Dennis Miller (1937 – 2 October 2022) was an Australian stage, television and film actor, best known for his roles in TV movies and series.
Early life Miller was born in Hobart, Tasmania in 1937. His family had no background in show business and had a church background on both sides. His great-grandfather built the first church in Bordertown, South Australia in the 1800s. As a youth, he played football for the Hobart Rules club Clarence.
Miller was initially studying for a degree in agricultural science at Hobart University, when he developed an interest in acting. He joined the university's Old Nick Company and later, the Hobart Repertory Company.
Career Miller relocated from Hobart to Melbourne, where he spent time playing a wide variety of roles in local theatre, predominantly for the Union Theatre Repertory Company (the formative Melbourne Theatre Company). One of these was the Alan Hopgood play And the Big Men Fly (1963), a football comedy in which he starred as Achilles Jones, alongside his future wife, Elspeth Ballantyne. After the production proved popular, it was filmed for television and was broadcast on 5 October 1963, the night of the VFL Grand Final. He later appeared in a 1974 miniseries adaptation of the play, this time playing the role of Moola Barnes.
Another early role was as Hughie in the televised play The One Day of the Year (1962). He was best known however, for the ABC rural soap opera Bellbird as Constable Des Davies and later, his recurring role on long-running police drama series Blue Heelers as ex-sergeant Pat Doyle, from 1994 to 2000.
Miller also had notable roles in serials such as The Flying Doctors, Stingers and A Country Practice. In 1990, he had a starring role in children's series Elly & Jools as Fergus Finian 'Feral' O'Farrell. Additionally, he appeared in several miniseries including Scales of Justice (1983) with Bill Hunter, The Cowra Breakout (1984), Colour in the Creek (1985), The Dirtwater Dynasty (1988), and Kangaroo Palace (1997).
Miller appeared in numerous films, both theatrically-released and made-for-TV, including The Last of the Knucklemen (1979) alongside Steve Bisley and Michael Caton and The Everlasting Secret Family (1988) with Mark Lee. Other film credits included Stir (1980) opposite Bryan Brown, Hoodwink (1981) with Judy Davis and Geoffrey Rush, Starstruck (1982), Heatwave (1982), Buddies (1983) with Colin Friels, and Emerald City (1988) opposite Nicole Kidman in an early role.
He also had a role in 1988 biopic A Cry in the Dark (aka Evil Angels), opposite Meryl Streep and Sam Neill, which depicted the real life story of the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain and the legal trial that followed.
Personal life and death Miller was married to actress Elspeth Ballantyne from 1968 to 1977. Both had leading roles in the long-running series Bellbird. They have two sons together – Matthew and Tobias.
Miller retired from the industry in 2000. He died from undisclosed causes on 2 October 2022.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Type 1969 It Takes All Kinds Uncredited Feature film1971 Stork University Lecturer Feature film The Hot Centre of the World Short film 1973 Alvin Purple Mr. Horwood Feature film 1975 The Great Macarthy MacGuinness Feature film1976 Mad Dog Morgan Prison Boat Guard Feature film Eliza Fraser Frans Cook Feature film1979 The Last of the Knucklemen Horse Feature film The Journalist Junior Interviewer Feature film 1980 Stir Redford Feature film 1981 Hoodwink Ralph Feature film1982 Heatwave Mick Davies Feature film Starstruck Lou Feature film A Most Attractive Man Mick Feature film 1983 Buddies Andy Feature film1984 My First Wife Public Bar Patron (uncredited) Feature film Silver City Max Feature film 1986 Frog Dreaming (aka The Quest) Mr. Cannon Feature film 1988 The Everlasting Secret Family Eric the Chauffeur Feature film A Cry in the Dark (aka Evil Angels) Sturgess Feature film Emerald City Malcolm Bennett Feature film 1990 Plead Guilty, Get a Bond Short film1993 Broken Highway Max O'Donnell Feature film This Won't Hurt a Bit Riley Feature film
Television Year Title Role Type1959 Ned Kelly TV play Outpost Corporal Mitch Mitchell TV play Treason Orderly TV play1960 Uncle Martino Michel TV play Eye of the Night Ian Arnott TV play 1961 Mystery of a Hansom Cab Colton TV play, episode of The General Motors Hour 1962 The One Day of the Year Hughie TV play, episode of The General Motors Hour 1962 Manhaul Hilton TV play, episode of The General Motors Hour1963 A Piece of Ribbon TV play And the Big Men Fly Achilles Jones TV play1965 Romanoff and Juliet Soldier TV play Otherwise Engaged Tom TV play 1966 Australian Playhouse The Boundary Driver / Fred Taylor 2 episodes1967 Adventures of the Seaspray Fred 1 episode Love and War Lieutenant Miniseries, episode: "Man of Destiny"1968 Contrabandits Steve Chambers 1 episode Cobwebs in Concrete Scott Harland TV play 1968–1974 Bellbird Constable Des Davies 991 episodes1969 Good Morning, Mr. Doubleday Ex-boyfriend 1 episode Riptide Jeff Challis 1 episode 1970; 1973 Homicide Gary Simms / Ronald Parker 2 episodes 1971 Division 4 Constable Shaw 1 episode 1972–1976 Matlock Police Norm Moore / Ted Sanders / Bernie Clay 3 episodes1973 President Wilson in Paris Colonel House TV play Brumby Innes Brumby Innes TV play1974 The End Product Craven TV play And the Big Men Fly Moola Barnes Miniseries, 6 episodes Rush Brady 1 episode Number 96 Peter Wilson 8 episodes1975 Silent Number Byron 1 episode Scattergood: Friend of All 1 episode 1976 Murcheson Creek TV film 1981 I Can Jump Puddles Gunner Miniseries, 2 episodes1982 Spring and Fall Phil 1 episode MPSIB Barney Blake 1 episode 1982–1984 A Country Practice Merve Winters / Ben Prescott / Ron Barnes 18 episodes1983 The Dismissal Gordon Scholes / The Second Speaker Miniseries, 2 episodes Scales of Justice Detective Sgt. Ken Draffin Miniseries, 2 episodes Platypus Cove Sergeant Don Bailey TV film1984 Singles Rob 1 episode The Cowra Breakout Mick Murphy Miniseries, 5 episodes Special Squad Finch 1 episode Carson's Law Frank Stirling 1 episode1985 Winners Ron Guthrie 1 episode Colour in the Creek John Fletcher Miniseries, 10 episodes I Live with Me Dad Joe Kazzirak TV film1986 The Great Bookie Robbery Edwards Miniseries, 3 episodes Shark's Paradise Inspector Rossiter TV film 1987 The Petrov Affair Eddie War Miniseries, 2 episodes1988 Touch the Sun: Peter and Pompey Maxie Barbuto TV film Barracuda (aka The Rocks) Detective Snr. Constable Abbottson TV film The Dirtwater Dynasty Hasky Tarbox Miniseries, 5 episodes All the Way Ray Scott Miniseries, 3 episodes Rafferty's Rules Ronald Harvey 1 episode The Riddle of the Stinson Flight Captain Rex Boyden TV film The Magistrate Roger Davies Miniseries, 6 episodes1990 The Paper Man George Slater Miniseries, 4 episodes Elly & Jools Fergus Finian 'Feral' O'Farrell Miniseries, 12 episodes1991 The Flying Doctors Greg Carpenter 1 episode Boys from the Bush Gabby 1 episode Col’n Carpenter 1 episode Chances Eddie Reynolds 27 episodes 1994–2000 Blue Heelers Detective Pat Doyle 14 episodes 1995 Blue Murder Detective Inspector Bruce Kerrison Miniseries, 1 episode 1995; 1996 G.P. Arthur Hardigan / Snr Sgt Tony Atford 2 episodes1997 Good Guys Bad Guys Rufus King 1 episode The Last of the Ryans Harold TV film Kangaroo Palace Mr. Turner Miniseries, 2 episodes One Way Ticket Alf TV film 1999 Stingers Detective Inspector Malcolm Harris 2 episodes
Theatre Year Title Role Type Ref.1958 Cupid Rampant National Theatre, Launceston with Old Nick Company Tartuffe Playhouse, Hobart with Hobart Repertory Theatre Society The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial 1959 Ring Round the Moon 1960 She Stoops to Conquer Young Marlow University of Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co Visit to a Small Planet Conrad Mayberry A Taste of Honey Assistant Stage Manager See How They Run Man and Superman Hector Malone / Assistant Stage Manager 1961 The Mystery of a Hansom Cab Calton / Assistant Stage Manager University of Melbourne, Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co The Lady's Not for Burning Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co 1961–1962 The One Day of the Year Hughie VIC & TAS tour with Union Theatre Rep Co 1962 The Shifting Heart Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Johnnie The Ballad of Angel's Alley Macbeth Ross University of Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co The Season at Sarsaparilla Ron Suddards Ross Turkish Sergeant / Grp-Capt Woods 1963 Richard II Arms and the Man VIC country tour with Union Theatre Rep Co The No Hopers VIC & QLD country tour with Union Theatre Rep Co The End of the Beginning / Hello Out There! / The Black Horse / The Man in the Bowler Hat Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co The Devil's Disciple Christy Dudgeon University of Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co 1963–1964 And the Big Men Fly Achilles Jones Russell St Theatre, Melbourne, Arts Theatre, Adelaide, VIC country tour with Union Theatre Rep Co 1964 Critic's Choice Dion Kapakos University of Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co Hamlet Fransisco, Player, Fortinbras Love Rides the Rails or Will the Mail Train Run Tonight? Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co All in Good Time St Martins Theatre, Melbourne Angels in Love or The Perils of Purity Alice in Wonderland Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne 1965 Entertaining Mr Sloane Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co An Enemy of the People Crime Passionnel Bodyguard St Martins Theatre, Melbourne 1966 The Representative Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co War and Peace The Royal Hunt of the Sun The Young Wife Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with Union Theatre Rep Co & J. C. Williamson's Private Yuk Objects Russell St Theatre, Melbourne, Phillip Theatre, Sydney 1967 Luv St Martins Theatre, Melbourne Where's Daddy? Razz 1968 The Fire on the Snow Evans UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney Childermas Knightly Gentleman Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane with Old Tote Theatre Company King Lear Duke of Albany Wait Until Dark Mike St Martins Theatre, Melbourne 1969 This Story of Yours Johnson 1970 Only an Orphan Girl or A Soul Redeemed 1972 A Midsummer Night's Dream Scotch College, Adelaide with South Australian Theatre Company Brumby Innes Brumby Innes Pram Factory, Melbourne with APG 1974 Annie Storey St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1976 A Man for All Seasons Playhouse Perth with National Theatre A Handful of Friends Mark The Last of the Knucklemen Horse Habeas Corpus Mr Shanks Arsenic and Old Lace Mortimer Brewster 1976–1977 Ashes Colin Harding Greenroom Theatre, Perth with National Theatre 1977 The Miser Master Jacques Playhouse Perth with National Theatre The Department Hans Otherwise Engaged Simon Hench Treats Dave Yesterday's News Terry Greenroom Theatre, Perth 1983 Gossip from the Forest Marshall Foch Sydney Opera House with STC
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