Gerard Kennedy obit

Gerard Kennedy, Two-Time Gold Logie Award Winner, Dies at 93

 

He was not on the list.

Gerard Kennedy, whose Hollywood hardman looks turned him into star of Australian TV, and a two-time Gold Logie Award winner in the 1970s, died Monday, April 21. He was 93.

Born in Perth, Kennedy cut his teeth in theatre back in the 1960s, and enjoyed a small screen breakthrough playing the antagonist Kragg in 1967’s “Hunter.” He proved so popular with audiences, the show’s writers would convert Kragg into the good guy on the departure of lead actor Tony Ward.

He’d go on to win a TV Week Logie Award for best new talent for his portrayal of the character. It was the first of many awards.

Kennedy would become one of the most recognisable faces on TV in “Division 4,” on which he played Detective Frank Banner. Across six seasons, Kennedy would collect two gold Logies as the most popular personality on national television.

A versatile actor for whom the black hat fit just as well as the white, Kennedy was cast in roles for such series and mini-series as “Tandarra” (1976), “Against the Wind” (1978), and “The Last Outlaw” (1980), as the airport manager in “Skyways” (1979), and as Luke Mitchell in “The Flying Doctors” (1986). Kennedy also had guest appearances in “Prisoner”, “A Country Practice”, “City Homicide”, “The Saddle Club”, “Neighbours” and in the popular cop drama “Blue Heelers”.

Among his most memorable later roles was that of a gangland patriarch in the mini series “Underbelly” (2008), and a role in the horror feature film “Wolf Creek 2” from 2013. Kennedy’s last acting credit was in the 2015 TV series “Glitch” for the ABC.

During his lifetime, Kennedy would also collect two Silver Logies and three Penguin Awards.

As news of his passing spreads, Kennedy is being remembered as a trailblazer of Australian TV, a respected actor whose talents were welcomed into millions of homes.

 

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    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

1966            Homicide        6 guest characters            6 episodes

1967    Hunter            Kragg            65 episodes

1974    Rush            Jim Dawson            1 episode

1969–75            Division 4          Senior Detective / Detective Sgt. Frank Banner            301 episodes

1976    Cash and Company            Ryler            1 episode

1976    King's Men                 1 episode

1976            Tandarra          Ryler            13 episodes

1976    Power Without Glory            Dick Bradley            4 episodes

1977    Bellbird            Edward Grey     3 episodes

1977    Bluey            Doug Stewart            1 episode

1978    Case for the Defence            Jack            1 episode

1978    Against the Wind            Dinny O’Byrne            7 episodes

1979–82            Skyways         Gary Doolan TV series

1980    The Last Outlaw            Harry Power  4 episodes

1981    Bellamy            Blake            1 episode

1982    1915            Dent            Miniseries, 1 episode

1983    The Coral Island            Bloody Bill       4 episodes

1983            Carson's Law   James Dolman            8 episodes

1979–83            Cop Shop    Franky Brady   3 episodes

1984    Five Mile Creek            Mr O'Bannion            1 episode

1984    Special Squad  Harry Tait      1 episode

1985            Prisoner           Al            4 episodes

1985    Golden Pennies Uriah Lovejoy            8 episodes

1986    Studio 86        Minas            1 episode

1988    Emma: Queen of the South Seas            Captain Rabardy            2 episodes

1988–90            Mission: Impossible            Karmak / Greg Usher            2 episodes

1986–89            The Flying Doctors            Luke Mitchell / Les Foster  32 episodes

1990    Col'n Carpenter            Dwayne          1 episode

1984–90            A Country Practice            Theo Kourous / Bruce Walters            4 episodes

1991            Acropolis Now            Savas            1 episode

1992    Boys from the Bush            Jokey Jones    1 episode

1992    Bligh            Father O'Brien            1 episode

1994            Frontline          Ian Farmer, Station Manager            5 episodes

1999            Thunderstone   Dr. Pretorius            26 episodes

2000    The Lost World            Old Sigurd  1 episode

1994–2001            Blue Heelers Various            5 episodes

2001    Pizza            Agent Dave    1 episode

2002    Stingers            Franco Corelli  1 episode

2002            Beastmaster     Nessis            1 episode

2002            Neighbours      Pat Scully   14 episodes

2004    All Saints   Neville West    1 episode

2005            Scooter: Secret Agent            Baxter            1 episode

2005            Dramatically Black            Old Fella     1 episode

2008            Underbelly       Graham "The Munster" Kinniburgh            7 episodes

2010    City Homicide            Guest role      TV series

2012            Conspiracy 365            Bart Ormond            2 episodes

2014    Fat Tony & Co.            Graham "The Munster" Kinniburgh            3 episodes

2015    Glitch            Leon Massola            2 episodes