A PRODIGIOUS PERFORMER
Whether on stage, screen or the floor of parliament, the much-loved actor Terry Norris was a charismatic presence.
Terry Norris 1930–2023
Norris died on March 19, aged 92. In 2018, along with actress wife Julia Blake, he received the Equity Lifetime Achievement Award − a fitting acknowledgement of his commitment to the union and his remarkable career.
Born and raised in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, Terry left school at 15 with little idea of what he wanted to do with his life. That all changed one day when he came upon His Majesty’s Theatre in Exhibition Street and, seeing a poster for the musical Rose-Marie, decided to buy a ticket. He’d never seen a live performance before and was so enthralled by the magic that he wrote to a handful of Melbourne theatre managers asking for work. The only reply came from David N. Martin, head of the Tivoli Circuit, who gave Terry his first job in the theatre, as a wardrobe boy. He did this for about 12 months, crossing paths with headline acts such as Roy ‘Mo’ Rene, before progressing to stage assistant and eventually walk-on roles.
At 21, after appearing in a few amateur productions, Terry left for the UK, where he became a jobbing actor. He eventually joined a weekly repertory company in York, gaining experience and confidence in leading roles, playing year-round in everything from Shakespeare to farce. In the late 1950s and early ’60s, he had his first taste of television in the musical-comedy series Sunshine Street at Tyne Tees Television and then BBC sitcom The Eggheads.
In 1961, he met Julia Blake, a member of the rep company’s sister troupe, and first worked with her in Angels in Love. In the thriller Two Faces of Murder, Terry played a detective and Julia a murderer, whom he arrested in the final act. The pair famously married between a matinee and evening performance before spending their honeymoon in Scarborough learning lines for the next play.
They settled in Australia in 1963 and quickly found work, appearing together several times over the years on both stage and screen. Terry’s early TV productions included Nude with Violin, Roderigo in Othello, A Man for All Seasons, a critically acclaimed lead role in Luther (as the 16th century religious reformer) and Donny in The Shifting Heart. Work in radio included regular schools broadcasts and two years with ABC’s The Village Glee Club. A host of plays with Melbourne’s St Martin’s Theatre also kept Terry busy.
Further TV work saw him on the long-running daytime variety show Time for Terry, hosted by Terry O’Neill (included in the cast was a young Olivia Newton-John), guest hosting IMT, commercials and appearances on quiz and talk shows. He had ongoing roles in Crawford’s Consider Your Verdict and Homicide, sitcoms Bobby Dazzler and The Last of the Australians, as well as numerous guest roles in their other productions.
A long stint as crusty Joe Turner, who ran the local garage in the ABC’s evening soap Bellbird (opposite Moira Carleton as Olive Turner), made Terry a household name. During this time, he spent six years at Tikki and John’s theatre restaurant and also trod the boards at the Grotto Gaslight Music Hall. When a timeslot change threatened the future of the series, Terry and Julia led the ‘Save Bellbird’ campaign, which saw thousands of letters pour in from fans. It also led to his contract not being renewed and the disappearance of Joe Turner from the show.
He was never short of work. In 1977, he was signed to the original cast of Cop Shop as Senior Sergeant Eric O’Reilly, working with the likes of Gil Tucker, Gregory Ross, Louise Philip and Moya O’Sullivan. Terry said it was the happiest cast he ever worked with and in 1980 he won a Logie for Best Supporting Actor.
He was always active in politics, whether as a founding committee member of the ‘Make it Australian’ campaign, Trades Hall delegate or vocal opponent of the Vietnam War. He was also prominent in Gough Whitlam’s 1972 ‘It’s Time’ election campaign. Terry’s interest in politics culminated in a 10-year stint (from 1982) in the Victorian Parliament, as the Labor Member for Noble Park, then Dandenong, eventually becoming Deputy Speaker. In 1983, he was persuaded to return to acting in Cop Shop and he donated his fee to buy much-needed beds for aged-care residents in his electorate.
Following his retirement from politics in 1992, Terry was back in demand as an actor, with TV roles in kids’ show Horace and Tina and dramas such as Marshall Law, Blue Heelers, Stingers, The Damnation of Harvey McHugh, Changi, Hawke (as Bob Hawke’s father, Clem), Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and Bloom.
He had been part of Australian cinema’s renaissance in the 1970s, as a member of the ensemble cast in comedies Stork and The Great MacArthy. Post-politics screen appearances included Lucky Break, Road to Nhill (as befuddled local fire chief, Ted), Innocence (playing against type, he received the Film Critics Circle award and an AFI nomination for Best Supporting Actor as the emotionally confused John), Three Dollars, Romulus, My Father, The Chronicles of Narnia, Paper Planes, Looking for Grace and a stand-out performance as Scaramouche in Judy & Punch.
Theatre was Terry’s first love and his list of Australian stage credits is extensive. He and Julia toured the country in It’s My Party (and I’ll Die if I Want To) and The Gin Game, as well as appearing together in Love Letters and Ray Lawler’s The Piccadilly Bushman at Playbox.
In his 70s, Terry worked at the MTC in Death of a Salesman, Humble Boy, Boy Gets Girl and as Doctor Baugh in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Turning to writing, his play Allison’s Rub enjoyed a season at Carlton’s Courthouse Theatre as part of the 1997 Melbourne Comedy Festival.
Terry’s career concluded with his regular role as barfly Eric alongside Ronald Falk and John Flaus in the ABC’s Jack Irish franchise. Poignantly, his final line on screen, delivered to Guy Pearce, was: “See you at one of our funerals, eh?”
Adept at both drama and comedy, Terry was a true stalwart of the entertainment industry and one of Australia’s most recognisable and beloved performers.
Obituary by Nigel Giles
