Jon Stephen Cleary (22 November 191719 July 2010) was an Australian writer and novelist. He wrote numerous books, including '' The Sundowners'' (1951), a portrait of a rural family in the 1920s as they move from one job to the next, and '' The High Commissioner'' (1966), the first of a long series of popular detective fiction works featuring Sydney Police Inspector

Scobie Malone Scobie Malone is a fictional Sydney homicide detective created by Australian novelist Jon Cleary. History Named after the jockey Scobie Breasley, Malone made his first appearance in Cleary's 1966 novel '' The High Commissioner''. Cleary says he ...

. A number of Cleary's works have been the subject of film and television adaptations.

Early life and war service

Early life

Cleary was born in Erskineville,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

and educated at Marist Brothers College, Randwick. When he was ten his father spent six months in Long Bay Gaol for stealing five pounds. Debt collectors took everything in the Cleary household "except a piano and my mother's double bed", said Cleary. "I remember sitting on the steps with Mum, who was weeping bitterly, and she said, 'Don't ever owe anything to anybody.' That sticks with you, and it's why I gained a justifiable reputation for being tight with money." However he added that "the night after we were repossessed, our friends turned up with chairs, an old table, cakes, sandwiches – they were all battlers but they helped out." Cleary left school in 1932, aged 14, to help his family financially. He spent the following eight years doing a variety of jobs, notably as a commercial artist for Austral Toon under

Eric Porter Eric Richard Porter (8 April 192815 May 1995) was an English actor of stage, film and television. Early life Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to bus conductor Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth (née Spall). His parents hope ...

. He wrote his first story in 1938 at the request of Joe Morley, a journalist friend of Cleary's father. It was a piece about being unemployed which Cleary did not finish because he thought it was self-pitying but he found he did enjoy the process of writing.

War service

Cleary enlisted in the Australian army on 27 May 1940 and served in the Middle East before being transferred to the Military History Unit. He served for a time in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

, where his clerk was Lee Robinson, and was discharged on 10 October 1945 with the rank of lieutenant.

Writing career

Early stories

Cleary began writing regularly in the army, selling his first story in 1940. The following year he won £50 prize writing a story for the ''Daily Mirror''. It was killed by the censor but the newspaper hired Cleary to write a weekly story. He began also to write for ''The Australian Journal'', whose editor sent four of Cleary's short stories to American agent Paul Reynolds, who began selling them to American magazines such as ''Cosmopolitan'' and ''The Saturday Evening Post.'' and in 1945 won equal first prize in a competition for the ABC for his radio play ''

Safe Horizon Safe Horizon, formerly the Victim Services Agency, is the largest victim services nonprofit organization in the United States, providing social services for victims of abuse and violent crime. Operating at 57 locations throughout the five boroughs ...

''. In 1946 a collection of his short stories was published called '' These Small Glories''.

''You Can't See 'Round Corners''

Cleary's first novel was the 1947 work, ''

You Can't See 'Round Corners ''You Can't See 'round Corners'' is a 1969 Australian drama film directed by David Cahill and starring Ken Shorter and Rowena Wallace. The film is a theatrical version of the 1967 TV show '' You Can't See 'Round Corners''. Both were based on t ...

'', about the life of an army deserter wanted for the sensational murder of his girlfriend in wartime Sydney. Cleary started writing this in the army and finished it on board a ship en route to London where he had hoped to find work as a screenwriter. Instead he worked as a journalist for the Australia News and Information Bureau from 1948 to 50, a job he continued in New York from 1950 to 51. He continued writing short stories and novels. His second novel, '' The Long Shadow'' (1949) was a thriller, a genre he tackled at the suggestion of his editor

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

. '' Just Let Me Be'' (1950) was set in Coogee, and was later filmed for British TV.

''The Sundowners''

While in New York Cleary wrote his fourth published novel, '' The Sundowners'', based on stories of his father. It was published in 1952 and sold three million copies, enabling Cleary to write full-time. Cleary lived in Italy for a year then returned home to Australia in 1953 after seven years away. His fifth novel, ''

The Climate of Courage ''The Climate of Courage'' is a 1954 novel by Australian writer Jon Cleary. It was his fifth published novel. It is set during World War II and involves a group of Australian soldiers who have returned from service in the Middle East. Premise The ...

'' (1954), was based on his war experiences and sold well in Australia and Britain. He visited the Kimberley region in 1954, and the result was ''

Justin Bayard ''Justin Bayard'' is a 1955 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary about a policeman working in the Kimberley region. It was Cleary's sixth novel. Plot Justin Bayard is a mounted policeman in the Kimberley escorting an aboriginal warrior, Emu Foot ...

'' (1955) (later filmed as ''

Dust in the Sun ''Dust in the Sun'' is a 1958 Australian mystery film adapted from the 1955 novel '' Justin Bayard'' by Jon Cleary and produced by the team of Lee Robinson and Chips Rafferty. The film stars British actress Jill Adams and an indigenous-Australia ...

'' (1958)).

International writer

Cleary then went back to live in London. His novels became increasingly set in countries other than Australia, with Cleary travelling extensively for the purposes of research. "I realised at 40 I did not have the intellectual depth to be the writer I would like to be, so I determined to be as good a craftsman as I might be", Cleary said later on.Murray Waldren, 'Jon Cleary: Character Builder' ''The Weekend Australian'' 1998
/ref> He had written a book about Australian politics, ''The Mayor's Nest'', but his English publisher was worried it would not appeal to an international audience, and suggested a book on motor racing. Cleary had lived in Italy and become familiar with the motor races there. He wrote ''

The Green Helmet ''The Green Helmet'' is a 1961 British drama film directed by Michael Forlong starring Bill Travers, Ed Begley and Sid James. The film is centred on a British motor racing team. It is based on a 1957 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary. Plot o ...

'' in Spain in twenty days, and it became a best seller on its publication in 1957. Cleary also wrote the script for the 1961 film version. He contributed to the script for ''

The Siege of Pinchgut ''The Siege of Pinchgut'' (released in the US as ''Four Desperate Men'') is a 1959 British thriller filmed on location in Sydney, Australia, and directed by Harry Watt. It was the last film produced by Ealing Studios, and was entered into the ...

'' (1959) and helped rewrite the script to '' The Sundowners'' (1960) but his focus remained on novels: ''

Back of Sunset ''Back of Sunset'' is a 1959 Australian novel from Jon Cleary. Premise It is about Dr Stephen McCabe, Sydney doctor who takes a working holiday with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Western Australia. When the doctor who runs the practice is i ...

'' (1959) was about the Australian Flying Doctors service; ''

Strike Me Lucky ''Strike Me Lucky'' is a 1934 Australian comedy musical film starring popular stage comic Roy Rene in his first and only film. It was the fourth feature film from Cinesound Productions but proved a box office disappointment. Director Ken G. Hall ...

'' (1959) was credited solely to his wife Joy but had been reworked by Cleary; ''

North from Thursday ''North from Thursday'' is a 1960 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It is set in New Guinea and concerns the eruption of a volcano, forcing a group of survivors to flee across the country. The story is based on the 1951 eruption of Mount L ...

'' (1960) was set in New Guinea; ''

The Country of Marriage ''The Country of Marriage'' is a 1962 novel written by Jon Cleary. It concerns the marriage between Adam Nash and his wife Belle and their decision whether to leave England, where they have lived for seventeen years and raised two young children, ...

'' (1962) was set in England; '' Forests of the Night'' (1963) was set in Burma; '' A Flight of Chariots'' (1963) was about astronauts; '' The Fall of an Eagle'' (1965) was set in Anatolia; '' The Pulse of Danger'' (1966) was set in Bhutan. He had time for script work, contributing to the screenplay for ''

Damon and Pythias The story of Damon (; grc-gre, Δάμων, gen. Δάμωνος) and Pythias (; or ; or Phintias, ) is a legend in Greek historic writings illustrating the Pythagorean ideal of friendship. Pythias is accused of and charged with plotting against ...

'' (1962) and writing an un-used draft for ''

The Diamond Smugglers ''The Diamond Smugglers'' is a non-fiction work by Ian Fleming that was first published in 1957 in the United Kingdom and in 1958 in the United States. The book is based on two weeks of interviews Fleming undertook with John Collard, a member o ...

''.

Scobie Malone

While in London, Cleary got the idea for a book about an Australian detective who has to arrest the Australian High Commissioner. '' The High Commissioner'' (1966) introduced the world to detective

although initially it was meant to be a stand-alone book. The novel sold well and was turned into a film ''

Nobody Runs Forever ''Nobody Runs Forever'', also called ''The High Commissioner'', is a 1968 British political neo noir spy thriller action film directed by Ralph Thomas and based on Jon Cleary's 1966 novel '' The High Commissioner''. It stars Rod Taylor as Au ...

'' (1968). Cleary followed it with '' The Long Pursuit'' (1967), set during World War II, originally written as a film script. In 1966 Cleary returned to Australia after three years abroad and sold his Pittwater House to buy one at Kirribilli. He said "I'm a professional craftsman and I should be judged on those standards. I like to think I'm a little better than a potboiler. If I was a pot boiler I would never take off eight months to write a novel." Cleary said 50% of his screenplays had been filmed by that stage and that he had recently turned down $50,000 to write a TV series set in the South Pacific. "Financially I could retire, mentally I couldn't," he said. He was working on a "social comedy" called ''The Ballad of Fingal McBride''. He then wrote '' Season of Doubt'' (1968), set in Beirut, and '' Remember Jack Hoxie'' (1969), set in the world of pop music.

Return to Australia

In the 1970s, Cleary returned to Sydney to live permanently, buying a block of land at

Kirribilli Kirribilli is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. One of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods, it is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area administere ...

opposite the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

, next to businessman Eric McClintock. Cleary built a house on this block and it became his home for the rest of his life. During the 1970s and 1980s Cleary continued to travel two months of the year to research his novels. He wanted to write about the Opera House so Scobie Malone returned for '' Helga's Web'' (1970), which was later filmed (Cleary wrote a script which was not used). '' Mask of the Andes'' (1971) was set in Bolivia and '' Man's Estate'' (1972) among the British upper class. Cleary returned to Scobie Malone for ''

Ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''re ...

'' (1973), set in New York, but then stopped writing about the detective as he did not wish to be trapped as a writer. He did ''

Peter's Pence Peter's Pence (or ''Denarii Sancti Petri'' and "Alms of St Peter") are donations or payments made directly to the Holy See of the Catholic Church. The practice began under the Saxons in England and spread through Europe. Both before and after the ...

'' (1974) a thriller; '' The Safe House'' (1975), about World War II; '' A Sound of Lightning'' (1976), set in Montana. He also wrote the screenplay for '' Sidecar Racers'' (1975). Cleary had a big-selling success with '' High Road to China'' (1977), an adventure story later filmed in 1982. ''

Vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex ( : vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in ...

'' (1978) was about tornados; '' The Beaufort Sisters'' (1979), about sisters from Kansas; '' A Very Private War'' (1980) was about coastwatchers in World War II; '' The Faraway Drums'' (1981) was about a plot to assassinate

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

; '' The Golden Sabre'' (1982) was set during the 1917 Russian Revolution; ''

Spearfield's Daughter ''Spearfield's Daughter'' is a 1982 novel written by Australian author Jon Cleary. Adaptation The book was adapted into a 1986 Australian-Canadian mini series starring Christopher Plummer. Cleary's original scripts were rewritten and he describes ...

'' (1983) was later filmed as a mini series; '' The Phoenix Tree'' (1984) was set in Japan during World War II; '' The City of Fading Light'' (1985) was set in 1939 Berlin.

Return of Scobie Malone

After Cleary's daughter's death from

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...

in 1987, and his wife's subsequent ill health he travelled less. Susan Geason, "Jon Cleary: A Fortunate Life", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 6 December 1992, p. 111 Writing the

series of novels enabled him to tell Australian stories which appealed to an international audience, and he remained popular with readers throughout his career. Malone returned in '' Dragons at the Party'' (1987), about the Australian Bicentennial, then was in '' Now and Then, Amen'' (1988), '' Babylon South'' (1989), '' Murder Song'' (1990), ''

Pride's Harvest ''Pride's Harvest'' is a 1991 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It was the eighth book featuring Sydney homicide detective Scobie Malone. Synopsis Malone is called in to investigate the murder of a Japanese industrialist in the small count ...

'' (1991), ''

Dark Summer ''Dark Summer'' is a 1992 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It was the ninth book featuring Sydney homicide detective Scobie Malone, and begins with the discovery of a corpse in Scobie's swimming pool. The dead man was an informer involv ...

'' (1992), ''

Bleak Spring ''Bleak Spring'' is a 1993 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It was the tenth book featuring Sydney detective Scobie Malone Scobie Malone is a fictional Sydney homicide detective created by Australian novelist Jon Cleary. History Named ...

'' (1993), '' Autumn Maze'' (1994), '' Winter Chill'' (1995), '' Endpeace'' (1996), '' A Different Turf'' (1997), '' Five Ring Circus'' (1998), ''

Dilemma A dilemma ( grc-gre, δίλημμα "double proposition") is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but dis ...

'' (1999), ''

Bear Pit A bear pit was historically used to display bears, typically for entertainment and especially bear-baiting. The pit area was normally surrounded by a high fence, above which the spectators would look down on the bears. The most traditional form o ...

'' (2000), '' Yesterday's Shadow'' (2001), '' The Easy Sin'' (2002) and '' Degrees of Connection'' (2004). He then wound up the series, feeling he was getting stale.

Final novels

He published three more novels, all set in Australia: '' Miss Ambar Regrets'' (2004), '' Morning's Gone'' (2006) and ''

Four-Cornered Circle ''Four-Cornered Circle'' is a 2007 novel written by Australian author Jon Cleary, the last published prior to his death in 2010. The plot revolves around two sisters, one of whom develops feelings for the other's husband. The story is told from t ...

'' (2007), then retired.

Personal life

Cleary met his wife Joy on his boat trip to England in 1946 and married her five days after they landed. They had two daughters, Catherine and Jane, the latter of whom died of breast cancer at age 37, predeceasing both of her parents. Joy Cleary developed

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

and went to live in a nursing home prior to her death in 2003."Jon Cleary", ''The Book Show – Radio National'', 26 February 2006
/ref>"I was very, very lucky", said Cleary of his marriage. "We were in love from the day we met to the day we – sorry, I mean she – died." Cleary was good friends with fellow writers

Morris West Morris Langlo West (26 April 19169 October 1999) was an Australian novelist and playwright, best known for his novels '' The Devil's Advocate'' (1959), '' The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (1963) and ''The Clowns of God'' (1981). His books were pub ...

and

Alexander Baron Alexander Baron ( – ) was a British author and screenwriter. He is best known for his highly acclaimed novel about D-Day, ''From the City, from The Plough'' (1948), and his London novel ''The Lowlife'' (1963). Early life Baron's father was B ...

. He was a regular churchgoer, attending Mass every Sunday. For the last three years of his life, he was in ill-health, attended by a full-time carer, and in and out of hospital with heart problems. He died on 19 July 2010, aged 92. The eulogy at his funeral was delivered by his friend and neighbour Sir Eric McClintock.

Assessment

During his lifetime, Cleary was one of the most popular Australian authors of all time. According to Murray Waldren, "his own assessment was that he lacked a poetic eye but had an eye for colour and composition and was strong on narrative and dialogue. And he took pride in the research underpinning his works." Cleary once stated that the book which had most influenced him was ''

The Power and the Glory ''The Power and the Glory'' is a 1940 novel by British author Graham Greene. The title is an allusion to the doxology often recited at the end of the Lord's Prayer: "For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen." ...

'' by

. "He caught perfectly the almost heroism of a man who would have been shocked to hear that he was an hero ... I've always said that Greene could say more in one phrase than most writers in a chapter."

Awards

*1944 – Australian Broadcasting Commission prize for radio drama (''Safe Horizon'') *1950 – Australian Literary Society's Crouch Medal for Best Australian Novel ('' Just Let Me Be'') *1975 –

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

from the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award ...

for Best Novel (''

'') *1996 – Australian Crime Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award *1996 –

Ned Kelly Award The Ned Kelly Awards (named for bushranger Ned Kelly) are Australia's leading literary awards for crime writing in both the crime fiction and true crime genres. They were established in 1996 by the Crime Writers Association of Australia to reward ...

for Lifelong Contribution to the Crime, Mystery and Detective Genres *2004 –

for Best Novel ('' Degrees of Connection'')

Bibliography

Scobie Malone Scobie Malone is a fictional Sydney homicide detective created by Australian novelist Jon Cleary. History Named after the jockey Scobie Breasley, Malone made his first appearance in Cleary's 1966 novel '' The High Commissioner''. Cleary says he ...
novels

*'' The High Commissioner'' (1966) *'' Helga's Web'' (1970) *''

'' (1973) *'' Dragons at the Party'' (1987) *'' Now and Then, Amen'' (1988) *'' Babylon South'' (1989) *'' Murder Song'' (1990) *''

'' (1991) *''

'' (1992) *''

'' (1993) *'' Autumn Maze'' (1994) *'' Winter Chill'' (1995) *'' Endpeace'' (1996) *'' A Different Turf'' (1997) *'' Five Ring Circus'' (1998) *''

'' (1999) *''

'' (2000) *'' Yesterday's Shadow'' (2001) *'' The Easy Sin'' (2002) *'' Degrees of Connection'' (2003)

Other novels

*''

'' (1947) *'' The Long Shadow'' (1949) *'' Just Let Me Be'' (1950) *'' The Sundowners'' (1952) *''

'' (1954) *''

'' (1955) (aka ''Dust in the Sun'') *''

'' (1957) *''

'' (1959) *''

'' (1959) – co-wrote (uncredited) with his wife Joy *''

North From Thursday ''North from Thursday'' is a 1960 novel from Australian author Jon Cleary. It is set in New Guinea and concerns the eruption of a volcano, forcing a group of survivors to flee across the country. The story is based on the 1951 eruption of Mount L ...

'' (1960) *''

'' (1962) *'' Forests of the Night'' (1963) *'' A Flight of Chariots'' (1963) *'' The Fall of an Eagle'' (1964) *'' The Pulse of Danger'' (1966) *'' The Long Pursuit'' (1967) *'' Season of Doubt'' (1968) *'' Remember Jack Hoxie'' (1969) *'' Mask of the Andes'' (1971) (aka ''The Liberators'') *'' Man's Estate'' (1972) (aka ''The Ninth Marquess'') *''

'' (1974) *'' The Safe House'' (1975) *'' A Sound of Lightning'' (1976) *'' High Road to China'' (1977) *''

'' (1978) *'' The Beaufort Sisters'' (1979) *'' A Very Private War'' (1980) *'' The Faraway Drums'' (1981) *'' The Golden Sabre'' (1981) *''

'' (1982) *'' The Phoenix Tree'' (1984) *'' The City of Fading Light'' (1985) *''You, the Jury'' (1990) (reprint of 1950 ''Just Let Me Be'') *'' Miss Ambar Regrets'' (2004) *'' Morning's Gone'' (2006) *''

'' (2007)

Short stories

*''The Way Out'' (1942) *''Remember?'' (1943) *''A Long Time Dying'' (1943) *''Clouds in the Sun'' (1943) *''Idyll in Havoc'' (1943) *''Safe Horizon'' (1943) *''Hullo, Joe'' (1944) *''I'd Like to Be There at the Finish'' (1944) *''Who Pays?'' (1944) *''Death Comes Slowly'' (1944) *''Title Bout'' (1945) *''Brandy Martin and My Old Man'' (1945) *''My Heart is Dead and Gone'' *''Some Day I May Come Home Again'' (1945) *''These Small Glories'' (1946) – a collection of his short stories *''Late Date'' (1946) *''The Stranger'' (1946) *''See You on the Bus'' (1946) *''Sundowner on the Skylin'' (1946) *''A Time Together'' *''Pillar of Salt'' (1951) *''The Outsider'' (1951) *''No Taste for Trouble'' (1954) *''Man from Carolina'' (1958) *''Friendly Enemies'' (1961) *''Pillar of Salt and other Stories'' (1963) – collection

Films

*''

'' (''Justin Bayard'') (1958), starring

Jill Adams Jill Adams (22 July 1930 – 13 May 2008) was an English actress, artist and fashion model. She featured or starred in over 25 films during the 1950s and 1960s. Life Jill Adams was born Jill Siggins in London in 1930, the daughter of the sil ...

and Ken Wayne – original novel only *''

'' (1959) – screenplay only *'' The Sundowners'' (1960), starring

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a British actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress. During her international film career, Kerr won a ...

Glynis Johns Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than ...

, and

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

– based on his novel, did uncredited rewrite on script *''

'' (1961), starring

Bill Travers William Inglis Lindon Travers (3 January 1922 – 29 March 1994) was a British actor, screenwriter, director and animal rights activist. Prior to his show business career, he served in the British army with Gurkha and special forces units. E ...

, Ed Begley, and

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a mi ...

– based on his novel, wrote script *''Strike Me Lucky'' (1961) – unfilmed script based on his novel *''

'' (1962) – uncredited contribution to script *''The Sea Lab'' (1963) – unfilmed script based on his short story *''A Restful Change'' (1960s) – unfilmed script *''

'' (1964) – unfilmed script based on book by

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., an ...

*''The Belles of Long Ago'' (1965) – unfilmed treatment *''

'' (''The High Commissioner'') (1968), starring

Rod Taylor Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including '' The Time Machine'' (1960), '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and '' ...

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

Lilli Palmer Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Glob ...

and Camilla Sparv – based on his novel only *''Season of Doubt'' – unfilmed script based on his novel *''

You Can't See 'round Corners ''You Can't See 'round Corners'' is a 1969 Australian drama film directed by David Cahill and starring Ken Shorter and Rowena Wallace. The film is a theatrical version of the 1967 TV show '' You Can't See 'Round Corners''. Both were based on t ...

'' (1969) (adaptation of television series), starring Ken Shorter,

Rowena Wallace Rowena Wallace (born 23 August 1947) is an English-born Australian stage and screen actress, most especially in the genre of television soap opera. She is best known for her Gold Logie-winning role as conniving Patricia "Pat the Rat" Hamilton/ ...

and

Carmen Duncan Carmen Joan Duncan (7 July 1942 – 3 February 2019) was an Australian-born stage and screen actress and activist, with a career locally and internationally in the United States that spanned over 50 years. She was nominated for the AFI Award ...

– based on his novel *'' Sidecar Racers'' (1975) – screenplay only *''

'' (1975), starring

Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to: Sports *Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City *Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Bright ...

Judy Morris Judith Ann Morris (born 17 February 1947) is an Australian character actress, as well as a film director and screenwriter, well known for the variety of roles she played in 58 different television shows and films, starting her career as a child ...

, and

Shane Porteous John Shane Porteous (born 17 August 1942) (known as Shane Porteous) is an Australian actor, screenwriter, animation layout artist and animation voice artist. As a screenwriter, he is sometimes credited as "John Hanlon". He remains best known fo ...

– film based on his novel ''Helga's Web'' (Cleary wrote a script that was not used.) *''A Summer of Roses'' (1970s) – unfilmed script *''The Climb'' (1970s) – unfilmed script *''Pirate and Son'' (1977) – unfilmed treatment for

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

*''Foreign Territory'' – unfilmed script *''The Roundabout Road'' – unfilmed script *''An End to glory'' – unfilmed script adapted from an uncompleted novel *''The Delinquents'' – unfilmed treatment based on the novel by

Kylie Tennant Kathleen Kylie Tennant AO (; 12 March 1912 – 28 February 1988) was an Australian novelist, playwright, short-story writer, critic, biographer, and historian. Early life and career Tennant was born in Manly, New South Wales; she was educate ...

*''Seven Days at the Silbersteins'' *'' High Road to China'' (1983), starring Bess Armstrong and

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations ...

– based on his novel only

TV

*''Just Let Me Be'' (1957) – Cleary did the adaptation of his novel *''

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...

'' (1961) – two episodes *''

'' (1967), starring Ken Shorter, John Armstrong, Rowena Wallace and Carmen Duncan – based on his novel only *''Spearfield's Daughter'' (1986) (mini series), starring Christopher Plummer,

Nancy Marchand Nancy Lou Marchand (June 19, 1928 – June 18, 2000) was an American actress. She began her career in theatre in 1951. She was most famous for her television portrayals of Margaret Pynchon on ''Lou Grant'' and Livia Soprano on ''The Sopranos''. ...

, Kim Braden and

Steve Railsback Stephen Railsback is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He is best known for his performances in the films ''The Stunt Man'' and ''Lifeforce'', and his portrayal of Charles Manson in the 1976 television mini-series '' Helter Skelte ...

– based on his novel

Radio plays

*''Debut'' (1943) *''Safe Horizon'' (1944)

Plays

*''

'' (1969) – from the novel *''The Trumpets of Home''

Unpublished novels

*story of an AIF soldier who goes overseas (1947) *the story of a father and son in Sydney 1927–47 with the background of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (circa 1947) *''The Mayor's Nest'' (1956) – about Australian politics *''The Vacant Mine'' (1979) – uncompleted novel

References

External links

*
Works
*Jon Cleary Papers at the

Mitchell Library The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the City Council public library system of Glasgow, Scotland. History The library, based in the Charing Cross district, was initially established in Ingram Street in 1877 following a ...

, Sydney �
1950–19931962–2003
*

on

Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors a ...

Michael Costigan, 'Jon Cleary: quiet parishioner was a great writer'
''

The Catholic Weekly ''The Catholic Weekly'' is an English language newspaper currently published in Sydney, Australia. It is published in tabloid format. Throughout its history, it has also been published as ''The Freeman's Journal'' and ''Catholic Freeman's Jour ...

'', 5 September 2010
Jon Cleary Theatre credits
at

AusStage AusStage: The Australian Live Performance Database is an online database which records information about live performances in Australia, providing records of productions from the first recorded performance in Australia (1789, by convicts) up unt ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleary, Jon 1917 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Australian novelists 20th-century Australian male writers 21st-century Australian novelists Australian crime fiction writers Australian mystery writers Australian male novelists Australian male short story writers Edgar Award winners Ned Kelly Award winners ALS Gold Medal winners 20th-century Australian short story writers 21st-century Australian short story writers 21st-century Australian male writers Australian Army officers Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Roman Catholics