Charles 'Bud' Tingwell O.A.M

(3 January 1923 - 15 May 2009)

Australian Film Television Actor

Theater - Writer - War Veteran

The Shaun Miller Foundation
FOUNDATION PATRIARCH

partial film appearances

Charles 'Bud' Tingwell was one of the greatest stars in Australian film history

and acted in his first motion picture in 1946 he went on to appear in more than 100 Films

and television programs in both the United Kingdom and Australia.

Bud was born in the Sydney suburb of Coogee the son of William Harvey Tingwell and Enid

his Father encouraged him to be an accountant but Bud failed the entrance exam.

While still at school he became a cadet at Sydney radio station 2CH

and became the youngest radio announcer in Australia.

In 1941, aged 18 Bud's Radio career was cut short when he volunteered for war service

with the Royal Australian Air Force under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan personnel.

Commonwealth air forces formed part of a joint training and assignment system

and consequently trained as a pilot in Canada during 1942.

Despite damaging a Harvard training aircraft in the August of that year

he later qualified as a pilot and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer

and posted that December to the Mediterranean for operational training

flying the famous Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire.

He was then posted to active duty on a photo reconnaissance

unit No. 680 Squadron RAF and flew 75 missions

in Mosquitos and Spitfires during the North African Campaign

among the Allied invasion of Sicily.

Other aircraft that he was qualified to fly included

the Bristol Blenheim Martin Baltimore, Bristol Beaufighter

and Airspeed Oxford and was promoted to flying Officer in June of 1943

and flight Lieutenant in December of 1944.

Towards the end of the war Bud was transferred back to Australia

Operational Training Unit RAAF as a flying instructor

then too No. 87 Squadron RAAF flying photo reconnaissance

Mosquitoe planes over the Dutch East Indies.

On demobilization in 1946, he was awarded

the 1939 - 45 Star, Italy Star and Defense Medals

and remained a reservist in the Air Force into the 1950's.

and after the war married his childhood sweetheart Audrey

who died in 1996 and they had two children.

He then joined Doris Fitton's Independent Theater group

and in 1946 Bud was given his very first film role

as a control tower officer in 'Smithy'

and several roles over the next few years

rising in prominence until he caught the attention

of Hollywood in 1952 and was awarded the part of

Lt Harry Carstairs in the all time film classic

'The Desert Rats' in which he appeared opposite

Chips Rafferty, James Mason and Richard Burton.

After the filming of 'The Desert Rats' he remained

in Australia for three years making three further films

which included 'King of the Coral Sea'

featuring Chips Rafferty.

In 1954 he co-starred with Gordon Chater

in 'Top of the Bill' the first of the famous live satirical

revues staged at Sydney's Phillip Street Theater in 1956.

Bud moved to Britain the following year

and began his first recurring Television role as

Australian surgeon Alan Dawson in the live TV serial

'Emergency – Ward 10' and it's film spin-off

'Life in Emergency Ward 10' (1959).

In the late 1960's Bud performed various voice roles

for the Gerry Anderson Supermarionation TV series

'Thunderbirds' and in TV series

'Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'.

He then appeared in the first series of 'Catweazle'

and was the recurring character of Motel Manager

Kevin McArthur in 'Crossroads' in the late 1960's to early 70's.

In 1973 he returned to his beloved Australia

with his wife and children

and shortly after won the role of Inspector

Reg Lawson in the long-running TV series

and highly successful Crawford production 'Homicide'.

This was followed by roles in a number of major

Australian films such as 'Breaker Morant' (1980)

'Puberty Blues' (1981)

'All the Rivers Run' (1983).

He played the recurring role of farmer Ted Campbell

in the soap 'A Country Practice' in the late 1980's

and as the Narrator from 'The Flying Scotsman In Australia'

Bud took on the role of Gramps in 'Charlie the Wonderdog'

a recurring TV segment on The Late Show

and then played lawyer Lawrence Hammill

in the Australian classic film 'The Castle' (1997).

Bud later stated that this role helped him to recover

from the death of his wife the previous year.

After the success of 'The Castle'

Buds career underwent a revival during the late 1990's

and early 2000's and take on roles in the commercial films

'The Craic' (1999) and 'The Dish' (2000)

the TV mini-series 'Changi' as well as the lead role

in the romantic drama film 'Innocence' (2000).

Bud continued with a recurring role in the soap opera

'Neighbours' from 2000 to 2003 playing Henry O'Rourke

and had previously appeared in the soap in 1993

as Bert Willis and John Conroy in the musical theater

production of 'The Man from Snowy River' Arena Spectacular

which toured Australian capital cities twice during 2002.

Bud was personal friends with Shaun and Cameron

and a passionate for the Cardiac Kids and the Foundations creation.

'We Help Mend Broken Hearts'

Smithy (1946) .... Control Tower Officer
Bitter Springs (1950) .... John King
Kangaroo (1952) .... Matt
I Found Joe Barton (1952) .... Al Munch
The Desert Rats (1953) .... Lieutenant Harry Carstairs
King of the Coral Sea (1953) .... Peter Merriman
The Shiralee (1957) .... Jim Muldoon
Dunkirk (1958) .... Sergeant in Cookhouse
Life in Emergency Ward 10 (1959) .... Dr. Alan Dawson
Bobbikins (1959) .... Luke Parker
Cone of Silence (1960) .... Captain Braddock
Tarzan the Magnificent (1960) . . .Conway
Murder, She Said (1961) .... Inspector Craddock
Murder at the Gallop (1963) .... Inspector Craddock
Murder Most Foul (1964) .... Inspector Craddock
Murder Ahoy! (1964) .... Inspector Craddock
The Secret of Blood Island (1964) .... Major Dryden
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) .... Alan Kent
Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) .... Dr. Tony Grant (voice)
Nobody Runs Forever (1968) .... Jacko
Petersen (1974) .... Reverend Petersen
End Play (1975) .... Dr. Fairburn
Eliza Fraser (1976) .... Duncan Fraser
Summerfield (1977) .... Dr. Miller
Money Movers (1978) .... Jack Henderson
Breaker Morant (1980) .... Lt. Colonel Denny
Puberty Blues (1981) .... The Headmaster
Malcolm (1986) .... Tram Factory Boss
Windrider (1986) .... Stewart Simpson Senior
Bushfire Moon (1987)
Evil Angels (a.k.a. A Cry in the Dark) (1988)
The Flying Scotsman in Australia (1992) .... Narrator
The Castle (1997) .... Lawrence Hammill QC
Amy (1997) .... Country Doctor
The Craic (1999) .... Farmer
The Wog Boy (2000) .... Mr. Walker
Innocence (2000) .... Andreas Borg
The Dish (2000) .... Reverend Loftus
Irresistible (2006) .... Sam
Menzies and Churchill at War (2008)
Three Blind Mice (2008)