Ronald Blanchard (born 1945) is an Australian stage, television and film actor. He is best known as a character actor, and for his starring roles in five popular children's television series Breakfast-a-Go-Go, The Lost Islands, Alexander Bunyip's Billabong, Watch This Space and Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin. A well-known character actor, Blanchard had numerous appearances on television series and films from the late 1960s up until the late 1990s, most especially, his recurring guest role as Lenny Sawyer on A Country Practice but has since returned to theatre work. He made his film debut in a supporting role in Caddie in 1976 and appeared in the 1997 film Oscar and Lucinda.
Ron Blanchard | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ronald Blanchard 1945 (age 78–79) Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Theatre, television and film actor |
| Years active | 1957–present |
Biography
editBlanchard got his first big break on the small screen when he appeared on the children's variety show Breakfast-a-Go-Go in 1969 as 'Witless Wonder', the comedic sidekick of new host Sue Smith. In 1972 he appeared as a guest star on the soap opera Number 96 and on the comedy series Snake Gully with Dad and Dave. He continued working on-and-off for the next several years and, in 1976, Blanchard landed the part of the villainous Quell on the children's adventure series The Lost Islands. As one of the show's main antagonists, the series provided his breakout role.
As well as appearing on The Outsiders, in the same year he also made his film debut with a supporting role in Caddie.[1][2][3][4] He followed this with appearances on The Garry McDonald Show (1977), Alexander Bunyip's Billabong (1978),[5] Doctor Down Under (1979) and, most notably, co-starring with Paul Chubb in the children's science fiction series Watch This Space (1982). He began to work more regularly during the early 1980s and had parts in the television movie Chase Through the Night (1983), miniseries The Last Bastion (1984) [6] and films Silver City (1984),[7] Warming Up (1985) and Burke & Wills (1985).[1][8]
In January 1986, he joined former co-star Paul Chubb and Perry Quinton in a pantomime called Humpty Dumpty. It featured the fictional characters of the Harry and Ralph Show at the Footbridge Theatre.[9] In the same year, he starred in yet another children's television series, the popular but short-lived Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin. After a supporting role in the thriller film Dark Age (1987),[10] he returned to television acting with guest appearances in Mother and Son (1988), True Believers (1988) and G.P. (1991). That same year, he also had a minor role in the action film Gotcha (1991).
Beginning in 1992, Blanchard had a recurring role as Lenny Sawyer on the television series A Country Practice. His last regular acting role was in the film Country Life (1994),[11] although he made appearances in the television movie Hart to Hart: Harts in High Season (1996) and the romance film Oscar and Lucinda (1997).[1][12]
For the past 12 years, he has been travelling the world playing the role of an English butler for the famous Swedish illusionist Joe Labero.
Selected filmography
editFilm
edit| Production | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caddie | 1976 | Bill | Feature film |
| Chase Through the Night | 1982 | Mert | TV movie |
| Silver City | 1984 | Arthur Calwell | Feature film |
| Burke & Wills | 1985 | Bill Patton | Feature film |
| Warming Up | 1986 | Len | Feature film |
| Dark Age | 1987 | Bluey Noakes | Feature film |
| Rock 'N' Roll Cowboys | 1987 | Uncle Sam | TV movie |
| Gotcha | 1991 | Tuba Player | TV short film |
| Country Life | 1994 | Wally Wells | Feature film |
| Hart to Hart: Harts in High Season | 1996 | TV movie | |
| Oscar and Lucinda | 1997 | Steamer Captain | Feature film |
Television
edit| Production | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast-a-Go-Go | 1969 | Witless Wonder | TV series |
| Snake Gully with Dad and Dave | 1972 | Doug Creedy | TV series, episode: "Hold that Tiger" |
| Number 96 | 1973 | Dennis Parker | TV series |
| Certain Women | 1974 | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Alvin Purple | 1976 | Curly | TV series |
| The Outsiders | 1976 | Hannan | TV series, episode: "Ghost Town" |
| The Lost Islands | 1976 | Quell | TV series, 26 episodes |
| The Garry McDonald Show | 1977 | Various | TV series |
| Alexander Bunyip's Billabong | 1978-88 | Ron | TV series |
| Doctor Down Under | 1979 | First Wardsman | TV series, episode "Identity Crisis" |
| Tickled Pink | 1981 | TV series, episode: "Three Blind Mice" | |
| Watch This Space | 1982 | Ron | TV series |
| The Last Bastion | 1984 | Arthur | TV miniseries |
| Professor Poopsnaggle and His Flying Zeppelin | 1985 | Murk | TV series, 24 episodes |
| Mother and Son | 1988 | Emile the fridge repairman | TV series, episode "The Fridge" |
| True Believers | 1988 | Arthur Calwell | TV miniseries, episodes |
| Rafferty's Rules | 1991 | Jones Worthington | TV series, episode "Best and Brightest" |
| G.P. | 1991 | Ron Slater | TV series |
| A Country Practice | 1985 | Kevin Crooke | TV series, 4 episodes |
| A Country Practice | 1992-93 | Norman Leonard "Lennie" Sawyer | TV series, 12 episodes |
| Home and Away | 1989-93 | Athletic Official, Peter Braithwaite | TV series |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Ron Blanchard filmography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (8 February 1981). "'Caddie,' An Australian Woman On Her Own". Cultural Desk. The New York Times.
- ^ Reade, Eric. History and Heartburn: The Saga of Australian Film, 1896-1978. Sydney: Harper & Rowe, 1981. (pg. 248) ISBN 0-8386-3082-0
- ^ Daily Variety. Variety's Film Reviews: 1975-1977. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1983. ISBN 0-8352-2794-4
- ^ Library Association of Australia. "Item notes." Orca. Vol. 15-16. (1979): 44+.
- ^ Willis, John. Screen World 1986 Film Annual. Vol. 37. New York: Random House, 1986. (pg. 171) ISBN 0-517-56257-X
- ^ Maslin, Janet (17 May 1985). "Screen: Australia's 'Silver City'". Weekend Desk. The New York Times.
- ^ Murray, Scott and Raffaele Caputo. Australian Film, 1978-1992: A Survey of Theatrical Features. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1993. (pg. 153, 165, 179) ISBN 0-19-553584-7
- ^ "Kids' Theatre". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 January 1986.
- ^ Lentz, Harris M. Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1994. (pg. 396) ISBN 0-89950-927-4
- ^ Ebert, Roger. Roger Ebert's Video Companion. 13th ed. Kansas City: Andrews & McMeel, 1997. (pg. 173) ISBN 0-8362-3688-2
- ^ Willis, John. Screen World 1998 Film Annual. Vol. 49. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation, 1999. (pg. 257) ISBN 1-55783-342-7