Anthony Frederick Bonner AM is an Australian television, film, and stage actor and singer. Bonner became famous in the 1960s children's television series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, later moving on to lead roles in the dramas Cop Shop and Skyways.

Tony Bonner
Bonner in May 2011
Born
Anthony Frederick Bonner

Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1961–present
SpouseNola Clark (1972–1992)
ChildrenChelsea Bonner

Early life and education

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Anthony Frederick Bonner was born in Manly,[citation needed] a northern beach suburb of Sydney. His grandfather, James Bonner, was a former Mayor of Manly and founding President of the Manly Life Saving Club. His father, Frederick Bonner, was a musical comedy actor at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney.[citation needed]

After leaving school he started work for a company supplying mannequins and other equipment for window dressing. He also worked part-time in his father's theatre as a wardrobe attendant, fostering his interest in acting.[citation needed]

Career

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Acting

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Bonner's first professional stage acting job was in 1961, aged 18. His first major role was as helicopter pilot Jerry King on the television series Skippy.[citation needed]

Bonner went on to appear in many Crawford Productions television series, including The Box, Matlock Police, Division 4, Cop Shop, Skyways, and Carson's Law.[1]

In 1970–71, he had a guest role in one episode of the UK-based ITC television series The Persuaders! starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. He featured in an advertising campaign for the Ballajura real estate development in Western Australia in the late 1970s.[citation needed]

His notable film roles include Eyewitness (1970), You Can't Win 'Em All (1970), Creatures the World Forgot (1971), Inn of the Damned (1975), The Mango Tree (1977), Money Movers (1978), The Man from Snowy River (1982), The Highest Honor (1983), Quigley Down Under (1990), Dead Sleep (1990), Hurricane Smith (1992), and Liquid Bridge (2003). He has twice portrayed Australian World War I soldier Murray Bourchier, to whom he bears a remarkable likeness, in the 1987 film The Lighthorsemen and a 1993 episode of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.[citation needed]

Bonner also starred in the 1985 TV mini-series Anzacs. He played Lieutenant (later Captain) Harold Armstrong, commanding officer of the 8th Battalion (Australia) of the First Australian Imperial Force in 1914, from the Gallipoli in 1915 to the Western Front.[citation needed]

Bonner has done advertising work, such as playing veteran burger-naming expert Ken Thomas in a 2007 McDonald's ad campaign.[citation needed]

In September 2008, Bonner sued Fauna Productions Pty Ltd, the production company for Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, seeking residuals from merchandising and DVD sales.[2]

He acted in William Kelly's War (2014) and Landfall (2017), both filmed and produced in Australia.[citation needed]

Music

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Bonner recorded a cover version of the Bee Gees song "Wine and Women" in 1968. He later appeared with Barry Gibb on an episode of Bandstand.[citation needed]

Later in his career Bonner appeared in several stage musicals, including Annie Get Your Gun and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.[when?][citation needed]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1965 Rusty Bugles TV movie
1965 Tartuffe Valere TV movie
1966 They're a Weird Mob Lifesaver Feature film
1970 Eyewitness Tom Jones Feature film
1970 You Can't Win 'Em All Reese Feature film
1971 Creatures the World Forgot Toomak 'The Fair Boy' Feature film
1975 La polizia accusa: il servizio segreto uccide (aka Silent Action) Uncredited Feature film
1975 Inn of the Damned Trooper Moore Feature film
1976 2000 Million Years Later Short film)
1977 The Alternative Peter TV movie
1977 End of Summer TV movie
1977 The Mango Tree Captain Hinkler Feature film
1978 Money Movers Leo Bassett Feature film
1978 Image of Death Karl TV movie
1989 Players in the Gallery TV movie
1980 Hard Knocks Bar Patron Feature film
1981 Intimate Strangers Jerome Hartog TV movie
1982 The Man from Snowy River Kane Feature film
1983 The Highest Honor Lieutenant W.G. Carey Feature film
1986 The Last Frontier Tom Hannon TV movie
1988 The Tourist John Ramsden TV movie
1987 The Lighthorsemen Murray Bourchier Feature film
1990 Quigley Down Under Dobkin Feature film
1990 Dead Sleep Dr. Jonathan Heckett Feature film
1992 Hurricane Smith Howard Fenton Feature film
1992 Academy Jack Steele Feature film
The Venus Factory Roger Hammond Feature film
2003 Liquid Bridge Bob McCallum Feature film
2008 Punishment Stephen Dunbar Feature film
2009 Inseperable Coil Dr Peterson Short film
2014 William Kelly's War Mr Kelly Feature film
2017 Landfall Trevor Feature film
2018 Dots The Doctor Short film
2018 Beats Pa Short film
2021 Him Reg Feature film
2023 Handled Don Short film

Television

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Year Title Role Type
1965 My Brother Jack TV miniseries, 1 episode)
1966 My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? Party Bloke TV series, 1 episode
1968-79 Skippy Jerry King TV series, 207 episodes
1970-71 The Persuaders! Jon TV series, 1 episode
1974 The Box Monte TV series
1974 The Evil Touch Pilot / Tom Leeds TV series, 2 episodes
1974 Division 4 Chris Rapp TV series, 1 episode
1974 Marion Joe TV miniseries, 1 episode
1974 Matlock Police Graham Cotton TV series, 1 episode
1974 Certain Women TV series, 2 episodes
1975 Cash and Company Titus Ruffler TV miniseries, 1 episode
1975 The Rise and Fall of Wellington Boots TV series
1975-76 Homicide Denny Connell / Brett Chilton / Ric Parsons / Russell Craig TV series, 4 episodes
1976 Bluey James Conder TV series, 1 episode
1976 Power Without Glory Brendan West TV miniseries, 6 episodes
1977 Chopper Squad Frank TV series, 1 episode
1977-78 Cop Shop Detective Snr Constable Don McKenna TV series, 29 episodes
1980 Lawson's Mates Joe Wilson TV series, 1 episode
1978-80 Skyways Paul MacFarlane TV series, 83 episodes
1981 Outbreak of Love Russell Lockwood TV miniseries
1984 Special Squad Carver TV series, 1 episode
1984 Carson's Law Chris Dalton TV series, 25 episodes
1985 Anzacs Lieutenant (later Captain) Harold Armstrong TV miniseries, 4 episodes
1986 Murder, She Wrote First Secretary Henry Claymore TV series, 1 episode
1993 The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Murray Bourchier TV series, 1 episode
1992-93 E Street Roger Tate TV series, 4 episodes
1996 Pacific Drive TV series
1999 Home and Away Roger Lansdowne TV series, 5 episodes
2000 Pizza SAS Captain TV series, 1 episode
2002 Neighbours Martin Cook TV series, 15 episodes
2015 Shit Creek Diamond Jack TV miniseries

Theatre

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Bonner has had experience as a stage actor and director, including:[3]

As actor

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Year Title Role Type
1987 The Three Musketeers Playhouse, Melbourne
1996 Only When I Laugh Newcastle Civic Theatre, Regal Theatre, Perth
1996 The Cellophane Ceiling Twelfth Night Theatre
2001 Are You Being Served? Twelfth Night Theatre
Annie Get Your Gun
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

As director

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Year Title Role Type
2008 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Director Cavern Theatre Noosa, Cremorne Theatre

Personal life

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Bonner was married to Australian actress and model Nola Clark. One daughter, Chelsea Bonner, is the owner and director of a plus-size modelling agency.[4]

Bonner is patron of several charities including The Smith Family and the Wesley Mission suicide prevention program. He has also served on the board of the Variety Club and is Publicity Officer and past President of the Manly Life Saving Club.[citation needed]

In 2017 Bonner was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the performing arts as an actor, to surf lifesaving, and to the community through charitable organisations.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Tony Bonner at IMDb
  2. ^ "Actor sues for share of Skippy's profits". The Australian. 22 September 2008.
  3. ^ "Tony Bonner". AusStage. 12 January 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  4. ^ Scott, Leisa; Armstrong, Rebecca (5 May 2024). "How modelling agent Chelsea Bonner is taking on artificial intelligence to avoid 'cataclysmic step backwards' for industry". ABC News. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia (A-L)" (PDF). 2017 Australia Day Honours List. Office of the Governor-General of Australia. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
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