Raymond George Martin AM (né Grace, 20 December 1944) is an Australian television journalist and entertainment personality. Having won the Gold Logie five times, he is the most awarded star of Australian television, along with

Graham Kennedy Graham Cyril Kennedy AO (15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005) was an Australian entertainer, comedian and variety performer, as well as a personality and star of radio, theatre, television and film. He often performed in the style of vaudevilli ...

(although Kennedy won the ‘Star of the Year Award’, the forerunner of the Gold Logie in 1959). He is best known for his various on-air roles on Channel Nine from 1978, particularly his stint on '' A Current Affair'' and his long tenure as host of the variety/talk show ''The Midday Show'', after original host Mike Walsh left as host of a similar midday format with '' The Mike Walsh Show''. In 2011, he returned to the current affairs show ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...

'', in which he had been an original presenter, albeit only in a part-time capacity.

Early life and education

He was born Raymond George Grace into an Irish-Australian Catholic familyArthur, Chrissy; with Richard Feidler
"Ray Martin's autobiography" (includes audio and video)
, ABC, 22 December 2009.Kelly, Fran. , ''Radio National Breakfast'', ABC, 2009. in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

, New South Wales, Australia. He was the youngest of four children and their only son. His mother changed the family surname to ''Martin'' to prevent her

abusive Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

, alcoholic husband from finding her and their children after they fled from him in c. 1955. She and the children moved many times, settling in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. In the early 1990s, he found out that his great-great-grandmother was an

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

woman from the Kamilaroi nation, near Gunnedah. He attended Launceston College 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 studied engineering on scholarship at university, but changed his mind and studied to become an English and history teacher. He graduated with 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 yea ...

in 1967.

Television career

Martin began working for

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-owne ...

(ABC) in Sydney as a cadet in 1965. He was appointed the ABC's New York City correspondent in 1969. Over the next 10 years his coverage included race riots, anti-

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

protests,

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

and presidential elections for news and current affairs television and radio, from ''

Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...

'' and '' This Day Tonight'' to science and religion programs. In 1978 he joined the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

to launch ''

'', along with reporters George Negus and Ian Leslie. From 1985 to 1993 he presented the daily variety show ''Midday with Ray Martin'' and hosted top-rating specials such as ''Ray Martin Presents'', ''Up Close and Personal'' and ''The Ray Martin Show'', interviewing entertainment celebrities including

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...

, Nicole Kidman,

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy t ...

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...

, Billy Crystal,

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the hono ...

, Michael Crawford, Paul Hogan,

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

. He hosted '' A Current Affair'' from 1994 to 1998 and went on to present three series – ''Our Century'', ''The Great Debates'' and ''Simply the Best'' – before returning to ''60 Minutes'' to do special reports. In 2003 he resumed as host of ''A Current Affair''. It was announced in December 2005 that he would become the Nine Network's Senior Reporter. This quashed much speculation that he would return to ''

'' at the ABC, as the fluctuating ratings for ''A Current Affair'' had decreased. Over the past few years he has assisted in reporting with some major events including the Indonesian tsunami disaster in 2005. Former '' Today Show'' co-host Tracy Grimshaw replaced Martin on ''ACA'' at the beginning of 2006. He was then a senior correspondent for Channel Nine. He has also hosted diverse television events, from the

Logie Awards 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 ...

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the ex ...

, World Cup Cricket, ''1988 Bicentenary Spectacular'' and Federal and State Election nights to the aftermath of the 11 September terrorist attacks. From 16 September 2007, Martin took over as co-host of ''

Sunday Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week. For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sund ...

'', replacing Ross Greenwood. Martin left the Nine Network in February 2008, allegedly due to differences with management over budget cuts and a timeslot change for the ''Sunday'' program. On 28 March 2008 it was announced that Martin would lead the official broadcast of the

World Youth Day World Youth Day (WYD) is an event for young people organized by the Catholic Church that was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985, sometimes nicknamed in later years as the "Catholic Woodstock". Its concept has been influenced by the Light-L ...

event in Sydney from 15 to 20 July 2008. In October 2008, Martin criticised the Nine Network and other commercial television operations during an address at the annual

Andrew Olle Media Lecture The Andrew Olle Media Lecture was established in 1996 by the presenters and staff at 702 ABC Sydney (formerly 2BL) to honour the memory of ABC Radio and television broadcaster Andrew Olle, who died in 1995 of a brain tumour. It focuses on the role ...

. The subject of Martin's criticism was an alleged "dumbing down" of journalism and news coverage. Since 2014, Martin has been the presenter for the SBS series '' First Contact''. In 2015, he featured on the SBS Australian version of the popular international franchise genealogy television documentary series '' Who Do You Think You Are?''. In 2017, he hosted Look Me In The Eye. In 2016 and 2017, Martin presented three primetime specials for the regional network Prime7 focusing on major social issues impacting their viewing areas: ''Ice: The Scourge of Regional Australia'', ''Dark Secrets: Australia's Hidden Shame'', and ''It Won’t Happen To Me.'' In August 2018, Martin was announced as a presenter on the Nine Network's new travel series ''Helloworld'', which aired on 7 October 2018. In 2020, during the first Australian

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

lockdowns, Martin presented the ABC comedy series '' At Home Alone Together'', a satire of lifestyle television with a pandemic theme.

Controversy

Incident with John Safran

In 1998, John Safran, an Australian documentarian and media personality, created a television pilot called ''John Safran: Media Tycoon'', which was focused on the media industry. It became infamous for a segment where Safran turned up to Martin's house and confronted him in the tabloid style characteristic of ''A Current Affair'' and its peers. Martin was in contact with the ABC and specifically warned Safran in the segment that he had spoken to Roger Grant, the then Head of Corporate Affairs at the ABC. The segment was later played on '' Media Watch'' on ABC and on '' Enough Rope''. Safran went through Martin's garbage and took Shane Paxton (a former ''A Current Affair'' story subject) in his effort to engage Martin.

Awards

National honours

Martin was appointed a

Member 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 Go ...

(AM) in the

2010 Australia Day Honours The 2010 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2010 by the Governor General of Australia, Quentin Bryce. The Australia ...

"for service to the community through voluntary roles with charitable, Indigenous, health and sporting organisations, and to the media as a television journalist." Martin was awarded 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 and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

on 1 January 2001. In 2018, Martin was honoured with a special collection of post stamps issued by

Australia Post Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation, is the government business enterprise that provides postal services in Australia. The head office of Australia Post is located in Bourke Street, Melbourne, which also serves as a post ...

, with his portrait featured on the stamp, as part of the legends of television series. Martin was also honour with a star on Caloundra Walk of Stars in early 2007

Personal life

Martin is married to Dianne Martin, with whom he has two children. Although his parents separated, they never divorced owing to a huge stigma regarding divorce. His father died in the mid-1980s.

Political views

Martin is a republican and has called for a change in the Australian flag to reflect the nation's increasing multicultural identity.

Interests

Martin is a supporter and current board member of the

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league club based in Redfern, a suburb of inner-southern Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and are one of nine existing tea ...

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

team. He was Chairman of the

Australian Indigenous Education Foundation The Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) is a non-profit organisation which provides scholarships to the Indigenous students in Australia. History The Australian Indigenous Education Foundation was established in 2008 by Andrew ...

(AIEF), was Chairman of

The Fred Hollows Foundation The Fred Hollows Foundation is a non-profit aid organisation based in Sydney, Australia, which was founded in 1992 by eye surgeon Fred Hollows. The foundation focuses on treating and preventing blindness and other vision problems. It operat ...

and has supported children's services at Royal North Shore Hospital. From 1991 to 2000, he was a full-term member of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation.Ray Martin profile
at Platinum Speakers & Entertainers he is an Ambassador for the AIEF. He is a Brand Tasmania Ambassador. For more than 30 years, the children's charity the Humpty Dumpty Foundation has enjoyed support from its Patron, television journalist Ray Martin AM.

Books

As author

*''Ray: Stories of My Life'' (2009) *''Ray Martin's Favourites: The stories behind the legends'',

Melbourne University Publishing Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) is the book publishing arm of the University of Melbourne. History MUP was founded in 1922 as Melbourne University Press to sell text books and stationery to students, and soon began publishing books itself ...

(2011)

Forewords

Philanthropy

One of Martin's oldest colleagues was Fred Hollows, and, through their friendship, Martin became a distinguished ambassador and chairman for The Fred Hollows Foundation. Martin utilized his career in journalism to help raise awareness for the international

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. The Fred Hollows Foundation educates surgeons on how to treat avoidable blindness within underserved communities and countries. Specifically, they work within the Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia ...

communities of Indigenous Australia.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Ray 1944 births Living people Gamilaraay Australian republicans Australian autobiographers Australian television journalists Australian people of Irish descent University of Sydney alumni Gold Logie winners Members of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Centenary Medal Australian people of Indigenous Australian descent Australian television talk show hosts 60 Minutes (Australian TV program) correspondents