Bill Stalker
| Bill Stalker | |
|---|---|
 Stalker (right) as Peter Fanelli in Skyways |
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| Born | 3 August 1948 Hawke's Bay, New Zealand |
| Died | 28 November 1981 (aged 33) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
William Robert "Bill" Stalker (3 August 1948 – 28 November 1981) was a New Zealand actor, most famous for his roles in television.
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[edit] Early life
Stalker was born and grew up in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, the second of seven children to Robert and Zena Stalker. A keen motorcyclist and adventurer from an early age, he later attended the University of Canterbury, where he began his career in theatre.
[edit] Career
One of his early acting roles was as a biker in the New Zealand television series Pukemanu, which also starred Ginette MacDonald. In 1971, he joined Bruno Lawrence's musical and theatrical co-operative Blerta, where he performed with many popular New Zealand entertainers. He left the group after one tour in 1972, but returned in 1975 until the group disbanded in 1976.[1]
After moving to Australia in 1979, he joined the cast of the airport drama serial Skyways as Peter Fanelli, head of airport security. Fanelli soon proved to be one of the show's most popular characters, and after Skyways ended in 1981, the character was quickly moved to the police serial Cop Shop, with Fanelli now heading Riverside CIB as a Detective Sergeant.
[edit] Death
After nine months on the show, Stalker had tired of both working in serials and of playing Fanelli.[2] He quit the show to explore various film offers. However, on 28 November 1981, during a weekend break between taping his final scenes for Cop Shop, he was killed when his motorcycle slid and collided with a car in wet weather in Toorak, Victoria.[3][4] His pillion passenger, then-girlfriend Catherine Wilkin, suffered a fractured hip and leg injuries in the accident.
A dedication to Stalker was shown at the end of his final Cop Shop episode.
[edit] Personal life
Stalker was married to Donna Boyd-Wilson, but the couple later divorced.
During his time in Blerta, he met singer Beaver, with whom he had two daughters, Fritha and Kate Stalker.[5] He is also survived by his other older children, Eleanor and Greg Carr, twins, who were adopted out as babies. He had been in the process of searching for the twins shortly before his death.
[edit] References
- ^ "Blerta". http://www.sergent.com.au/blerta.html. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
- ^ Fawcett, Tony. “Fanelli’s Leaving Cop Shop.” TV Week. 3 October 1981, page 5
- ^ "Actor with film hopes is killed". "The Age", 30 November 1981, p. 5
- ^ "TV actor's death accidental, SM rules". "The Age", 18 March 1982, p. 21
- ^ "Tributes for jazz singer Beaver". Television New Zealand. http://tvnz.co.nz/entertainment-news/tributes-jazz-singer-beaver-3564556. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
