Ken Wayne
Ken Wayne | |
|---|---|
.jpg?lang=en) Ken Wayne in 1947 | |
| Born | 1925 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 1993 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1945–1992 |
Ken Wayne (1925–1993) was an Australian actor of radio, theatre, film and television.
Career
[edit]Wayne made his film debut in Sons of Matthew (1949) and appeared in a number of movies including Dust in the Sun (1958). Wayne had a featured role as a submarine officer using an American accent in 1959's On the Beach filmed in Melbourne.
He also worked in radio, and was best known for his role as private eye Larry Kent in the series I Hate Crime.[1][2] Wayne auditioned for the part of Larry Kent, after the first choice for the lead felt through. He played him for all three seasons.[3] According to colleague and friend Charles Tingwell, being so identified with Larry Kent hurt Wayne from being cast in other roles.[4]
Wayne relocated to Britain in the early 1960s where he worked in London for 13 years, appearing in series such as The Saint, No Hiding Place, Dixon of Dock Green and Coronation Street.
He returned to Australia in 1972 to become a regular guest artist on television movies and series,[5] including the miniseries Serpent in the Rainbow (1973) and Power Without Glory (1976), police procedural series Homicide and Matlock Police, sitcom Doctor Down Under and soap operas Punishment, A Country Practice and E Street, continuing to act until the early 1990s. He also had a minor role as a bartender in the 1989 American film The Punisher, which was filmed in Australia.
On stage in Australia, Wayne appeared in productions of These Positions Vacant (1945), Get a Load of This (1945), Ah, Wilderness! (1948), The Big Knife (1957), Curly on the Rack (1958) and That Championship Season (1974).[6] His stage credits in the UK included Happy as a King (1953), Licence to Murder (1963), Twelve Angry Men (1963–1964) and The Odd Couple (1966–1967).[7]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Sons of Matthew | Barney O'Riordan | |
| 1957 | Three in One | First Cab Driver | Anthology film, segment "The City" |
| 1958 | Dust in the Sun | Justin Bayard | |
| 1958 | Double Cross | Short film | |
| 1959 | On the Beach | Lt. Benson | |
| 1962 | Two and Two Make Six | Maj. Calhoun | |
| 1962 | Solo for Sparrow | Baker | |
| 1963 | The Small World of Sammy Lee | Barman | |
| 1963 | On the Run | Bryce | |
| 1965 | Up from the Beach | Pfc. Solly | |
| 1965 | The Liquidator | Tank Crewman (uncredited) | |
| 1967 | The Dirty Dozen | Master Sgt. Fredericks (uncredited) | |
| 1968 | Nobody Runs Forever | Ferguson | |
| 1973 | The Mackintosh Man | Uncredited | |
| 1977 | Alibis | Harry | |
| 1982 | Brothers | Bureau Chief | |
| 1986 | Death of a Soldier | Captain Burman | |
| 1989 | The Punisher | Bartender |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | The Adventures of Long John Silver | Gil Bligh | 1 episode |
| 1958 | The Multi-Coloured Umbrella | Joe | TV play |
| 1960 | Deadline Midnight | Binnie | 1 episode |
| 1960–1965 | ITV Play of the Week | Digger / Mr Warner / Norton / Defence Attorney Stevens | TV plays, 4 episodes |
| 1961 | One Step Beyond | Guard | Episode: "The Stranger" |
| 1961 | The Guns of Navarone | Soldier (uncredited) | |
| 1961; 1962 | Armchair Theatre | Parkes / Vice-president | 2 episodes |
| 1962 | Reunion Day | Jack Hudson | TV movie |
| 1962 | Out of This World | Jason Kemper | 1 episode |
| 1962 | The Saint | Gilroy | Episode: "The Element of Doubt" |
| 1962; 1963 | The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre | Bryce / Baker | 2 episodes |
| 1963 | Richard the Lionheart | Auctioneer | 1 episode |
| 1963 | No Hiding Place | Henderson | Episode: "Four Faces of Clare" |
| 1963 | The Plane Makers | Bluey Peters | Episode: "Any More for the Skylark?" |
| 1965 | The Wednesday Play | Gingo / Prisoner in Black Maria / Staff Cross | TV plays, 3 episodes |
| 1964; 1965 | Dixon of Dock Green | Frank Price / Bert Bridges | 2 episodes |
| 1966 | Knock on Any Door | Stan Williams | 1 episode |
| 1969 | Coronation Street | Barman | 1 episode |
| 1970 | ITV Saturday Night Theatre | Col Ulysses S. Feather | Episode: "Lay Down Your Arms" |
| 1970 | Mogul | Edward Johnson | Episode: "Who Did You Say Inherits the Earth?" |
| 1972 | Boney | Charlie | 1 episode |
| 1973 | The Adventurer | Director | 1 episode |
| 1973 | Division 4 | Inspector Crane | 1 episode |
| 1973 | Serpent in the Rainbow | 4 episodes | |
| 1973; 1975 | Homicide | Sgt Tom Taylor / Geoffrey Thompson | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Lindsay's Boy | TV movie | |
| 1975 | Certain Women | 1 episode | |
| 1973; 1975 | Matlock Police | Reg Logan / Chilla Davis / Bruce Johnston / Frank Nash | 4 episodes |
| 1976 | Silent Number | Simpson | 1 episode |
| 1976 | The Professional Touch | TV movie | |
| 1976 | The Bushranger | TV movie | |
| 1976 | The Sullivans | Army Sergeant | 1 episode |
| 1976 | Power without Glory | Ted Thurgood | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
| 1978 | Father, Dear Father in Australia | Sgt Ryan | 1 episode |
| 1978–1982 | Cop Shop | Rod Willis / Taverner / Doug Freeman | 6 episodes |
| 1979 | Doctor Down Under | Professor Wilkinson | 3 episodes |
| 1981 | Punishment | CPO Jack Hudson | |
| 1982 | A Country Practice | Merv Jeffreys | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | Deadline | Fire Officer | TV movie |
| 1983 | Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet | Voice | Animated film |
| 1984 | The Dismissal | Liberal Senator | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1984 | A Tale of Two Cities | Voice | Animated film |
| 1984 | Special Squad | Ted Baker | Episode 7: "The Second Mr. Swift" |
| 1986 | Charley's Web | Richard Wilson | TV movie |
| 1988 | Rafferty's Rules | Henry Plummer | 1 episode |
| 1989 | E Street | Wolfgang Weissman | 1 episode |
| 1992 | G.P. | Curly | 1 episode |
Theatre
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | These Positions Vacant | Independent Theatre, Sydney[6] | |
| 1945 | Get a Load of This | Tivoli Theatre, Sydney[6] | |
| 1948 | Ah, Wilderness! | Minerva Theatre, Sydney[6] | |
| 1953 | Happy as a King | Dancer | Princes Theatre, London, Grand Theatre, Blackpool[7] |
| 1957 | The Big Knife | Independent Theatre, Sydney[6] | |
| 1958 | Curly on the Rack | Harry Finton | Elizabethan Theatre, Sydney[6] |
| 1963 | Licence to Murder | Lieutenant O'Brien | Golders Green Hippodrome, London, Vaudeville Theatre, London[7] |
| 1963–1964 | Twelve Angry Men | Queen's Theatre, London[7] | |
| 1966–1967 | The Odd Couple | Oscar Madison (replacement) / Speed | Theatre Royal, Brighton, Golders Green Hippodrome, London, Opera House, Manchester, Grand Theatre & Opera House, Leeds, Queen's Theatre, London[7] |
| 1974 | That Championship Season | UNSW Old Tote Parade Theatre, Sydney[6] |
Radio (partial)
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–1947 | The Clock | Radio series | |
| 1950–1952 | I Hate Crime | Larry Kent | Radio series |
References
[edit]- ^ Richard Lane, The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama, Melbourne University Press, 1994 p266
- ^ "ON THE AIR". Smith's Weekly. New South Wales, Australia. 10 June 1950. p. 30. Retrieved 19 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "I Hate Crime". www.greatdetectives.net.
- ^ Phil, Peter. Drama in Silent Rooms: A History of Radio Drama in Australia from the 1920s to the 1970s. Eureka Media. p. 284.
- ^ 'Larry Kent Comes Home', The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, 28 December 1972 p4
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ken Wayne theatre credits". AusStage.
- ^ a b c d e "Ken Wayne UK theatre credits". Theatricalia.