. Originally an English school teacher at East Hills Boys High School and his alma mater Canterbury Boys' High School, and later lecturer at

Sydney Teachers College The Sydney Teachers' College was a tertiary education institution that trained school teachers in Sydney, Australia. It existed from 1906 until the end of 1981, when it became the Sydney Institute of Education, a part of the new Sydney College o ...

, Collins' appreciation of cinema led him to write reviews in the early 1960s and resulted in him working as a film presenter for the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

(then the Australian Broadcasting Commission). He moved from the ABC to

TCN TCN is the flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia. The station is currently located at 1 Denison Street, North Sydney. The licence, issued to a company named Television Corporation Ltd headed by Sir Frank Packer, was one o ...

Channel 9 working there between 1967–74; later moving to

ATN ATN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Seven Network in Australia. The licence, issued to a company named Amalgamated Television Services, a subsidiary of John Fairfax & Sons, was one of the first four licences (two in Sydney, two ...

Channel 7 from 1975 to 1979. In 1980 he moved to Channel Ten to present movies nationally.Moran, Albert
COLLINS, BILL Australian Television Personality
The Museum of Broadcast Communications. He was widely recognised in Australia for his passionate enthusiasm for films, and his profile allowed him to meet and become acquainted with a range of film makers from the "Golden Age of Hollywood". His presentations usually consisted of a brief review of the film and its actors, specific discussion of filming techniques, theme music, as well as personal recollections and quotes from the film makers he had interviewed. From 23 October 1995 until his retirement on 20 October 2018, he presented films for the Foxtel cable television network FOX Classics. His celebrity status allowed him to take cameo roles in film and television, notably ''

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'' (1985) and ''

Howling III ''Howling III'' (also known as ''Howling III: The Marsupials'' and ''The Marsupials: The Howling III'') is a 1987 Australian horror film and the sequel to '' The Howling'', directed by Philippe Mora and filmed on location in and around Sydney, ...

'' (1987). In addition to his television work, he lectured at the

on film and related subjects. In 1987, he published a book of film reviews and essays, ''Bill Collins Presents "The Golden Years of Hollywood"''.

Personal life

Collins met his wife Joan in 1983 when he was 48. They both lived in

Vincentia, New South Wales Vincentia is a town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven, on the shores of Jervis Bay. It is roughly southeast of Nowra, and approximately south of Sydney. At the , the population of Vincentia was 3,290. It is also a tourist ...

. From Vincentia they moved to

Winmalee, New South Wales Winmalee is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Winmalee is located 77 kilometres west of Sydney, in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains. At the , Winmalee had a population of 6,593. Originally known as North Springwoo ...

. In 2005, they moved to a large house in

Berry, New South Wales Berry is a small Australian village in the Shoalhaven region of the New South Wales South Coast, located south of the state capital, Sydney. It has many historical buildings which are listed on the New South Wales Heritage Register. Berry att ...

, which they listed for sale in August 2017, but which Joan still owned as of February 2020. Collins died in his sleep on 20 June 2019.

Awards and honours

In 1987, Collins was awarded the Medal of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(OAM) for services to film and television. In 2009, he was inducted into the

Logies The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

Hall of Fame. In 2013, he received the inaugural ASTRA Lifetime Achievement Award.Bill Collins to receive ASTRA Lifetime Achievement Award
''Mumbrella'', 25 July 2013.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Bill 1934 births 2019 deaths Australian television presenters Australian film critics Logie Award winners Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia University of Sydney alumni People educated at Canterbury Boys' High School

Biography

Personal life

Awards and honours

See also

References

External links