Robert James Hornery (28 May 1931 – 26 May 2015) was an Australian actor. He won both the Helpmann Awards and the Equity Awards lifetime achievement award, with a career spanning 60 years, in both Britain and Australia. He was well known for his ability to ad lib.

Early life and education

Robert Hornery was born on 28 May 1931, in

Randwick, New South Wales Randwick is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Ra ...

, to Edward Hornery, a sales rep, and his wife, Veronica (née Gallen). He appeared in plays at the local Catholic secondary school, Marcellin College. Upon leaving school, he worked as a booking clerk for Butler Airways. During this period, he also performed in revues with amateur companies.

Career

theatre

Hornery started his career in theatre in 1949, and made his professional debut in 1953, when he played Eustace Smell, the town crier and sidekick, in a production of

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition On Commons and as Benjamin Tabart's moralized "The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk" in 1807. Henry Co ...

, at Sydney's Capitol Theatre. As well as other stage roles, he appeared in the stage production of ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' as the Rev. Canon Chasuble. This ran from 1988 to 1992 and was televised by the ABC. He was particularly associated with the

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...

, and with roles ranging from comic to the dramatic, including '' The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin'' and '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum''.

screen

He also appeared in Australian film and television production including '' Thunderstone'' and guested in '' Neighbours'' as the father of

Karl Kennedy Karl Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Alan Fletcher. The actor previously appeared in the soap in 1987 as mechanic Greg Cooper. He made his first screen appearance as Karl during the episo ...

Tom Kennedy Thomas or Tom Kennedy may refer to: Politics *Thomas Kennedy (Scottish judge) (1673–1754), joint Solicitor General for Scotland 1709–14, Lord Advocate 1714, Member of Parliament for Ayr Burghs 1720–21 * Thomas Kennedy, 9th Earl of Cassilis ...

. He appeared in the television series '' Doctor Who'' and ''

Sapphire and Steel ''Sapphire & Steel'' is a British television supernatural sci-fi/fantasy series starring David McCallum as Steel and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J ...

''. His film roles included ''

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome ''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'' is a 1985 Australian post-apocalyptic dystopian action film directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie and written by Miller and Terry Hayes. It stars Mel Gibson and Tina Turner in a story of a lone roving warr ...

'' and '' Crackerjack''.

Personal life and death

In 1973, Hornery married Patricia Allen. They had a daughter, Jane. He died on 26 May 2015 after a long cancer illness, two days before his 84th birthday. He was survived by his wife, daughter and stepson, Max Allen.

Filmography

Film roles

*''Phoelix'' (1980) - Queen Nefertiti *''

Britannia Hospital ''Britannia Hospital'' is a 1982 British black comedy film, directed by Lindsay Anderson, which targets the National Health Service and contemporary British society. It was entered into the 1982 Cannes Film Festival and Fantasporto. ''Britan ...

'' (1982) - BBC Cameraman *''Stanley: Every Home Should Have One'' (1984) - Dr Chambers *''

'' (1985) - Waterseller *''

Ground Zero In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. In the case of an explosion above the ground, ''ground zero'' is the point on the groun ...

'' (1987) - Meteorologist *''

Road to Nhill ''Road to Nhill'' is a 1997 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Sue Brooks. The film won the "Golden Alexander" (first prize) for Best Feature-Length Film at The International Thessaloniki Film Festival (Greece). Produced by Sue Maslin, it ...

'' (1997) - Alvin *'' Crackerjack'' (2002) - Ron

References

External links

Bob Hornery
- Stage acting credits * "The Importance of Being Earnest" — (information and photos): *http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=1549 *http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=12571 *http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=12850 *http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=14306 *http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_event_id=13283 *http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104490/ *http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an23386505 *http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an23386438 * 1931 births 2015 deaths Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Helpmann Award winners {{Australia-actor-stub