Ray Meagher

Raymond Francis Meagher OAM (born 4 July 1944) is an Australian actor. He has appeared in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s, and is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, as Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the role since the first episode in 1988. He is the only original actor still with the series. Meagher won the Gold Logie Award for his role in Home and Away in 2010. Meagher has currently played the role of Alf for over 30 years.

Ray Meagher
Born (1944-07-04) 4 July 1944
Roma, Queensland, Australia
OccupationActor
Years active1972–present
Spouse(s)
Gilly Meagher (m. 2010)

Early life

Meagher was born and raised on a sheep and cattle station in Queensland, before attending a boarding school on the Gold Coast from the age of nine. He became a keen sportsman at high school, Marist College Ashgrove in Brisbane, representing the school at a number of sports including rugby union, a sport which he ultimately played at state level.[1]

Meagher played at first five eighth for Queensland at senior level in the late 1960s, including playing against France.[2]

Career

Film

His early film roles included appearances Breaker Morant, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Newsfront, My Brilliant Career and The Shiralee[1] He also had a cameo in the 1979 war comedy The Odd Angry Shot.

Television

He first appeared on television as host of the late night ABC folk music programme Around Folk in June–August 1973. His first regular acting work on television was in the soap opera Number 96, briefly appearing as Fred Shrimpton in 1977.[3] Subsequent television acting roles included three different roles as villains in Prisoner, including Geoff Butler between 1979 and 1980, Kurt Renner in 1984, and Ernest Craven in 1986. He also had two different guest starring roles in A Country Practice and substantial roles in several 1980s miniseries, including A Fortunate Life.[1]

Meagher joined the cast of soap opera Home and Away in 1988 and as of 2019, he remains in the role of Alf Stewart. Meagher holds a Guinness World Record as the longest-serving actor in an Australian serial for his role of Alf.[4]

In September 2009, Meagher was the third-highest paid personality on Australian television, behind Eddie McGuire and Rove McManus.[5]

Meagher won the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the 2010 Logie Awards. He was also nominated for "Most Popular Actor".[6] Meagher won the Most Popular Actor Logie Award in 2018.[7]

Stage

In 2007, Meagher took over the role of Bob the mechanic in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, taking over from Bill Hunter.[8] From 30 September 2010, he took over the role of Bob in the West End production of Priscilla until March 2011.[9] In June 2011, it was announced that Meagher would be returning to the West End production from October.[10] He then rejoined the show for its New Zealand tour in 2016.[11]

Meagher regularly travels to the United Kingdom to take part in the traditional Christmas pantomimes. In December 2008, he played Abanazar in a production of Aladdin at the Anvil Theatre in Basingstoke and in 2009 he performed as Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells.[12][13]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1978 The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith Dud Edmonds
Newsfront Len's Second Brother
1979 The Odd Angry Shot Range Corporal
My Brilliant Career Mailman
The Journalist Senior Investigator
1980 Breaker Morant Sgt. Maj. Drummond
Mystery Island Policeman
1981 Hoodwink Shaw
1982 Mystery at Castle House Stakovich
1983 On the Run Joe Thompson
1984 On the Loose Russell Leech
The Fire in the Stone Dosh
1985 Relatives Herb Taylor
Bootleg Lawker
1986 Short Changed Marshall
1987 Dark Age Rex Garret
The Place at the Coast Uncle Doug
1988 Vietnam Army Sergeant Small role
1989 Luigi's Ladies Lance

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1973 Matlock Police Kurt Fisher Episode: "By Hook or by Crook"
1977 Number 96 Fred Shrimpton Season 6
1978 Glenview High Policeman Episode: "Accident"
Because He's My Friend Kevin TV film
Run from the Morning TV series
1979 Skyways Sergeant Murphy Episode: "The Crated Crim"
Top Mates Mini-series
1979–1980; 1984; 1986 Prisoner Geoff Butler / Ernest Craven / Kurt Renner Recurring role; season 1-2
28 episodes
1980 A Piece of Cake Duty Sarglant TV short
1981 Sporting Chance TV series
Holiday Island TV series
1982–1986 A Country Practice Wally Stanley / Trev Bennett / Tom Skilton Guest role; 6 episodes
1983 The Weekly's War Frank Packer Mini-series
The Disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain Mr. Lowe TV film
1984 Five Mile Creek Lightning Ridge Episode: "The Hangman's Noose"
Kingswood County Keith Mitchell / Bank Manager 2 episodes
Mail Order Bride Kevin TV film< br/>Penguin Award for Best Actor (1984)[14]
1985 A Fortunate Life Bad Bob Mini-series
Episode: "Starting Out (1897-1905)"
Mother and Son Geoff Episode: "The Card Game"
Colour in the Creek Clarrie 8 episodes
1986 Blue Lightning Hale TV film
Land of Hope Mini-series
Five Times Dizzy TV series
The Great Bookie Robbery Bob Temple Mini-series
1987 The Shiralee Polkadot TV film
1988 True Believers Tom Burke Mini-series
The True Story of Spit MacPhee Frank Arbuckle Mini-series
1988–present Home and Away Alf Stewart Soap opera; Leading role
Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television (2010)
Logie Award for Most Popular Actor (2018)
Nominated – Logie Award for Most Popular Actor (2010)
Nominated – Logie Award for Most Popular Actor (2012)
2002 Home and Away: Secrets and the City Alf Stewart Video special
2003 Home and Away: Hearts Divided Alf Stewart Video special

References
  1. Home and Away: Ray Meagher Archived 30 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Yahoo!7.
  2. "Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson star struck by Home and Away veteran". 6 October 2016 – via www.nzherald.co.nz.
  3. Duck, Siobhan (29 July 2008). "Home and Away's Ray Meagher OK with career character". The Courier-Mail (Brisbane).
  4. Fife-Yeomans, Janet (19 December 2009). "Shadows fall on Home And Away – behind the scenes at Australia's most troubled soap opera". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney.
  5. Clune, Richard (13 September 2009). "Flamin' heck! Alf Stewart's worth a quid". Sunday Mail (Adelaide).
  6. "2010 Logie Awards: Full List of Winners". Perth Now. News Limited. 2 May 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  7. Lilly, Alex (1 July 2018). "Logies 2018: Ray Meagher dedicates his win to his late Home and Away co-star, Cornelia Frances". TV Week. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  8. "Culture: Slurs and slingbacks". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 30 April 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  9. "Meagher taking Home and Away break". RTÉ TEN. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 20 April 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  10. "Ray swaps the Bay for UK". Holy Soap. Channel 5. 24 June 2011. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  11. Andrew Whiteside (14 October 2016). "Priscilla the Musical hits Auckland" – via YouTube.
  12. Margrave, Lauren (24 December 2008). "Aussie soap star crosses the globe for panto". Get Hampshire. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  13. Baynes, Valkerie (21 December 2009). "Light relief for Home and Away Meagher". Ninemsn. Archived from the original on 1 May 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  14. "Mail Order Bride (1984)". Australian Screen Online. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Rebecca Gibney
for Packed to the Rafters		 Gold Logie Award
Most Popular Personality on Australian Television
2010
for Home and Away		 Succeeded by
Karl Stefanovic
for Today
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