Gerard Kennedy (actor)
Gerard Kennedy (born 8 March 1932) is an Australian double Gold Logie award-winning former actor, best known for his roles in early television series, in particular the espionage series including Hunter and the police procedural Division 4.[1] Kennedy also appeared in film roles during a career that spanned 50 years in the industry.[2]
Gerard Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 March 1932 Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1965–2015 |
| Known for | Hunter, Division 4 |
| Notable work | |
| Awards |
|
Career
Kennedy played six different characters in guest appearances in Crawford Productions television series Homicide and in 1967 he shot to fame as the antagonist in Australian television spy drama Hunter, becoming so popular that his character changed sides, eventually becoming the main character after lead actor Tony Ward left the series. Kennedy won a TV Week Logie Award for "Best New Talent" for his portrayal of the character.[3]
Kennedy followed this with a starring role in police procedural television series, Division 4,[4][5] winning multiple Logie Awards—including two Gold Logies as most popular personality on Australian TV—for his work in the series.[6][7] He has consistently acted in Australian television and film productions since that time.
Later regular television series roles included Tandarra in 1976, Bellbird in 1977,[8] the miniseries Against the Wind in 1978, Skyways in 1979–1981, Golden Pennies in 1985, and The Flying Doctors between 1986 and 1989 (non-consecutive episodes). Guest TV roles include appearances in Carson's Law, Prisoner, A Country Practice, Blue Heelers, City Homicide, The Saddle Club, and Neighbours. In 2008, he played Graham "The Munster" Kinniburgh in Underbelly[9] and in Fat Tony & Co..
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Eliza Fraser | Martin Cameron | Feature film |
| 1977 | Raw Deal | Palmer | Feature film |
| 1977 | The Mango Tree | Preacher Jones | Feature film |
| 1978 | Newsfront | Frank Maguire | Feature film |
| 1978 | The Irishman | Chad Ingram | Feature film |
| 1979 | The Last of the Knucklemen | Tarzan | Feature film |
| 1980 | Fatty Finn | Tiger Murphy | Feature film |
| 1982 | The Plains of Heaven | Lenko | Feature film |
| 1987 | The Lighthorsemen | Ismet Bey | Feature film |
| 1987 | Running from the Guns | Big Jim | Feature film |
| 1992 | Garbo | Trevor | Feature film |
| 1993 | Body Melt | Detective Sam Phillips | Feature film |
| 1994 | Ebbtide | Fredericks | Direct-to-video film |
| 1996 | The Inner Sanctuary | Father Kelly | |
| 2002 | Blood Crime | Kaiwanasha | TV film |
| 2005 | Plains Empty | Old Fella | Short film |
| 2007 | Lucky Miles | Kangaroo Shooter | Feature film |
| 2013 | Wolf Creek 2 | Jack | Feature film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 6 guest characters | TV series | |
| 1967 | Hunter | Kragg | TV series |
| 1969-75 | Division 4 | Senior Detective / Detective Sgt. Frank Banner | TV series |
| 1976 | Cash and Company | Ryler | TV series |
| 1976 | Tandarra | Ryler | TV series |
| 1977 | Bellbird | TV series | |
| 1978 | Against the Wind | Dinny O’Byrne | TV miniseries |
| 1979-82 | Skyways | Gary Doolan | TV series |
| 1980 | The Last Outlaw | Harry Power | TV miniseries |
| Carson's Law | Guest role | TV series | |
| 1985 | Golden Pennies | TV series | |
| 1986-89 | The Flying Doctors | TV series | |
| 1994 | Frontline | Ian Farmer, Station Manager | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 1999 | Thunderstone | Dr. Pretorius | TV series |
| City Homicide | Guest role | TV series | |
| 2008 | Underbelly | Graham "The Munster" Kinniburgh | TV series |
| 2014 | Fat Tony & Co. | Graham "The Munster" Kinniburgh | TV series |
| 2015 | Glitch | Leon Massola | TV series |
| Prisoner | Guest role | TV series | |
| A Country Practice | Guest role | TV series | |
| Blue Heelers | Guest role | TV series | |
| The Saddle Club | Guest role | TV series | |
| Neighbours | Guest role | TV series |
Awards
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Logie Awards | George Wallace Memorial Logie for Best New Talent | Hunter | Won |
| 1969 | Penguin Award | Best Actor | Division 4 | Won |
| 1970 | Penguin Awards | Leading Talent in a Drama Series | Division 4 | Won |
| 1971 | Logie Awards | Gold Logie | Division 4 | Won |
| 1971 | Logie Awards | Best Actor | Division 4 | Won |
| 1972 | Logie Awards | Gold Logie | Division 4 | Won |
| 1972 | Logie Awards | Best Actor | Division 4 | Won |
| 1973 | Logie Awards | Best Actor | Division 4 | Won |
| 1979 | Australian TV and Film Award | Best Actor in a TV series | Against the Wind | Won |
| 1987 | Penguin Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Series/Serial | The Flying Doctors | Won |
References
- Kimball, Duncan. "Logies". MilesAgo Television. MILESAGO: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964-1975. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- "Gerard Kennedy".
- Storey, Don. "Hunter". Classic Australian Television. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- Storey, Don. "Division 4". Classic Australian Television. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- "Division 4". National Film & Sound Archive. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- "Division 4". Crawford Productions. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- "Gold Logie Winners". PerthNow. 1971. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- Myall, Robert. "Bellbird". Aussie Soap Archive. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- Ziffer, Daniel (14 February 2008). "Underbelly wins Ratings War". The Age. Archived from the original on 24 June 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2013.