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Brian Wenzel is a Actor Australien born on 24 may 1929 at Adelaide (Australie)
Brian Thomas Wenzel (born 24 May 1929 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian character actor, particularly of television and film most famous for his long running role as town policeman Frank Gilroy in the fictional Wandin Valley on television program A Country Practice. He was an original cast member and remained along with Shane Porteous through the entire series, Frank became a popular character in the program sinces its inception winning a Silver Logie for Wenzel. Wenzel also appeared in the drama series Matlock Police, Homicide, The Young Doctors and Certain Women. It was the role in Certain Women that won him the part of Frank Gilroy in A Country Practice. He has appeared in many Australian films including Alison's Birthday and The Odd Angry Shot.
Wenzel became very popular with the NSW Police due to his role as Gilroy, and was once presented with a leather police jacket from former commissioner John Avery (the fictional country town of Wandin Valley was in New South Wales, thus Frank Gilroy was a member of the NSW Police).
Wenzel spent much of his childhood in remand homes, and ran away several times, including joining the circus at the age of 14. His first performance in an acting role came at the age of 17, when he appeared in a stage play, he started acting professionally in 1945.
Wenzel is an Australia Day ambassador for the state of Victoria, and is a lifelong supporter of the Carlton Football Club. He appeared in the David Williamson play, Travelling North, in 2000. Wenzel also appeared in a guest role on the soap Neighbours. Wenzel has appeared in Marshall Law in 2002, his most recent appearance is in John Doe: Vigilante. Wenzel has been married for 59 years.
In 2009 Wenzel appeared in a TV commercial in the role for a sexual dysfunction therapy. He arrives to save the day when a newlywed wife complains about her husband "speeding" in the sack – and then prosecutes him in court. This commercial created much controversy and Wenzel was featured on A Current Affair, defending the commercial and stating that he was "an actor and this is what I do" and being thrown into the spotlight after almost 20 years out of it. In May, he appeared on a spoof of the ad that was aired on Rove Live. Wenzel remains active in the industry appearing in television commercials, and in cameos in television and film, ACP co-star Lorrae Desmond however has now retired from the entertainment industry
Following the death of Joyce Jacobs on 15 September 2013 at the age of 91, Wenzel is the oldest surviving main cast member of A Country Practice. Both Wenzel and Jacobs appeared in the first episode of A Country Practice in 1981 and stayed with the show until 1993. A Country Practice then moved to Network Ten for a single season in 1994, though unlike Jacobs who stayed with the show, Wenzel did not reprise his role as Frank Gilroy on Channel 10.
Source : Wikidata
Brian Wenzel
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Birth name Brian Thomas Wenzel
Nationality Australie
Birth 24 may 1929 at Adelaide (Australie)
Death 6 may 2024 (at 94 years)
Nationality Australie
Birth 24 may 1929 at Adelaide (Australie)
Death 6 may 2024 (at 94 years)
Wenzel became very popular with the NSW Police due to his role as Gilroy, and was once presented with a leather police jacket from former commissioner John Avery (the fictional country town of Wandin Valley was in New South Wales, thus Frank Gilroy was a member of the NSW Police).
Wenzel spent much of his childhood in remand homes, and ran away several times, including joining the circus at the age of 14. His first performance in an acting role came at the age of 17, when he appeared in a stage play, he started acting professionally in 1945.
Wenzel is an Australia Day ambassador for the state of Victoria, and is a lifelong supporter of the Carlton Football Club. He appeared in the David Williamson play, Travelling North, in 2000. Wenzel also appeared in a guest role on the soap Neighbours. Wenzel has appeared in Marshall Law in 2002, his most recent appearance is in John Doe: Vigilante. Wenzel has been married for 59 years.
In 2009 Wenzel appeared in a TV commercial in the role for a sexual dysfunction therapy. He arrives to save the day when a newlywed wife complains about her husband "speeding" in the sack – and then prosecutes him in court. This commercial created much controversy and Wenzel was featured on A Current Affair, defending the commercial and stating that he was "an actor and this is what I do" and being thrown into the spotlight after almost 20 years out of it. In May, he appeared on a spoof of the ad that was aired on Rove Live. Wenzel remains active in the industry appearing in television commercials, and in cameos in television and film, ACP co-star Lorrae Desmond however has now retired from the entertainment industry
Following the death of Joyce Jacobs on 15 September 2013 at the age of 91, Wenzel is the oldest surviving main cast member of A Country Practice. Both Wenzel and Jacobs appeared in the first episode of A Country Practice in 1981 and stayed with the show until 1993. A Country Practice then moved to Network Ten for a single season in 1994, though unlike Jacobs who stayed with the show, Wenzel did not reprise his role as Frank Gilroy on Channel 10.
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Filmography of Brian Wenzel (4 films)
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John Doe: Vigilante (2014)
, 1h33Genres Thriller, Crime
Actors Jamie Bamber, Daniel Lissing, Lachy Hulme, Paul O' Brien, Barry Quin, Ben Schumann
Roles Judge
Rating64%
John Doe (Jamie Bamber) is an ordinary man who decides to take the law into his own hands due to frustration with a failing legal system. Doe exacts his justice by killing one criminal at a time, and gaining attention from the media in the process, inspiring other copycat vigilantes.John Doe is a masked vigilante who goes out on the streets and hunts down serial killers so he can somewhat brutally murder them. One of the unique things about this indie film is that you get to hear both sides of the story, one of them from John Doe who has already been caught and arrested, and another from the media and police, which many films dealing with vigilantes focus less on.
Alison's Birthday (1981)
Directed by Ian Coughlan
Genres Thriller, Horror
Actors Joanne Samuel, Bunney Brooke, John Bluthal, Vincent Ball, Julie Wilson, Rosalind Speirs
Rating57%
The story starts in sequence with 16-year-old Alison Findlay (Samuel) and her two friends playing a seemingly innocent ouija board game. Upon contacting a spirit, who is later revealed to be Alison's dead father (she never knew her actual parents), the girls discover that Alison is in danger. The spirit then possesses one of the girls and warns her not to return home for her 19th birthday. The girl is immediately killed after a bookcase collapses onto her.
The Odd Angry Shot (1979)
, 1h32Genres War, Comedy, Action
Themes Political films
Actors Graham Kennedy, Bryan Brown, John Hargreaves, John Jarratt, Graeme Blundell, Richard Moir
Rating65%
Bill, a young new recruit in the Australian Special Air Service, arrives for his year-long tour of duty in Vietnam. Other members of his section include Harry, the section's Corporal and the oldest and most worldly-wise of the group, along with Bung, Rogers, Dawson and Scott. The close-knit group cope with their circumstances with a mixture of humour, cheek, practical jokes and copious quantities of beer. Harry has an ongoing verbal feud with the company cook over the questionable quality of the food. During the first weeks of their stay in Vietnam, their biggest enemies are mud, boredom, tinea and the never-ending torrential rains. However the real war strikes suddenly one night when an enemy mortar barrage hits their camp claiming a number of casualties. The section's first operation takes place shortly afterwards; a short sharp engagement in the dense jungle, which leaves Scott mortally wounded and one wounded Viet Cong who escapes. This encounter sets the tone for the remainder of their tour. Long, exhausting patrols which are periodically interrupted by short savage encounters with either the enemy, mines or booby-traps.
The Death Train (1978)
Genres Thriller, Horror, Crime
Actors Hugh Keays-Byrne, Terry Camilleri, Brian Wenzel, Ron Haddrick, Justine Saunders, John Orcsik
Rating59%
A dead man is discovered at the bottom of his garden. It appears he has been hit by a train even though no train has run along those tracks for years.