Wikipedia

Wynn Roberts (actor)

Wynn Roberts (April 29, 1924 – 24 August 2021)[2] credited also as Wyn Roberts and Wynne Roberts, was an Australian radio, stage and screen actor who appeared in more than 70 film and television productions between the early 1950s and 2001. He appeared in numerous TV plays and was also featured in TV miniseries for a career spanning 50 years.

Wynn Roberts
Born29 April 1924[1]
Died24 August 2021 (aged 97)
Tanja, New South Wales, Australia
Other namesWyn Roberts, Wynne Roberts
OccupationActor
Years active1947-2001

Career

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His television credits include Homicide, Special Squad, The Flying Doctors, Police Rescue, A Country Practice and Wildside. He may be most recognisable to international audiences for his role in the cult Grundy Television prison drama, Prisoner (also known as Prisoner: Cell Block H. 1979-1986), in which he appeared as (Stuart) Gillespie, a mean-spirited prison department inspector, in episodes originally aired in 1980-81. His character's authoritarian regime led to the 1980 season cliffhanger, where a number of inmates escape in a tunnel which subsequently collapses, killing a prisoner and trapping others. Later, in 1987, he guest starred in another Grundy soap opera, Neighbours (1985-), as Frank Darcy, an artist friend of Anne Haddy's character, Helen Daniels. The character memorably wore a leather eye patch and came from Bungle Bungles, and he and Helen almost moved there together, but in the end, Helen decided to stay in Melbourne with her family and Frank left without her. He is also known for his prominent role as Sergeant Bumpher in the 1975 film classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock.[3][4] He was also a leading stage actor, starting in the late 1940s.[5]

He worked for a number of years in radio.[6]

A 1965 article called him "one of the best and most versatile actors left in Australia - probably the best in Melbourne".[7]

Death

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He died on 24 August 2021 in Tanja, New South Wales, aged 97.[2]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1988 The Man from Snowy River II Priest Feature film
1985 Wills & Burke William Wright Feature film
1982 Fighting Back Payne Feature film
1978 Weekend of Shadows Sergeant Caxton Film
1977 Born to Run (aka Ride a Wild Pony or Harness Fever) McGinnis Feature film
1977 Listen to the Lion Hunter Feature film
1975 Picnic at Hanging Rock Sergeant Bumpher Feature film
1974 Essington TV film
1972 Flashpoint Foxy Feature film
1972 The Survivor Feature film
1968 Cobwebs in Concrete Dan Fenner TV play
1966 Flight into Danger TV play
1966 Ticket to Nowhere TV play
1966 Should the Woman Pay Gerald Henderson TV play
1966 The Tape Recorder Voice of Novelist TV play
1965 Macbeth[8] Macbeth TV play
1965 Moby Dick - Rehearsed[9] Ahab TV play
1965 A Time to Speak Gilly (the Doctor) TV play
1965 Romanoff and Juliet Vadim Romanoff TV play
1964 The Physicists Mobius TV play
1964 Everyman Death TV play
1964 Corruption in the Palace of Justice Counsellor Enzi TV play
1964 A Man for All Seasons Sir Thomas More TV play
1963 Prelude to Harvest Governor Phillip TV play
1962 Murder in the Cathedral Beckett TV play[10]
1962 Light me a Lucifer Bill TV play
1962 The Hobby Horse Billy Brocknell TV play
1962 Shadow of Heroes Laszlo Rajk TV play
1962 Manhaul Charles Forrester TV play
1961 The Lady from the Sea The Stranger TV play
1961 Burst of Summer Clinton Hunter TV play
1961 Hedda Gabler Eilert Lovborg TV play
1960 Macbeth Banquo TV play
1960 Uncle Martino Trulla TV play
1960 Heart Attack Dr Rutherford TV play
1959 Treason TV play
1959 Last Call TV play
1958 Symphonie Pastorale Pastor Etieene TV play

Television

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Year Title Role Type
2001 The Farm George Cooper Miniseries, 3 episodes
1999 Wildside Lionel TV series, 1 episode
1997 Big Sky Fred Morgan TV series, 1 episode
1996 Sun on the Stubble Ebeneezer Blitz Miniseries, 2 episodes
1995 Snowy River: The McGregor Saga Sir Harry Garfield TV series, 1 episode
1993-99 Law of the Land Hamilton Chalmers TV series, 14 episodes
1993 Snowy Alf Rutherford TV series, 4 episodes
1993 A Country Practice Gordon Moss TV series, 2 episodes
1992 The Adventures of Skippy Grumpy Johnston TV series, 1 episode
1992 Bony Templeman TV series, 1 episode
1992 Boys from the Bush Harry TV series, 1 episode
1991 Embassy Dave TV series, 1 episode
1986-91 The Flying Doctors Dr Don McKenzie / Bill Richards / Stirling / Mal Pryor TV series, 4 episode
1991 Police Rescue Anthony Mason TV series, 1 episode
1999 Rafferty's Rules Matt Keegan TV series, 1 episode
1988 Spit MacPhee Judge Laker TV miniseries, 4 episodes
1988 The Last Resort Exeter Shannon TV series
1988 All the Way Maynard TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1988 Neighbours Frank Darcy TV series, 5 episodes
1988 Always Afternoon Pastor Jules TV miniseries, 1 episode
1987 The Petrov Affair Brigadier Spry TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1986 Sword of Honour Arthur Lawrence TV miniseries, 4 episodes
1986 Whose Baby? Edward Hudson KC TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1985 The Dunera Boys Slattery TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1985 One Summer Again James Smith TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1984 Special Squad Superintendent Kerslake TV series, 3 episodes
1983-84 Carson's Law Andrew Riley KC / Andrews TV series, 4 episodes
1984 Waterfront Inspector Legge TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1982 Spring and Fall Clive TV series, 1 episode
1980-82 Cop Shop Alan MacNamara, George Payne, Jack Gren, Walter Green TV series, 8 episodes
1981 Holiday Island David Owens TV series, 2 episodes
1980-81 Prisoner: Cell Block H Stuart Gillespie TV series, 9 episodes
1979 Disneyland McGinnis TV series, 2 episodes
1978 Skyways Barney Waters TV series, 2 episodes
1975 Behind the Legend Christopher Brennan TV series, 1 episode
1974 Homicide Ross Bullen TV series, 1 episode
1968-70 Delta Rand / Janosek TV series, 2 episodes
1979 Adventure Island Captain James Cook TV series, 1 episode
1967-68 Contrabandits Joshua Stoney / Arnell TV series, 2 episodes
1967 Sergeant Musgrave's Dance Sergeant Musgrave TV miniseries, 1 episode
1966 Australian Playhouse Johnson / Gerald Henderson / The Author TV series, 3 episodes
1962-64 Consider Your Verdict Defence Counsel Robert Winter / Crown Prosector Robert Winter TV series, 19 episodes
1964 Barley Charlie Jim Fogarty TV series, 1 episode
1962 Jonah Morgan TV series, 1 episode
1958 Killer in Close Up TV series, 1 episode

Theatre

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Year Title Role Type
1947 Othello Brobantio (Desdemona's Father) Melbourne Repertory Theatre
1950 An Inspector Calls Eric Birling University of Melbourne
1951 Desert Highway University of Melbourne, National Theatre, Melbourne, Hobart
1952 Montserrat University of Melbourne
1953 The Giaconda Smile Henry Hutton University of Melbourne
1954 Ned Kelly Ned University of Melbourne
1954 Escape Matt Dennant University of Melbourne
1956 Death of a Salesman Uncle Ben University of Melbourne
1956 Misalliance Mr Tarleton University of Melbourne
1957 The Play's the Thing Almady University of Melbourne
1957 Our Town Dr Gibbs University of Melbourne
1957 The Matchmaker Horace Vandergelder University of Melbourne
1957 Tonight in Samarkand University of Melbourne
1957 Ring Around the Moon University of Melbourne
1957 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Brick University of Melbourne
1957 Arsenic and Old Lace Jonathan Brewster University of Melbourne
1957 A View from the Bridge Mr Alfieri University of Melbourne
1957 Speak of the Devil University of Melbourne
1958 The Making of Moo Frederick Compton University of Melbourne
1958 A Hatful of Rain John Pope Snr University of Melbourne
1958 The Threepenny Opera Peachum University of Melbourne
1958 The Ballad of Angel's Alley Nobbler New Theatre, Melbourne
1961 The Sentimental Bloke Ginger Mick Melbourne
1961 The One Day of the Year Alf Cook Russell Street Theatre, Devonport Town Hall, Theatre Royal, Hobart, Burnie, National Theatre, Launceston
1962 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Russell Street Theatre
1966 The First Country Emerald Hill Theatre
1973 A Celebration of the Life and Vision of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Dallas Brooks Hall
1979 Cymbeline Cymbeline ABC Radio, Melbourne
1984 The Cherry Orchard The Mill Theatre, Melbourne

[11]

References

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  1. ^ Tombstone
  2. ^ a b "Obituary: Wynn Roberts".
  3. ^ "Wyn Roberts". BFI. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Wyn Roberts". www.aveleyman.com.
  5. ^ "Prisoner scores a double treat". The Australian Women's Weekly. Australia. 24 September 1980. p. 21 (Your TV Magazine). Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
  6. ^ "On the Grapevine". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 17 November 1956. p. 17. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
  7. ^ "No dents in Rogues? armour". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 21 May 1965. p. 17. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
  8. ^ "'Macbeth' on camera". The Australian Women's Weekly. Australia. 8 September 1965. p. 18. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
  9. ^ "What to stay home for..." The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 17 May 1965. p. 17. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
  10. ^ Vagg, Stephen (27 August 2022). "3 Forgotten Australian Television Plays". Filmink. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  11. ^ "AusStage".
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