Ed Devereaux, "Skippy" actor, 78
Scott Brady
Australian television series Skippy, Ed Devereaux, has died in London,
his manager said.
Devereaux died in Royal Free Hospital at 9am local time on Wednesday
after a battle with heart problems and cancer, Darren Gray said from
London.
Skippy, the children's TV series about an orphaned bush kangaroo who
alerted her park-ranger family to dangers, ran for 91 episodes between
1966 and 1968.
Devereaux, 78, played the father of Skippy's child friend Sonny, who
was played by actor Garry Pankhurst, and his older brother Mark,
played by Ken James.
Mr Gray said Devereaux had suffered heart problems for several years
and was admitted to the London hospital three months earlier for
treatment.
His cancer was diagnosed last year and his condition had deteriorated
over the past few weeks. He did not know the nature of Devereaux's
cancer.
"He was still perky right until the end and wanted to get out and do
(acting) jobs but sadly that wasn't possible," Mr Gray said.
"He was a wonderful man and an icon in Australia."
Also starring in the popular Skippy series were Tony Bonner, as
Waratah National Park's ranger, and Liza Goddard as Clarissa "Clancy"
Merrick.
In addition to his role in Skippy, Devereaux also starred in several
Carry On films and numerous television series such as The Sweeney and
The Professionals.
More recently he accepted a cameo role playing an Australian uncle in
the hit BBC comedy Absolutely Fabulous.
He leaves four sons by his wife Rene Devereaux, a singer who became
well known in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s.
She died of cancer two years ago.
The family is making arrangements for a memorial service for
Devereaux, which is expected to take place in London, the family's
home for the past 10 years.
©2003 AAP
Brian Watson
"Scott Brady" <sbra...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:42738208.03121...@posting.google.com...
> The actor who played head ranger Matt Hammond on the iconic 1960s
> Australian television series Skippy, Ed Devereaux, has died in London,
> his manager said.
Apparently Skippy had nothing to say apart from "tut tut tut tut tut tut
tut" upon hearing the news, but from that his young friend has been able to
deduce that (a) he is deeply shocked to hear the news (b) he is devastated,
and (c) he would say more but some idiot has fallen down a shaft in the old
mine again and he has to go and alert the new ranger.
--
Brian
"Stuck down a hole, in the fog, in the middle of the night, with an owl."
Yes, I am that idiot.
Scott Brady
they may be, however, kangaroos seem to lack the emotional range and emotive
qualities of your typical collie. But they can change a tire!
Another intriguing aspect of the show was the pretty, teenage girl living in
secluded house with three unrelated men and no other females within a thousand
miles. As I recall, she was the boss' daughter, entrusted by her father to
their care, which should have assured us the whole arrangement was on the up
and up.
No doubt we'd now be seeing a closeup of Skippy's forepaws folded in prayer.
Bob Champ
never had a marsupial as a star here.
Bob C.
sbra...@aol.comnospam (Scott Brady) wrote in message news:<20031218090133...@mb-m03.aol.com>...
Hyfler/Rosner
December 19, 2003 Friday
HEADLINE: Australia's Favourite Park Ranger, And Skippy's Pal, Dies
BYLINE: Stephen Gibbs
He portrayed prime minister Ben Chifley and Nazi leader Martin Bormann - and
went to war himself aged 16 - but Ed Devereaux will be best remembered for
his association with a bush kangaroo.
Devereaux, who has died aged 78 in London, was among the last of a
generation of Australian performers who hit England in the 1950s to seek
acting fame and found social infamy.
He played Matt Hammond, head ranger at Waratah National Park, father to
Sonny (Garry Pankhurst) and Mark (Ken James) and boss of helicopter pilot
Jerry King (Tony Bonner) in Skippy between 1966 and 1968.
Despite an acting career that spanned six decades Devereaux never dodged
talking about the show that made him a household name. "Skippy was a success
worldwide," he said in 1988. "Still is. It gave me a chance not only to act,
but to direct and write as well."
His eldest son John said yesterday: "When you meet an Australian, it's the
first thing they say: 'He's an icon. Your dad is an icon.' And I forget that
sometimes, living in England. I sometimes forget how important he is."
Devereaux died in his sleep of renal failure at his Hampstead home about 3am
on Wednesday, London time, three months after he was diagnosed with cancer
of the oesophagus.
He had insisted on being released from Royal Free Hospital about three weeks
ago to spend his last days at home with Julie, his second wife of 17 years.
Devereaux was one of 10 children born into a working class Catholic family
in north Sydney. He had been a boy soprano, teenage soldier in New Guinea,
cabbie, storeman and truck driver before the acting urge took him to London
in 1950.
Fellow actor Bill Kerr met him that year and remained close to Devereaux for
more than 50 years. "He was a very fine actor and loved by a lot of his
fellow contemporary actors," Kerr said yesterday.
Kerr and Devereaux were among a boisterous band of Aussie actors including
Peter Finch, Ray Barrett, Vincent Ball, Bud Tingwell, John Meillon and Leo
McKern found regularly at the Kangaroo Club off Sloane Square in Chelsea
during the late 1950s and into the '60s. Chips Rafferty was an honorary
visiting member of their "exclusive" society within the Kangaroo, known as
the WITS Club (We're In The S--t, coined by Meillon to reflect the group's
erratic fortunes).
"We'd tear the joint up in those days," Kerr said. "My god it was
wonderful."
Devereaux established a screen image as a knockabout Australian long before
Skippy was a TV staple, Paul Hogan hit Hollywood or Steve Irwin was born.
John Devereaux, one of four sons, said his father was a deeply religious but
down-to-earth fighting man "a bit like Matt Hammond as a father. I think of
all the roles he played that was closest to his character," the 49-year-old
said. "A couple of days ago he was holding my hand. He was in his sick bed
and he said to me 'We've got to fight this, we've got to fight this son'.
Everyone could see how ill he was except him."
Kerr last spoke with Devereaux, the honorary treasurer of the WITS Club, by
phone about 10 days ago. "I think he still owes us a round of drinks," he
said. "When we meet in the upper dress circle in the sweet by and by, he can
pay us back with a large scotch each."
Brian Watson
"Bob Champ" <robertc...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:9d079b90.03121...@posting.google.com...
> Sounds like a nice show. Wish I could have seen it as a kid. We've
> never had a marsupial as a star here.
Never? Not even Captain Kangaroo?
--
Brian
"Let's be grateful for our Fridays and face our Mondays with good humour."
Frank Spancer
he/she. It's even been mentionened on the early episodes of happy Days,
but here in Australia, it has never been on the TV. We get most of the
US Sitcom, even the third rate stuff (ie most US TV Show - The Poms Make
the best TV).
Brigid Nelson
> Sounds like a nice show. Wish I could have seen it as a kid. We've
> never had a marsupial as a star here.
Where I live, on the west coast of the usa, I used
to see Skippy right after Flipper. We had Simba
too. I used to feel bad for Flipper, he was the
only animal star who didn't have some kind of food
product named after him.
brigid
Robert Feigel (aka Bob)
What about Tuna? b
"When weaving nets, all threads count." - Charlie Chan
********
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Bill Schenley
> star who didn't have some kind of food product
> named after him.
That's because he *is* a food product ... and on top of that
... half of the employees at McDonald's are named after him.
Brian Watson
"Brigid Nelson" <irja...@teleport.com> wrote in message
news:ruOEb.11405$Pg1....@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
Ah, but he's commemorated on every pinball table. Doesn't that count for
something?
:-)
--
Brian
"Style advisor to the seasonally-challenged"
Allen Abel
"Frank Spancer" <Nom...@address.com> wrote in message
news:3fe2e6a6$0$18387$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
> I've Seen Captain Kangaroo mentioned a few time here in the past Who is
> he/she. It's even been mentionened on the early episodes of happy Days,
> but here in Australia, it has never been on the TV. We get most of the
> US Sitcom, even the third rate stuff (ie most US TV Show - The Poms Make
> the best TV).
>
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