 |
Tony Bonner | |
|---|---|
 Bonner in May 2011 | |
| Born | Anthony Frederick Bonner Manly, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1961–present |
| Spouse | Nola Clark (1972–1992) |
| Children | Chelsea Bonner |
Anthony Frederick Bonner AM is an Australian television, film, and stage actor and singer. Bonner became famous in the 1960s children's television series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo , later moving on to lead roles in the dramas Cop Shop and Skyways .
Anthony Frederick Bonner was born in Manly,[ citation needed ] a northern beach suburb of Sydney. His grandfather, James Bonner, was a former Mayor of Manly and founding President of the Manly Life Saving Club. His father, Frederick Bonner, was a musical comedy actor at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney.[ citation needed ]
After leaving school he started work for a company supplying mannequins and other equipment for window dressing. He also worked part-time in his father's theatre as a wardrobe attendant, fostering his interest in acting.[ citation needed ]
Bonner's first professional stage acting job was in 1961, aged 18. His first major role was as helicopter pilot Jerry King on the television series Skippy .[ citation needed ]
Bonner went on to appear in many Crawford Productions television series, including The Box , Matlock Police , Division 4 , Cop Shop , Skyways , and Carson's Law . [1]
In 1970–71, he had a guest role in one episode of the UK-based ITC television series The Persuaders! starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. He featured in an advertising campaign for the Ballajura real estate development in Western Australia in the late 1970s.[ citation needed ]
His notable film roles include Eyewitness (1970), You Can't Win 'Em All (1970), Creatures the World Forgot (1971), Inn of the Damned (1975), The Mango Tree (1977), Money Movers (1978), The Man from Snowy River (1982), The Highest Honor (1983), Quigley Down Under (1990), Dead Sleep (1990), Hurricane Smith (1992), and Liquid Bridge (2003). He has twice portrayed Australian World War I soldier Murray Bourchier, to whom he bears a remarkable likeness, in the 1987 film The Lighthorsemen and a 1993 episode of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles .[ citation needed ]
Bonner also starred in the 1985 TV mini-series Anzacs . He played Lieutenant (later Captain) Harold Armstrong, commanding officer of the 8th Battalion (Australia) of the First Australian Imperial Force in 1914, from the Gallipoli in 1915 to the Western Front.[ citation needed ]
Bonner has done advertising work, such as playing veteran burger-naming expert Ken Thomas in a 2007 McDonald's ad campaign.[ citation needed ]
In September 2008, Bonner sued Fauna Productions Pty Ltd, the production company for Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, seeking residuals from merchandising and DVD sales. [2]
He acted in William Kelly's War (2014) and Landfall (2017), both filmed and produced in Australia.[ citation needed ]
Bonner recorded a cover version of the Bee Gees song "Wine and Women" in 1968. He later appeared with Barry Gibb on an episode of Bandstand.[ citation needed ]
Later in his career Bonner appeared in several stage musicals, including Annie Get Your Gun and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying .[ when? ][ citation needed ]
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Rusty Bugles | TV movie | |
| 1965 | Tartuffe | Valere | TV movie |
| 1966 | They're a Weird Mob | Lifesaver | Feature film |
| 1970 | Eyewitness | Tom Jones | Feature film |
| 1970 | You Can't Win 'Em All | Reese | Feature film |
| 1971 | Creatures the World Forgot | Toomak 'The Fair Boy' | Feature film |
| 1975 | La polizia accusa: il servizio segreto uccide (aka Silent Action) | Uncredited | Feature film |
| 1975 | Inn of the Damned | Trooper Moore | Feature film |
| 1976 | 2000 Million Years Later | Short film) | |
| 1977 | The Alternative | Peter | TV movie |
| 1977 | End of Summer | TV movie | |
| 1977 | The Mango Tree | Captain Hinkler | Feature film |
| 1978 | Money Movers | Leo Bassett | Feature film |
| 1978 | Image of Death | Karl | TV movie |
| 1989 | Players in the Gallery | TV movie | |
| 1980 | Hard Knocks | Bar Patron | Feature film |
| 1981 | Intimate Strangers | Jerome Hartog | TV movie |
| 1982 | The Man from Snowy River | Kane | Feature film |
| 1983 | The Highest Honor | Lieutenant W.G. Carey | Feature film |
| 1986 | The Last Frontier | Tom Hannon | TV movie |
| 1988 | The Tourist | John Ramsden | TV movie |
| 1987 | The Lighthorsemen | Murray Bourchier | Feature film |
| 1990 | Quigley Down Under | Dobkin | Feature film |
| 1990 | Dead Sleep | Dr. Jonathan Heckett | Feature film |
| 1992 | Hurricane Smith | Howard Fenton | Feature film |
| 1992 | Academy | Jack Steele | Feature film |
| The Venus Factory | Roger Hammond | Feature film | |
| 2003 | Liquid Bridge | Bob McCallum | Feature film |
| 2008 | Punishment | Stephen Dunbar | Feature film |
| 2009 | Inseperable Coil | Dr Peterson | Short film |
| 2014 | William Kelly's War | Mr Kelly | Feature film |
| 2017 | Landfall | Trevor | Feature film |
| 2018 | Dots | The Doctor | Short film |
| 2018 | Beats | Pa | Short film |
| 2021 | Him | Reg | Feature film |
| 2023 | Handled | Don | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | My Brother Jack | TV miniseries, 1 episode) | |
| 1966 | My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? | Party Bloke | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1968-79 | Skippy | Jerry King | TV series, 207 episodes |
| 1970-71 | The Persuaders! | Jon | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1974 | The Box | Monte | TV series |
| 1974 | The Evil Touch | Pilot / Tom Leeds | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Division 4 | Chris Rapp | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1974 | Marion | Joe | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1974 | Matlock Police | Graham Cotton | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1974 | Certain Women | TV series, 2 episodes | |
| 1975 | Cash and Company | Titus Ruffler | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1975 | The Rise and Fall of Wellington Boots | TV series | |
| 1975-76 | Homicide | Denny Connell / Brett Chilton / Ric Parsons / Russell Craig | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1976 | Bluey | James Conder | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1976 | Power Without Glory | Brendan West | TV miniseries, 6 episodes |
| 1977 | Chopper Squad | Frank | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1977-78 | Cop Shop | Detective Snr Constable Don McKenna | TV series, 29 episodes |
| 1980 | Lawson's Mates | Joe Wilson | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1978-80 | Skyways | Paul MacFarlane | TV series, 83 episodes |
| 1981 | Outbreak of Love | Russell Lockwood | TV miniseries |
| 1984 | Special Squad | Carver | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1984 | Carson's Law | Chris Dalton | TV series, 25 episodes |
| 1985 | Anzacs | Lieutenant (later Captain) Harold Armstrong | TV miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 1986 | Murder, She Wrote | First Secretary Henry Claymore | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1993 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Murray Bourchier | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1992-93 | E Street | Roger Tate | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1996 | Pacific Drive | TV series | |
| 1999 | Home and Away | Roger Lansdowne | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 2000 | Pizza | SAS Captain | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2002 | Neighbours | Martin Cook | TV series, 15 episodes |
| 2015 | Shit Creek | Diamond Jack | TV miniseries |
Bonner has had experience as a stage actor and director, including: [3]
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Three Musketeers | Playhouse, Melbourne | |
| 1996 | Only When I Laugh | Newcastle Civic Theatre, Regal Theatre, Perth | |
| 1996 | The Cellophane Ceiling | Twelfth Night Theatre | |
| 2001 | Are You Being Served? | Twelfth Night Theatre | |
| Annie Get Your Gun | |||
| How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying |
| Year | Title | Role | Type | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Director | Cavern Theatre Noosa, Cremorne Theatre Personal lifeBonner was married to Australian actress and model Nola Clark. One daughter, Chelsea Bonner, is the owner and director of a plus-size modelling agency. [4] Bonner is patron of several charities including The Smith Family and the Wesley Mission suicide prevention program. He has also served on the board of the Variety Club and is Publicity Officer and past President of the Manly Life Saving Club.[ citation needed ] In 2017 Bonner was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the performing arts as an actor, to surf lifesaving, and to the community through charitable organisations. [5] Related Research Articles Skippy the Bush Kangaroo is an Australian television series created by Australian actor John McCallum, Lionel (Bob) Austin and Lee Robinson produced from 1967 to 1969 about the adventures of a young boy and his highly intelligent pet kangaroo, and the various visitors to the fictional Waratah National Park, filmed in today's Waratah Park and adjoining portions of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park near Sydney.  Edward Sidney Devereaux, better known professionally as Ed Devereaux, was an Australian actor, director, and scriptwriter who lived in the United Kingdom for many years. He was best known for playing the part of Matt Hammond the head ranger in the Australian television series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. He was also involved in the series behind the scenes, Devereaux writing the script and directing the episode The Veteran (1969), for which he received much critical acclaim. Devereaux based the story of the episode "Double Trouble" on an idea conceived by his children, wrote the screenplay of "Summer Storm" and the script for "The Mine". He also played the part of Joe in the Australian 1966 film They’re a Weird Mob. The film was a local success. Ken James is an Australian former actor and celebrity chef. He is most widely known for his role in children's TV show Skippy the Bush Kangaroo as Mark Hammond to which be became known locally and to international audiences Since his debut in Skippy, James continued to work in film, television and theatre for another 36 years. In December 2009, James was diagnosed with stage three non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which escalated to stage four by 2011. James started chemotherapy, and as of November 2020 the cancer is in remission. James was also actively involved in the Victorian Police Force as an unsworn member from 1993 to 2013.  Francis William Thring IV was an Australian character actor in radio, stage, television and film; as well as a theatre director. His early career started in London in theatre productions, before he starred in Hollywood film, where he became best known for roles in Ben-Hur in 1959 and King of Kings in 1961. He was known for always wearing black and styling his home in black decor. Acropolis Now was an Australian television sitcom set in a fictional Greek cafe, called the "Acropolis Cafe" in Melbourne that ran for 63 episodes broadcast from 9 August 1989 to 4 November 1992 on the Seven Network. It was created by Nick Giannopoulos, George Kapiniaris and Simon Palomares, who also starred in the series. They were already quite well known for their comedy stage show, Wogs out of Work. The title is a nameplay on the film Apocalypse Now. Each episode was 20 minutes in length and filmed in front of a live audience. Cop Shop is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes. Barry Hugh Crocker is an Australian Gold Logie-winning character actor, television personality, singer, and variety entertainer with a crooning vocal style.  John Neil McCallum, was an Australian theatre and film actor, highly successful in the United Kingdom. He was also a television producer. Thomas Gibson Dysart was a Scottish-born Australian actor, known for his appearances on television dramas and comedies and in character roles in films and miniseries.  Mike Dorsey was an English-born Australian theatre and television actor, publicity officer, and tour manager. Gary Day is a New Zealand former actor, playwright and lighting director who has appeared in Australian television police drama series, including Homicide and Murder Call. Reginald Evans was a British-born actor active in Australian radio, theatre, television and cinema from the 1960s, after having started his career in his native England. Clarissa Kaye was an Australian stage, film and television actress. She was the second wife (1971–1984) of the British actor James Mason. After her marriage, she was often known as Clarissa Kaye-Mason. Lee Robinson was an Australian producer, director and screenwriter who was Australia's most prolific filmmaker of the 1950s and part of the creative team that produced the late 1960s international hit television series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.  Alexander Mervyn Archdale was a British actor, manager and theatre producer. He had a very long career in both the theatre and in film, stretching from the 1930s to the 1980s. He spent the latter part of his life and career in Australia.  Gerald Joseph Duggan was an Irish-born Australian character actor. Although he never achieved stardom, he was a familiar face in small roles in film and television, both in Australia and Britain. His trademarks were his Irish brogue, pronounced lisp and prominent jaw. Edward Welsford Rowsell Howell, also known as pen name E.R. Howell, Edward Welsford Rowsell and Teddy/Ted Howell was a British Australian, character actor, radio and theatre producer, director and scriptwriter, theatre founder and drama teacher.  Frederick Henry Parslow was an Australian actor, who appeared in film, television and theatre. Ben Gabriel was an English Australian character actor, director, voice artist and theatre founder. Gabriel had numerous appearances in stage and radio roles and in film and television. Waratah Park is a heritage-listed former Aboriginal land and fauna sanctuary and now Aboriginal title claim at 13 Namba Road, Duffys Forest in the Northern Beaches Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It is also known for serving as the fictional Waratah National Park, the filming location for the Australian television series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, when the area was still undeveloped Crown land. After the series ended, the Crown land remained mostly undeveloped, with the government granting management of the area to a series of operators until August 2014, when the government passed full ownership of the land to the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 27 February 2015. References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tony Bonner .
| ||||||
