Graham Kennedy 1934-2005

Gallery

Graham Kennedy polishing his 'crown' with Brasso (undated photograph)
Graham Kennedy polishes his crown
(undated photo)

At the age of 71, Graham Kennedy, the 'King of Australian Television', has died.

Born on 15 February 1934, the only child of Cyril and Mary Kennedy, Graham Cyril Kennedy was raised in the working class Melbourne suburb of Balaclava. He died in the New South Wales Southern Highlands in the early hours of 25 May, 2005 after being cared for in the last years of his life by friends Tony Sattler and Noelene Browne.

Although Kennedy's entertainment career began on Melbourne commercial radio in the early 1950s as the sideman for Nicky Whitta on 3UZ, it was as the public face of television's In Melbourne Tonight between 1957 and 1969 - and in a number of other live variety shows through until the mid 1970s - that he refined his media persona and comedic style, drawing on traditions of vaudeville, music hall, stand-up comedy and large doses of double entendre. In tandem with Bert Newton, and a series of sidekicks, Kennedy quickly became synonymous with the then-new medium of TV and was bestowed the epithet that has remained with him ever since the 'King' of Australian television.

Famed for his irreverent and subversive wit, and flawless timing, in his prime Kennedy pushed boundaries - and 'buttons' - and was responsible for some of the most memorable, and controversial, moments on Australian television. Undoubtedly his influence resonates strongly today in the free-form styles of live Australian variety TV.

Other than his television work Kennedy enjoyed a significant career as a film actor. Apart from cameos in They're a Weird Mob (directed by Michael Powell in 1966) and in Paul Eddey's film version of The Box in 1975, Kennedy had major roles in four significant Australian features:

  • Don's Party (directed by Bruce Beresford) in 1976,
  • the Tom Jeffrey-directed The Odd Angry Shot in 1979,
  • Beresford's The Club in 1980 and
  • Travelling North directed by Carl Schultz in 1987.
    It should also be noted that Kennedy had a small (and much-edited) role in Roland Joffe's Oscar-winning 1984 film The Killing Fields.

Although not a formally trained actor, Kennedy's diligent dedication to learning and practising the art of film acting, combined with the increasingly irreverent and bawdy screen persona he developed as a charismatic figure on live television, contributed to some distinguished and distinctive performances. Despite making typically self-deprecating public comments about his acting ability - for example he told Ray Martin in 1993 that: 'people think it's pathetic. He's got a different pair of shorts on, who's he trying to be this time?' - it is apparent that Kennedy himself considered that many of his film performances are amongst the most rewarding experiences of his entertainment career.

Undoubtably Kennedy's iconic status, box-office appeal and irreverence contributed to shaping the character of what was to become known as the Australian feature film 'revival' of the 1970s.

He will be missed but never forgotten.