Frank Edward Wilson (11 April 1924 – 24 October 2005) was an Australian film, stage and television actor; musical comedy singer and director; and television game show and variety host.
Early life
Frank Wilson was born in 1924 in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote. He left school at the age of 13. In 1943, he joined the Australian Army, where he served as a Signalman in Borneo and Papua New Guinea until his discharge in 1945.
He began acting in 1948, when he appeared at Melbourne's Tivoli Theatre.
David Williamson wrote the character of Frank in Travelling North for Wilson, having admired his interpretation of Jock Riley in The Club. However, after creating Frank on stage, Wilson was not given the role in the film adaptation — it went to Leo McKern instead. To television audiences, he was the well-known and encouraging compere for the influential amateur talent showNew Faces throughout the 1960s to mid-70s.
His last role, in the short film The Chess Set (by Alexander Murawski) won the Best Actor award at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. Wilson heard this news the day before he died.
Family
Wilson and his wife Beryl had 4 children: Amanda, Damien (dec), Matthew and Shauna. Matthew and Shauna went on to become child actors. He had 7 grandchildren.
