Bill Kerr
Bill Kerr
​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   William Henry Kerr (10 June 1922 – 28 August 2014) was a British and Australian film and television actor. He was born into a performing arts family in Cape Town, South Africa, but grew up in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. He began working as a child actor in depression era Australia, taking his first major role in The Silence of Dean Maitland, one of Australia's first talking films. After serving in the Second World War, Kerr moved to England to further his acting career, and during the 1940s he was regularly featured in the BBC radio series Variety Bandbox. His trademark was his catch phrase "I'm only here for 4 minutes..." In the 1950s, he had a recurring role as an Australian lodger in the BBC radio comedy series Hancock's Half Hour. Initially sharper than Hancock's characterisation, it was developed into a more dim-witted character who became the butt of Hancock's jokes. His television appearances in Britain include a 1968 Doctor Who story called The Enemy of the World, with Patrick Troughton, and a long running part in the early 1960s BBC-TV soap, Compact. Bill Kerr had much theatrical success in Britain, playing The Devil in the original West End production of Damn Yankees, directed by Bob Fosse, and Cole. He also worked with Spike Milligan. He appeared in Milligan and John Antrobus's stage play The Bed-Sitting Room, which opened at the Mermaid Theatre on 31 January 1963. A subsequent production opened on 3 May 1967 at the Saville Theatre, and "a cast containing an unusually high proportion of Australian actors including Bill Kerr and David Nettheim." Then in 1972 he co-starred with Anthony Newley in the long running Newley/Bricusse musical, The Good Old Bad Old Days. In 1975, Kerr took the part of Bluey Notts, described as "an Australian bookie's clerk, a crude racialist", in The Melting Pot. This was a sitcom written by Spike Milligan and Neil Shand, which was cancelled by the BBC after just one episode had been broadcast. He also appeared in several British films, including The Dam Busters and The Wrong Arm of the Law, before moving back to Australia. Although probably best known as a comic actor, and especially for his appearances in Hancock's Half Hour, he has since played a number of serious roles, notably in Peter Weir's films Gallipoli (1981) and The Year of Living Dangerously (1982). He also worked on the Australian stage in the 1980s, in musicals such as My Fair Lady, where he received excellent reviews as Alfred Doolittle. In 2001, he appeared in the Australian comedy Let's Get Skase. Kerr also appeared in Glenview High and the 1998 television comedy series Minty. Kerr has also been involved in documentaries, providing the narration for No Survivor - The Mysterious Loss of HMAS Sydney Nine Network Australia (1995), Malice or Mutiny for the ABC Australia 2003 and Animal X Natural Mystery Unit series for Discovery in the US, TV2 Norway and many others. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bill Kerr, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For Acting
Most Rating 0.125
Birthday 1922-06-10
Place of Birth Cape Town, South Africa
Also Known As William Henry Kerr, Willie Kerr,
Gallipoli
1981

Gallipoli

The Pirate Movie
1982

The Pirate Movie

Razorback
1984

Razorback

Vigil
1984

Vigil

The Wrong Arm of the Law
1963

The Wrong Arm of the Law

Save the Lady
1981

Save the Lady

The Night My Number Came Up
1955

The Night My Number Came Up

Bushfire Moon
1987

Bushfire Moon

Let's Get Skase
2001

Let's Get Skase

Dusty
1983

Dusty

Rob Roy
1987

Rob Roy

A Pair of Briefs
1962

A Pair of Briefs

Sweet Talker
1991

Sweet Talker

The Settlement
1984

The Settlement

Kokoda Crescent
1989

Kokoda Crescent

Ghost in the Noonday Sun
1973

Ghost in the Noonday Sun

The Captain's Table
1959

The Captain's Table

The Coca-Cola Kid
1985

The Coca-Cola Kid

Tony Hancock: From East Cheam to Earls Court
1985

Tony Hancock: From East Cheam to Earls Court

Deadline
1982

Deadline

Platypus Cove
1986

Platypus Cove

Doctor Who: The Enemy of the World
1968

Doctor Who: The Enemy of the World

Harmony Row
1933

Harmony Row

House of Mortal Sin
1976

House of Mortal Sin

House of Mortal Sin
1976

House of Mortal Sin

The Year of Living Dangerously
1982

The Year of Living Dangerously

Doctor in Distress
1963

Doctor in Distress

Mortuary Academy
1988

Mortuary Academy

Girls Come First
1975

Girls Come First

Port of Escape
1956

Port of Escape

Appointment in London
1953

Appointment in London

Spike Milligan: A Series of Unrelated Incidents at Current Market Value
1961

Spike Milligan: A Series of Unrelated Incidents at Current Market Value

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
1966

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Peter Pan
2003

Peter Pan

The Dam Busters
1955

The Dam Busters

My Death Is a Mockery
1952

My Death Is a Mockery

Double Sculls
1986

Double Sculls

Penny Points to Paradise
1951

Penny Points to Paradise

Over the Hill
1992

Over the Hill

A Pair of Briefs
1962

A Pair of Briefs

The Lighthorsemen
1987

The Lighthorsemen

The Shiralee
1957

The Shiralee

Doctor in Clover
1966

Doctor in Clover

Great Expectations
1983

Great Expectations

Running from the Guns
1987

Running from the Guns