Augustino Eugenio Mercurio OAM (10 August 1928 – 7 December 2010) better known as Gus Mercurio, was an American-born Australian character actor who appeared in radio, television, and film. He was also a professional boxer, boxing referee and judge.
Gus Mercurio | |
|---|---|
| Born | Augustino Eugenio Mercurio 10 August 1928 |
| Died | 7 December 2010 (aged 82) Melbourne, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1970–2008 |
| Family | Paul Mercurio (dancer-actor) (son) |
He is a member of the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame in their non-combatants category (despite actually having had 2 professional bouts as a fighter) and has an award named after him by that institution.
Early life
editMercurio, the eldest child of Vincent A. Mercurio and Cecilia W. "Mickey" Miller, was born in West Bend, Wisconsin near Milwaukee.[1] He had two sisters, Gerie and Connie, and a brother, Tony.[2] His parents were divorced when he was seven.
He visited Australia during the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and decided to stay.[3]
Early career
editHis father had boxed professionally under the name of Vince McGurk, and one of his uncles had boxed professionally under the name of Ray Miller. Mercurio himself was a professional boxer, had served in the United States Marine Corps and was also a chiropractor[4]
Mercurio was also an international boxing judge (refereeing a world title fight) and was also a well-known boxing promoter. He later became the inaugural president of the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame – into which he was inducted in 2008.
Radio, TV and film
editHe was successful at his first audition for an ABC radio play. His raspy voice, energetic personality and natural talents quickly came to the attention of Australian television production houses such as Crawford Productions.[4]
He also worked as a commentator for Channel 7's World of Sport, as well as acting as the movie host for Channel 10's Saturday Night with Gus Mercurio.[5]
Mercurio appeared in several Australian TV series, including Cash and Company (1975), its follow-up Tandarra (1976) and the miniseries Power Without Glory (1976). Additionally, he played many guest roles in Australian TV police series, including Homicide (1964), Division 4 (1969) and Matlock Police (1971). His film appearances include The Blue Lagoon (1980), The Man from Snowy River (1982), Turkey Shoot (1982), Crocodile Dundee II (1988), Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991) and Doing Time for Patsy Cline (1997).
Boxing career
editHe participated in two professional boxing fights in 1950, losing both.[6]
Staying close to boxing, he judged 149 professional bouts[7] and, starting in 1970 and until 1986, refereed 89 fights, including some world championship contests, such as the 1985 one between Barry Michaels and Lester Ellis, which was a major sporting event in Australia.[8]
Family
editMercurio was married twice and fathered seven children, including dancer/actor Paul Mercurio, the star of the film Strictly Ballroom (1992).
Death
editHe died on 7 December 2010 from complications during surgery for a chest aneurysm.[9] He was 82 years old.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Alvin Purple Rides Again | Jake | Feature film |
| 1976 | Eliza Fraser | Darge | Feature film |
| 1976 | The Dreamers | Feature film | |
| 1977 | Raw Deal | Ben | Feature film |
| 1977 | High Rolling | Nightclub Bouncer | Feature film |
| 1980 | Harlequin | Mr. Bergier | Feature film |
| 1980 | The Blue Lagoon | Officer | Feature film |
| 1980 | Dead Man's Float | Mr. Dobraski | Feature film |
| 1982 | Turkey Shoot | Red | Feature film |
| 1982 | The Man from Snowy River | Frew | Feature film |
| 1983 | The Return of Captain Invincible | Noisy Garbageman | Feature film |
| 1985 | I Live with Me Dad | Waldo Skrimm | TV film |
| 1987 | Running from the Guns | Chazza | Feature film |
| 1988 | Crocodile Dundee II | Frank | Feature film |
| 1991 | Return to the Blue Lagoon | First Mate | Feature film |
| 1992 | Survive the Savage Sea | Mr Haines | TV film |
| 1993 | Official Denial | Joe Dan | TV film |
| 1994 | Lightning Jack | Tough Guy | Feature film |
| 1994 | Mdday Crisis | Short film | |
| 1997 | Doing Time for Patsy Cline | Tyrone | Feature film |
| 2001 | Curse of the Talisman | Junkyard Owner | TV film |
| 2002 | Dalkeith | Enzo Petroni | Feature film |
| 2010 | The Otherside | Carmello | Short film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Homicide | Guest role | TV series |
| 1969 | Division 4 | Guest role | TV series |
| 1971 | Matlock Police | Guest role | TV series |
| 1973 | Frank and Francesca | TV series, 6 episodes | |
| 1975 | Cash and Company | Joe Brady | Miniseries, 13 episodes |
| 1976 | Power Without Glory | Sparring Partner / Bill Timms | TV series |
| 1976 | The Sullivans | George | TV series |
| 1976 | Tandarra[10] | Joe Brady | Miniseries, 13 episodes |
| 1979 | TV Follies | Maxy Missouri | TV series |
| Holiday Island | Bob | TV series, 3 episodes | |
| 1983 | All the Rivers Run | Tom Critchley | TV series |
| 1984 | Special Squad | Haliwell | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1983-85 | Five Mile Creek | Ben Jones | TV series |
| 1986 | The Challenge | Vic Romagna | Miniseries |
| 1990 | The Great Air Race | 'Granny' Granville | Miniseries |
| 1993 | Time Trax | Announcer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1993 | The Flying Doctors | Happy | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1993 | Stark | Larry | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1993 | All Together Now | Freddy Vale | 1 episode |
| 1993, 1998 | The Saddle Club | Bluey, Mick | TV series, 2episodes |
| 1996-99 | Flipper | Cap Daulton | TV series |
| 1997 | Neighbours | Trainer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2000 | Tales of the South Seas | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| 2001, 2004 | Blue Heelers | Harry Spencer, Jim Steedman | TV series, 2 episodes |
| World of Sport | Commentator | TV series | |
| Saturday Night with Gus Mercurio | Movie host | TV series |
Works
edit- Mercurio, G., Boxin' : all you wanted to know but didn't want to fight to ask, Regus, (Kew), 1998. ISBN 0-646-35241-5
- Mercurio, G., Hang in There: Inspirational Gems to Empower You!, Wilkinson Books, (Melbourne), 1994. ISBN 1-86350-168-1
References
edit- ^ Interview with Gus Mercurio
- ^ Arlington National Cemetery's Biography: Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Thomas Mercurio.
- ^ "Lives Remembered". The Telegraph. London. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
- ^ a b Upham, Paul "Gus Mercurio" Archived 29 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine. aussiebox.com.au, Retrieved 7 December 2010
- ^ Hill, M., The actors' handbook: a guide to the Australian entertainment industry, Artists Technologies, (Carlton), 2007, (ISBN 0975735810), p.20.
- ^ https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/401815
- ^ https://boxrec.com/en/judge/401815
- ^ https://boxrec.com/en/referee/401815
- ^ "Gus Mercurio dies aged 82". ABC News, 7 December 2010
- ^ Cash & Company Tandarra Retrieved 7 December 2010
External links
edit- Gus Mercurio at IMDb
- Gus Mercurio biography at Aussie Box
- Photo Gallery: Farewell Gus Mercurio
- New Colonial Epic, Sydney Morning Herald TV Guide, Monday, 2 February 1976.
- Carman, G. & Upham, P., "Thinking man's boxer and more", The Age, 9 December 2010.
- Humphries, R. "Inside Sport: Gus Mercurio", Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday, 25 February 1976, p.25.
- Paxinos, S., "A Contest in Black and White", The Age, 18 May 2008.
- Paxinos, S., "One out of the box", The Age, 12 July 2005.
- Quinn, K., "Farewell to a man who made mistakes … and amends", The Age, 21 December 2010.
- Stark, J., "Boxing history hits the canvas", The Age,29 September 2005.
- Silvers, A.R., "Wisconsin's Mercurio was a famous actor in Australia", The Journal Sentinel, 11 December 2010.
- Webb, C., "Celebrating dinky-di Americans", The Age, 7 June 2005.