John Meillon, ( ; 1 May 1934 – 11 August 1989), was an Australian character actor, known for many straight as well as comedy roles, he became most widely known internationally as Walter Reilly in the films ''

Crocodile Dundee ''Crocodile Dundee'' (stylized as ''"Crocodile" Dundee'' in the U.S.) is a 1986 action comedy film set in the Australian Outback and in New York City. It stars Paul Hogan as the weathered Mick Dundee, and American actress Linda Kozlowski as ...

'' and ''

Crocodile Dundee II ''Crocodile Dundee II'' is a 1988 action comedy film and the second of the ''Crocodile Dundee'' film series. It is a sequel to ''Crocodile Dundee'' (1986) and was followed by ''Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles'' (2001). Actors Paul Hogan and Lin ...

''. He also voiced advertisements for

Victoria Bitter Victoria Bitter (VB) is a lager produced by Carlton & United Breweries, a subsidiary of Asahi, in Melbourne, Victoria. It was first and brewed by Thomas Aitken at Victoria Brewery in 1854 and is one of the best selling beers in Australia. Hi ...

beer. He appeared in several

Australian New Wave The Australian New Wave (also known as the Australian Film Revival, Australian Film Renaissance, or New Australian Cinema) was an era of resurgence in worldwide popularity of Australian cinema, particularly in the United States. It began in the ea ...

films including ''

Wake in Fright ''Wake in Fright'' (initially released as ''Outback'' outside Australia) is a 1971 psychological thriller film directed by Ted Kotcheff, written by Evan Jones, and starring Gary Bond, Donald Pleasence, Chips Rafferty, Sylvia Kay and Jack Thomps ...

'' and ''

The Cars That Ate Paris ''The Cars That Ate Paris'' is a 1974 Australian horror comedy film, produced by twin brothers Hal and Jim McElroy and directed by Peter Weir. It was his first feature film, and was also based on an original story he had written. Shot mostly i ...

''.

Biography

Meillon was born in

Mosman Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governm ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. His younger brother was director Bob Meillon (1943–2012). Meillon began his acting career at the age of eleven in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's radio serial ''Stumpy'', and made his first stage appearance the following year. He joined the Shakespeare Touring Company when he was sixteen. He appeared in a number of early Australian TV plays. Like many actors of his generation from 1959 to 1965, he worked in England, but while working in Britain he consciously steered away from Australian roles. Meillon claimed that he learnt discipline while working in theatre, and that television was not a good medium for training. Meillon had a recurring role in the television series ''

My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? ''My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?'' is a popular Australian situation comedy series produced by ATN7 from 1966 to 1968. Premise The situation involved a young couple, Wally and Rita Stiller (John Meillon and Judi Farr), living in Balmain ...

''. He featured in two episodes of '' Skippy'' in 1968 and 1969, appearing as "Nimble Norris". In 1976, he won the

AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role The AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role is an award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), a non-profit organisation whose aim is to "identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achieve ...

for his role of 'Casey' in the film ''

The Fourth Wish ''The Fourth Wish'' is a 1976 Australian family film directed by Don Chaffey based on a three-part 1974 TV drama from the ABC. Plot Casey learns that his 12-year-old son Sean has leukaemia and will die in a few months. Casey leaves his job to dev ...

'' (1976). With his rich baritone, Meillon was used extensively in voice-over work— most famously in his work as the

narrator who says "you can get it any old how". Meillon married Australian actress

June Salter June Marie Salter AM (22 June 193215 September 2001) was an Australian actress and author prominent in theatre and television, best known for her character roles. Biography June Salter was born in Bexley, New South Wales, the youngest of six ...

in 1958 and they had one son, John Meillon, Jr. Meillon and Salter were divorced in 1971. Meillon married actress Bunny Gibson on 5 April 1972; they also had a son. In 1977, Meillon released the single "Tap Tap"/"Picture Show Man", which peaked at number 80 on the Australian singles chart. Meillon was appointed an OBE in the 1979

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...

, for service to theatre. In June 1980, Meillon's 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, including visiting in the week before his death from

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...

. His body was found in his home at Neutral Bay on 11 August 1989. Meillon was posthumously awarded the Raymond Longford Lifetime Achievement Award.

Selected filmography

* 1959: '' On the Beach'' .... Ralph Swain (ashore in San Francisco) * 1960: '' The Sundowners'' .... Bluey Brown * 1961: '' The Long and the Short and the Tall'' .... Private "Smudge" Smith * 1961: '' Watch It, Sailor!'' .... Albert Tufnell * 1961: '' Offbeat'' .... Johnny Remick * 1962: '' The Valiant'' .... Bedford * 1962: ''

Operation Snatch ''Operation Snatch'' is a 1962 British comedy film starring Terry-Thomas and George Sanders and directed by Robert Day. Plot The story takes place in Gibraltar, and is based on a local legend: if the resident Barbary apes were ever to le ...

'' .... Medical Officer * 1962: '' Billy Budd'' .... Neil Kincaid * 1962: '' The Longest Day'' .... RAdm. Alan G. Kirk (uncredited) * 1962: ''

Edgar Wallace Mysteries The ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' is a British second-feature film series mainly produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 48 films in the series, which were released between 1960 and 1965. The series was screened as ''The E ...

'' episode: ''Death Trap'' .... Ross Williams * 1963: ''

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

'' .... Willy * 1963: '' The Running Man'' .... Jim Jerome * 1964: ''

633 Squadron ''633 Squadron'' is a 1964 British / American war film directed by Walter Grauman and starring Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris, and Maria Perschy. The plot, which involves the exploits of a fictional World War II British bomber squadron, wa ...

'' .... Flight Lt. Gillibrand * 1964: ''

Guns at Batasi ''Guns at Batasi'' is a 1964 British drama film starring Richard Attenborough, Jack Hawkins, Flora Robson, John Leyton and Mia Farrow. The film is based on the 1962 novel ''The Siege of Battersea'' by Robert Holles and was directed by John Gu ...

'' .... Sergeant 'Aussie' Drake * 1965: ''Dead Man's Chest'' .... Johnnie Gordon * 1965: ''

Out of the Unknown ''Out of the Unknown'' is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Most episodes of the first three series were a dramatisation of a science f ...

'' (Episode: " Sucker Bait") .... Dr. Sheffield * 1966: ''

They're a Weird Mob ''They're a Weird Mob'' is a popular 1957 Australian comic novel written by John O'Grady under the pseudonym "Nino Culotta", the name of the main character of the book. The book was the first published novel by O'Grady, with an initial print run ...

'' .... Dennis * 1966-1968: ''

'' (TV series) .... Wally Stiller * 1969-1970: '' Skippy'' (TV series) .... Nimble Norris * 1971: ''

'' .... Charlie aka Outback * 1971: ''

Walkabout Walkabout is a rite of passage in Australian Aboriginal society, during which males undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and traditiona ...

'' .... Man (the father) * 1972: ''

Lane End (TV series) ''Lane End'' is a 1972 Australian TV series. It is a follow up to '' Bellbird'', made by many of the same creative team. It is set in Paddington, New South Wales and told the continuing story of a group of characters who worked and lived there. ...

'' .... Ray Dunlop * 1972: '' Sunstruck'' .... Mick Cassidy * 1974: ''

'' (TV miniseries) .... James Casey * 1974: '' The Dove'' .... Tim * 1974: ''

'' .... The Mayor * 1975: '' Sidecar Racers'' .... Ocker * 1975: ''

Inn of the Damned ''Inn of the Damned'' is a 1975 Australian western horror film, directed by Terry Bourke. It has been called Australia's first "horror Western". Plot In 1896, a crazed woman and her husband run an inn in eastern Victoria and take revenge for t ...

'' .... George Parr * 1975: ''

Ride a Wild Pony ''Ride a Wild Pony'' (also known as ''Born to Run'') is a 1975 American-Australian family adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, directed by Don Chaffey and based on the novel ''A Sporting Proposition'' by James Aldridge. Plot Set ...

'' .... Charles Quayle * 1976: ''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

'' (TV miniseries) .... Bernie Gold * 1976: ''

'' .... Casey * 1977: ''

The Picture Show Man ''The Picture Show Man'' is a 1977 Australian film about a travelling film exhibitor (John Meillon) in the 1920s. He has to deal with the rebelliousness of his son ( Harold Hopkins) and a rival American exhibitor (Rod Taylor). The film was Rod Ta ...

'' .... Maurice 'Pop' Pym * 1978: ''

Bit Part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British television, ...

'' (TV film) .... Tommy * 1982: ''

Heatwave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in th ...

'' .... Freddie Dwyer * 1983: '' Scales of Justice'' (TV miniseries) .... Barnes * 1983: '' The Dismissal'' (TV miniseries) ....

Sir John Kerr Sir John Robert Kerr (24 September 1914 – 24 March 1991) was an Australian barrister and judge who served as the 18th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1974 to 1977. He is primarily known for his involvement in the 1975 constit ...

* 1983: ''

The Wild Duck ''The Wild Duck'' (original Norwegian title: ''Vildanden'') is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It is considered the first modern masterpiece in the genre of tragicomedy. ''The Wild Duck'' and ''Rosmersholm'' are "often t ...

'' .... Old Ackland * 1984: ''

The Camel Boy ''The Camel Boy'' is a 1984 Australian animated feature film by Yoram Gross.''The Camel Boy''
at Yo ...

'' .... Voice * 1985: ''

The Dunera Boys ''The Dunera Boys'' is a 1985 Australian mini series based on the ''Dunera'' incident.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p190 Cast * Bob Hoskins - Morrie Mendellsohn * Joseph Spano - Alexander ...

'' (TV miniseries) .... Brig. Templeton * 1986: ''

'' .... Walter Reilly * 1987: ''

Bullseye Bullseye or Bull's Eye may refer to: Symbols * ◎ (Unicode U+25CE BULLSEYE), in the Geometric Shapes Unicode block * (Unicode U+0298 LATIN LETTER BILABIAL CLICK), the phonetic symbol for bilabial click Animals and plants * Bull's Eye, '' Eury ...

'' .... Merritt * 1987: '' Frenchman's Farm'' .... Bill Dolan * 1988: ''

The Everlasting Secret Family ''The Everlasting Secret Family'' is a 1988 Australian film directed by Michael Thornhill about a secret society of gay men. It was based on Frank Moorhouse's so-named collection of four short stories published in 1980. The movie was financed b ...

'' .... The Judge * 1988: ''

'' .... Walter Reilly

Discography

Singles

References

External links

* .
John Meillon profile
AusStage.edu.au; accessed 27 December 2015.
John Meillon profile

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

; accessed 27 December 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Meillon, John 1934 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Australian male actors Australian male film actors Australian radio personalities Australian male radio actors Australian male television actors Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Best Actor AACTA Award winners Logie Award winners Actresses from Sydney