Brian Wenzel

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Brian Wenzel
Born
Brian Thomas Wenzel

(1929-05-24)24 May 1929
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Died6 May 2024(2024-05-06) (aged 94)
South Australia, Australia
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • director
  • singer
[1]
Years active1946–1995, 2002, 2009–2014[1]
Known forA Country Practice (TV series) as Frank Gilroy
Rove Live (TV series) (recurring)
Spouse
Linda Wenzel
​
(m. 1953)​
[2]

Brian Thomas Wenzel (24 May 1929 – 6 May 2024) was an Australian actor, comedian, director and singer.[1] He was in the entertainment business for 75 years, including circus, stage, television and film (including made for TV movies and theatrical release films).

After numerous character roles in Crawford Productions serials and films, and after appearing in the ABC serial Certain Women and The Young Doctors, he was cast in the permanent role of Frank Gilroy, an old-fashioned and upright police sergeant (later chef and barman) of the fictional Wandin Valley in A Country Practice, opposite co-star Lorrae Desmond, which he played from 1981 to 1993.

Wenzel had a small role in 1995 in Neighbours as Gordon "Flakey the Clown" Orchard. He was also briefly a cast member of Rove Live in 2009.

Life and career[edit]

Early life[edit]

Wenzel was born in 1929 of German descent[3] to Harold Wenzel, a grocer who served with the RAAF, and Kathleen Wenzel.[3] One of eight children, he grew up in the South Australia suburbs Mile End, Torrensville and Thebarton.[4] He had an unsettled early life and spent much of his childhood in remand homes run by various organisations including the Christian Brothers and the Salvation Army. Wenzel ran away several times. At age 14, he left school and joined the Sole Brothers' Circus as a pony groom and dog trainer. During World War II, he was criticised because of his German surname[3]

Early theatre[edit]

Wenzel started acting professionally in 1946 when his first performance in an acting role came at the age of 17 in a comedy stage play. He subsequently appeared in numerous stage roles, musicals, pantomime and children's theatre, including productions of Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, The Imaginary Invalid and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. He also worked with the Adelaide Festival of Arts and the South Australian Theatre Company.[5]

Television and film[edit]

After many years in the entertainment industry, primarily in live comedy and theatre, Wenzel appeared on the small screen starting from the late 1960s, including the Crawford Production drama series Division 4, Matlock Police and Homicide, as well as The Young Doctors, Cop Shop and Certain Women. In 1972, he and his wife Linda moved to Sydney in order for Wenzel to do full-time acting.[4] It was the role in Certain Women that won him the part of old-fashioned and affable policeman Frank Gilroy, originally a constable and later a sergeant, in A Country Practice. He appeared in the series from its inception in 1981, winning a Silver Logie for his role. Later episodes would eventually see Gilroy retire from the police force to become the local RSL club's barman and chef after the original owner, "Cookie" (Syd Heylen), retired. He also had a guest role playing a NSW Police officer in the series Home Sweet Home with John Bluthal.[citation needed] Wenzel became very popular with the NSW Police due to his role as Sgt Gilroy. He was once presented with a leather police jacket from former commissioner John Avery as the fictional country town of Wandin Valley was located in New South Wales.[citation needed] Wenzel did not reprise his role as Frank Gilroy when A Country Practice was revived for a single season in 1994.

Wenzel appeared in many Australian films during the 1970s and 1980s, including Caddie (1976), The Odd Angry Shot (1979) and Alison's Birthday (1981). He also appeared in the 2014 crime thriller John Doe: Vigilante[6]

Rove Live and advertising[edit]

Wenzel was a semi-recurring presence on the Rove McManus light entertainment series Rove Live in 2009. Wenzel also appeared in a television advertisement for the Advance Medical Institute in a role about sexual dysfunction therapy.[7] His Sgt Gilroy character (now 80 years old) arrives to save the day when a newlywed wife complains about her husband "speeding" in bed and then prosecutes him in court. The advertisement created much controversy[8][9] and Wenzel was featured on A Current Affair, defending the advertisement and stating that he was "an actor and this is what I do" and being thrown into the spotlight after almost 15 years out of it. In May 2009, he appeared on a spoof of the advertisement which was aired on Rove Live.[3]

Personal life and death[edit]

Wenzel was married to his English-born wife Linda Wenzel for 70 years.

He was an Australia Day ambassador for the state of Victoria and a lifelong supporter of the Carlton Football Club.

Wenzel had two mini strokes in 2018.[10] He went into an Adelaide nursing home in September 2022 with dementia and died on 6 May 2024 at the age of 94.[11][12]

Awards[edit]

Event Year Award Production Results
Logie Awards of 1983[13] 1983[13] Best Supporting Actor in a Series[13] A Country Practice as Sgt. Frank Gilroy[13] Won[13]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Role
1968 Hunter Harrison – Sargeant Reynolds
1970 The Long Arm Det. Sgt Harrison
1972–1973 Boney Sgt. Cox
1967–1973 Homicide 8 roles
1971–1973 Matlock Police 7 roles
1969–1973 Division 4 10 roles
1974 Movin' On
1973–74 Ryan 3 roles
1973–74 The Evil Touch Mr. Jiggs
1973–1976 Certain Women Barry Gardiner
1976 Caddie Doctor
1976 The Young Doctors Mr. Cox
1979 Glenview High
1979 The Odd Angry Shot Bill's Dad
1979 Ride on Stranger Detective
1980 Skyways Frank Richmond
1980 Young Ramsay Ken Cooper
1981 Punishmnent Wally Webber
1981 Alison's Birthday Police sergeant
1982 Deadline ASIO agent
1981–1993 A Country Practice Frank Gilroy
1995 Neighbours Gordon "Flakey the Clown" Orchard
2002 Marshall Law Murray
2014 John Doe: Vigilante Judge

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Wenzel, Brian". Trove, National Library of Australia. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  2. ^ Bennett, Craig (10 June 2013). "Sgt Frank Gilroy The secret to 60 years of marriage...". Woman's Day. p. 30. ISSN 1321-9839. EBSCOhost 88351346.
  3. ^ a b c d Davies, Nathan (17 June 2017). "Brian Wenzel, better known as Sgt Frank Gilroy, on his troubled childhood and a lifetime in showbiz". Herald Sun. Melbourne: News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b Davies, Nathan (18 June 2017). "Bashed in boys' homes, the Adelaide lad who ran away to the circus and became a TV star". Sunday Mail. Adelaide: News Corp Australia. p. 8. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024 – via NewsBank.
  5. ^ "Brian Wenzel". Hennessy Harman Management. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Brian Wenzel, best known for role in A Country Practice, dies aged 94". ABC News. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  7. ^ B&T Australia (26 May 2009). AMI Bedroom Police Ad (Advertisement). Archived from the original on 19 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Country Practice cop patrols bedrooms in weirdest role". The Advertiser. Adelaide: News Limited. 3 March 2009. Archived from the original on 10 March 2009.
  9. ^ Burke, Kelly (26 May 2009). "Men's sexual health TV ad scrapped". WAtoday. Perth: Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  10. ^ Koch, Phillip (31 October 2021). "EXCLUSIVE: Brian Wenzel: 'I miss Lorrae dearly'". New Idea. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  11. ^ Knox, David (6 May 2024). "Vale: Brian Wenzel". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  12. ^ Gossling, Bronte (6 May 2024). "The Young Doctors and A Country Practice's Brian Wenzel dies aged 94". 9Honey Celebrity. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e "1983: The 25th Annual TV Week Logie Awards". Yahoo!7. 2014. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2024.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brian_Wenzel&oldid=1222857408"