Frankie J. Holden

Last updated

Frankie J. Holden
OAM
Born
Peter Brian

(1952-12-18) 18 December 1952 (age 72)
Australia
Other namesFrank Holden
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actor
  • television presenter
  • business owner
Years active1976–present
Spouse Michelle Pettigrove

Frankie J. Holden OAM (born Peter Brian; 18 December 1952), also known as Frank Holden, is an Australian singer, actor and TV presenter. In the 1970s, he fronted Ol' 55, which had a hit with "On the Prowl" from their debut album, Take It Greasy which peaked at number three on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in 1976. [1] [2] [3] For Return Home Holden was nominated for Best Actor in a Lead Role at the 1990 AFI Awards. [4]

Contents

Singing career

During the 1970s, Holden was the frontman for the Australian retro-rock band Ol' 55, which also included Wilbur Wilde and Jimmy Manzie. In the early 2000s, Holden re-emerged on the music scene with the Ol' Skydaddies, a band featuring members from Ol' 55, Daddy Cool and Skyhooks.

Television career

Actor

In the 1980s, Holden appeared in two episodes of Channel Ten's drama series Prisoner (1982–1983), all episodes of c/o The Bartons and in 1989 was cast in the first season of the Channel 7 children's program Round the Twist (1990). [5]

In 1990, Holden appeared in the Australian caper film The Big Steal as a used car salesman named "Frank" and as Arthur 'Ozzie' Oswald in The Flying Doctors .

In the early 1990s, he appeared in four episodes on the Seven Network's A Country Practice , and in 1992 starred in the short-lived Late for School .

He then played Senior Sergeant Glenn "Spider" Webb on the ABC's Police Rescue (1994–1996). The series was about the New South Wales Police Rescue Squad based in Sydney.

In 1996 he appeared in four episodes on Seven's police drama Blue Heelers as Senior Detective Jack Woodley. In 1999, he appeared in an episode of Halifax f.p. .

From 2000 until 2002, he played ex-cop, then local publican, Stuart McGregor in ABC1's Something in the Air . This series was notable for its high output, producing 320 episodes in just two seasons.

In 2008, Holden was in two Nine Network dramas – Underbelly and The Strip .

In 2013, Holden joined the cast of Seven's A Place to Call Home , a drama set in rural Australia in the 1950s. He plays the part of Roy Briggs, described as "a rugged, unbreakable man capable of charm, good humour as well as a crusty grumpiness". [6]

In 2022, Holden played the role of Ted Grimley, father of Melissa Caddick, in the Nine Network drama Underbelly: Vanishing Act.

Presenter

From 1996 until 1998, Holden was the host of the revamped Monday evening variety show In Melbourne Tonight , co-featuring Julia Morris and Denise Drysdale. For the show's second year, he switched from being billed as 'Frankie J Holden' to 'Frank Holden'.

In 2009, Holden co-presented, alongside his wife Michelle, Discover Downunder, a half-hour Australia-based travelling/caravanning program for the Nine Network. In 2010, he co-hosted What's Up Down Under on Channel Seven. This show is similar in format to Discover Downunder.

Film

Frankie Holden has starred in films as recent as 2007 with Clubland . He was also in Proof , The Big Steal , Return Home , Evil Angels and High Tide . He also had a cameo appearance in Michael Thornhill's 1977 movie The FJ Holden .

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2011Blood BrothersHenryTV movie
2007 Introducing the Dwights (aka Clubland)JohnFeature film
1995 Cody: The Tipoff Jimmy CotterTV movie
1994 Ebbtide ErnieFeature film
1994 Fortunes of War Rodger CrawleyFeature film
1993 The Leaving of Liverpool BungerTV movie
1993 Hammers Over the Anvil Bushman MarshallFeature film
1992 Eight Ball MalFeature film
1991 Rose Against the Odds Tom PriceTV movie
1991 Proof BrianFeature film
1990 The Big Steal FrankFeature film
1990 Return Home SteveFeature film
1990 Police Crop: The Winchester Conspiracy Max ChapmanTV movie
1989 The Humpty Dumpty Man Noel CalderwoodFilm
1988 Raw Silk DetectiveTV movie
1988 Evil Angels (aka A Cry in the Dark)Leslie ThompsonFeature film
1988 Outback Bound PurdyTV movie
1980 The Chain Reaction FartsFeature film
1979 The Journalist InvestigatorFeature film
1979 Cathy's Child Detective PlummerFeature film
1979 The Odd Angry Shot Spotted SoldierFeature film
1977 The FJ Holden Frankie J HoldenFeature film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
202?Love, Tea, EpiphanyStanley
2022 Underbelly: Vanishing Act Ted GrimleyTV miniseries, 2 episodes
2019–20 Home and Away Ian ShawTV series, 10 episodes
2013–18 A Place to Call Home Roy BriggsTV series, 66 episodes
2010 Sleuth 101 KyleTV series, 1 episode
2010What's Up Down UnderCo-presenterTV series
2009Discover DownunderCo-presenterTV series
2009 All Saints Andy McKenzieTV series, 1 episode
2008 The Strip Max NielsonTV series, 13 episodes
2008 Underbelly Garry ButterworthTV miniseries, 13 episodes
2006Lost and FoundKilroy
2004 Stingers MitchTV series, 1 episode
2000–02 Something in the Air Stuart McGregorTV series, 320 episodes
1999 Chuck Finn SydTV series, 1 episode
1999 Halifax f.p. Leo BirseTV series, 1 episode
1997 Good Guys, Bad Guys Sgt BrannTV series, 1 episode
1996–04 Blue Heelers Terry Kennedy / Jack WoodleyTV series, 5 episodes
1996–98 In Melbourne Tonight HostTV series
1994 Sky Trackers MalTV series, 1 episode
1994 Under the Skin Mr ReidTV series, 1 episode
1993–96 Police Rescue Senior Serfeabt Glenn 'Spider' Webb / Eric TempleTV series, 20 episodes
1993 Neighbours DavidTV series, 4 episodes
1991–93 A Country Practice Jack / MalcolmTV series, 4 episodes
1992 Bony CroftTV series, 1 episode
1991KellyLandersTV series, 1 episode
1991 The Miraculous Mellops NarratorTV series, 19 episodes
1991 The Flying Doctors Arthur 'Ozzie' OswaldTV series, 1 episode
1991 Boys from the Bush DannoTV series, 1 episode
1990–92 Embassy Terry BlakeTV series, 36 episodes
1990 Col'n Carpenter GrahamTV series, 1 episode
1989 Round the Twist Mr Gribble / FoxyTV series, 11 episodes
1988Rafftery's BluesQuizTV series, 1 episode
1988 C/o The Bartons Robert BartonTV series, 12 episodes
1987 John and the Missus Nish MorrisFeature film
1987 Hey Dad...! Have a Go JudgeTV series, 1 episode
1983–84 Carson's Law VariousTV series, 4 episodes
1984 Special Squad TV series, 1 episode
1982-83 Prisoner Brad / ErrolTV series, 2 episodes
1982 The Sullivans KO CarterTV series, 1 episode
1982 The Daryl Somers Show Man Playing PoolTV series, 1 episode

Personal life

Holden married his first wife Leigh Hunter in the mid seventies, divorcing in the early 80's. He had 3 daughters from his second marriage, to dancer Melda Rees, who died in 1997 from cancer. [7] He married actress Michelle Pettigrove two years later. They have had one daughter together.

Holden currently resides on the Sapphire Coast of New South Wales Australia and is still performing around Australia as a successful entertainer.

In 2010, Frankie and Michelle, with two other couples, purchased Tathra Beachside, a seaside holiday park in Tathra, NSW. [8]

Honours

In 2016, Holden was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, in the 2016 Queens Birthday Honours List, for service to the arts as an entertainer, and to the community of the Sapphire Coast. [9]

Frankie J. Holden has a star in Caloundra's "Walk of Stars" between Red Symons and Daryl Somers. [10]

A caricature of Frankie J. Holden appears in the animation Hyper Parsnip Bitches [11] by animator Paul Robertson.

Solo Discography

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
YearTitlePeak chart
positions		Album
AUS
[12]
1977"My Right of Way"90FJ Holden
"Rock Around the Clock"
(with Glenn Shorrock, John Paul Young, Renée Geyer, Daryl Braithwaite and Graeme Strachan)		-non album single
1980"Boomerange"-non album single

References

General
Specific
  1. ↑ McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry for "'Ol' 55'". Archived from the original on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 19 April 2004.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  2. ↑ Spencer et al, (2007) OL 55 Archived 18 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine entry. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  3. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN   0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  4. ↑ Return Home - IMDb , retrieved 11 August 2019
  5. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (14 July 2019). "Australian Singers Turned Actors". Filmink.
  6. ↑ "Roy Briggs". yahoo.com. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "Celebrity - Book Frankie J. Holden at MTA - Entertainment Booking Agency Australia - MTA Entertainment and Events". musictheatreaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Frankie J Holden's holiday escapes". NewsComAu. 10 November 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  9. ↑ https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1154025 [ bare URL ]
  10. ↑ https://mysunshinecoast.com.au/events/events-display/caloundra-walk-of-stars-gala-evening,33252 [ dead link ]
  11. ↑ Hyper Parsnip Bitches on YouTube
  12. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 140. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  13. ↑ Who's who of Australian rock / compiled by Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara & Paul McHenry. National Library of Australia. 2002. ISBN   9781865038919 . Retrieved 4 January 2010.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
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