Leonard Teale
| Leonard Teale | |
|---|---|
| Born | Leonard George Thiele 26 September 1922  Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 14 May 1994 (aged 71) Sydney, Australia |
Leonard Teale AO (26 September 1922 – 14 May 1994), born Leonard George Thiele in Brisbane, was a well-known Australian actor of radio, television and films with a wonderfully clear and resonant voice.
Radio roles included the dual roles of Superman/Clark Kent in the 1950s, along with the lead role in Tarzan, regular appearances in radio variety programs such as the Bonnington's Bunkhouse Show, and voiceovers in countless commercials. He also appeared in several feature films, including Smiley, Smiley Gets A Gun, and Bungala Boys.
In the early 1950s, with Raymond Hanson, Roland Robinson and others, he helped form the short-lived Australian Cultural Defence Movement which aimed at protecting Australian art from the perceived inroads being made by other cultures, particularly American. The movement eventually faltered under the weight of anti-communist criticism.[1] (His brother, Neville Thiele, was also criticised for participating in left-wing theatre).[2]
He was a co-compere of the radio ABC Children's Session, as "Chris" from 1951 to 1954 (also playing the title role in its Muddle-Headed Wombat serial), his involvement possibly cut short by management for political reasons.[3] At this time he was still using the surname "Thiele" professionally.[4]
Major television roles included a regular comedic role in the Mobil-Limb Show, host roles in variety programs Singalong and Folkmoot, and acting roles in locally-produced drama series including Whiplash, The Hungry Ones, Adventure Unlimited, and Consider Your Verdict.
He is best remembered, however, for his long-running role[5] as Senior Detective (later Detective Sergeant) David "Mac" Mackay in Homicide from 1965 to 1974. Homicide was Australia's first-ever locally produced TV police drama; it became enormously popular and Teale became a major national celebrity, eventually winning a Logie for best Australian actor in 1974. He also hosted a documentary about the series, The Homicide Story, in 1970. Other leading television roles included Captain Woolcott in Seven Little Australians (1973), and headmaster Charles Ogilvy in school-based soap opera Class of '74 (1974–75).
He also narrated for Australian Broadcasting Corporation audio recordings, including the Banjo Paterson poem The Man from Snowy River. His reading of Dorothea Mackellar's patriotic poem which includes the line "I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains" became so popular in the 1970s that it was frequently used to parody him.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 1992 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to the performing arts and community.[6]
Married to entertainer Liz Harris (who had appeared in three episodes of Homicide) for over 25 years, Leonard Teale died of a heart attack in 1994. A documentary, Homicide: 30 Years On, aired later that year which included reminiscences from former Homicide castmates and footage of an appearance made by himself and Homicide actors George Mallaby and Alwyn Kurts in 1992 presenting a Logie Award for Most Outstanding Series partially in character (with hilarious results).
Contents |
[edit] Filmography
- Eureka Stockade 1949
- Call for Order 1955
- Smiley 1956
- Smiley Gets a Gun 1958
- The Sundowners 1960
- Bungala Boys 1961
- Maybe This Time 1980
- Stanley 1983[7]
[edit] Discography
- Leonard Teale: Famous Australian Poems 2011[8]
[edit] References
- ^ ADB: Raymond Hanson
- ^ http://roughreds.com/twopdf/healy2.pdf
- ^ http://beyondrightandleft.com.au/archives/history/index.html
- ^ Hobart Mercury 8 September 1954
- ^ Originally Teale had been signed for 13 episodes, but went on to become the longest-serving series regular (357 episodes).
- ^ It's an Honour
- ^ Harrison, Tony The Australian Film and Television Companion Simon & Schuster 1994 ISBN 0 7318 0455 4
- ^ Fine Poets Discography
[edit] External links
- Leonard Teale at IMDb
- "Homicide" – TV Eye – Classic Australian Television
- "Homicide" – Crawford Productions
- "Homicide" episode guide – includes photo of Leonard Teale, as well as information about the television series
- Law Suits – "Sydney Morning Herald" article about "Homicide" (includes a photo of the cast)
- "Homicide" episode 'Flashpoint' – Senses of Cinema
- Photo of Leonard Teale and his then-fiancee, Liz Harris – Picture Australia
- Photo of Leonard Teale – Picture Australia
- Information about "Class of '74"
- Photos from "Seven Little Australians"
- Leonard Teale at the National Film and Sound Archive
