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Bill Hunter

Bill Hunter brought a distinctly Australian mix of gruff authority and buried sensitivity to film, television and the stage. Born William John Hunter in Ballarat, Victoria, on 27 February 1940, he first seemed destined for a very different kind of public life. As a teenager, he was a champion swimmer who briefly held the world record for the 100 yards freestyle. He qualified for Australia’s 1956 Olympic swimming team, but meningitis ended those hopes. The movies soon offered another direction. Hunter made his film debut as an extra in The Shiralee in 1957, then worked as an extra and swimming double on On the Beach while it was filming in Melbourne. After an intensive drama course, he travelled to England and won a two-year scholarship to the Northampton Repertory Company. His first television appearance came in 1966, in two episodes of the Doctor Who serial The Ark. Returning to Australia in 1967, Hunter built a career across television drama, feature films and theatre. His screen persona was especially well suited to strong, opinionated men whose rough exteriors concealed softer feelings or vulnerabilities. That presence runs through a remarkably recognisable group of Australian productions, including Mad Dog Morgan, Newsfront, Gallipoli, Strictly Ballroom, Muriel’s Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Australia. Hunter could also make an impression without appearing on screen. He voiced the dentist in Finding Nemo and Bubo in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. On stage, he reprised his Priscilla role of Bob for an Australian touring production in 2007. His own description of acting was characteristically blunt: he regarded it as a craft grounded in common sense, direction, makeup and wardrobe rather than mystique. It is an attitude that fits the directness of his work. Hunter’s final film role was in The Cup, released in 2011, the year of his death.