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Vincent Ball

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Vincent Ball
Born
Vincent Martin Ball

(1923-12-04) 4 December 1923 (age 100)
Wee Waa, New South Wales, Australia
OccupationActor
Years active1949–2003, 2015
SpouseDoreen Ball
ChildrenCatherine Ball

Vincent Martin Ball OAM (born 4 December 1923) is an Australian-born character actor of stage and screen, active in the industry for some 65 years in both Australia and Britain. He is best known for his career in Australian film and television series, spanning over 50 years, including roles in A Town Like Alice, Phar Lap, Breaker Morant, and Muriel's Wedding.

Early life

Ball was born in Wee Waa, New South Wales in 1923. With the outbreak of World War II, he left his job with the Australian General Electric Company and became a wireless air gunner with the Royal Australian Air Force in Britain. After the war he returned to Australia and his old job in 1945 but soon decided to try amateur dramatics. To correct his accent he sought elocution lessons - where he met (and later married) his teacher, Doreen.

Acting career

He began writing letters asking for auditions. One of these was to the Rank Organisation who, impressed with his enthusiasm, gave him a job as stand in for Donald Houston in an underwater fight with an octopus in the 1949 British film The Blue Lagoon.[1] He then won a scholarship to RADA [2]from where he played mostly supporting and uncredited roles in the UK for two decades. He was a juvenile lead in Rain Before Seven, Barnett's Folly and Nitro, before moving into slightly larger parts in such as A Town Like Alice, Robbery Under Arms, and Danger Within. His television credits in Britain includes: Compact, Man in a Suitcase, The Troubleshooters, Dixon of Dock Green, and a recurring role on the long-running UK soap opera Crossroads.

Returning to Australia in the 1970s, he performed in a variety of cinema and television roles. He is best known for his career in Australian film and television series, including film roles in A Town Like Alice, Phar Lap, Breaker Morant, and Muriel's Wedding.[3] His television credits in Australian serials includes: Cop Shop, The Sullivans, The Young Doctors, The Flying Doctors, Grass Roots, All Saints and Home and Away. His many roles in Australian mini-series or made for television films include Against the Wind, and the epic Anzacs.

Personal life

He first retired in 2003 and lives the NSW Central Coast town of Chittaway Point. In April 2015, at the age of 91, he came out of retirement to play a WWII veteran in an episode of the Australian soap Home and Away.[4]

Honours

Ball was honoured with the OAM in the 2016 honours list.[5]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ Vincent Ball at IMDb
  2. ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vincent_ball/ Accessed 2017-01-04
  3. ^ Vincent Ball at IMDb
  4. ^ Alf not the sole veteran in Home and Away’s Anzac storyline. News.com.au, 19 April 2015. Accessed 30 April 2015
  5. ^ Collins, Terry (26 January 2016). "Australia Day 2016: Actor Vincent Ball reflects on fascinating movie career after receiving OAM honour". Central Coast Express Advocate.
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