Syd Heylen
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Syd Heylen | |
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Born | Harold Charles Sydney Heylen 25 May 1922 Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior |
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Children | 2 |
Harold Charles Sydney Heylen (25 May 1922 – 4 December 1996),[1] credited variously as Syd Heylen, Sid Heylen and Sydney Heylen, was an Australian character actor of radio, stage, television and film, comedian, and variety performer and soldier, he often performed in a traditional vaudeville style in the vein of Roy Rene.
Early life
Heylen was born in
Career
Film and TV
Heylen went into vaudeville after World War II and in 1956 starred in the variety show The Show of Stars with Hal Lashwood and John Ewart.
He became popular during the 1960s on television as a regular performer on the
Heylen was best known for his role in A Country Practice, as the RSL club manager, barman and chef Vernon 'Cookie' Locke, who he played from 1982 until 1992, alongside Gordon Piper as his mate Bob Hatfield. Cookie and Bob were styled as a version of The Odd Couple, with Cookie as the slob and Bob as the neat one. In the series he was briefly engaged to town gossip Esme Watson (Joyce Jacobs)[1] He was cast as Cookie after the series creator and executive producer James Davern saw him in the ill-fated TV series Arcade in 1980 alongside Lorrae Desmond, whom he would also cast in ACP. Heylen was written out of the series in 1992 alongside Gordon Piper), as the producers wanted to concentrate on a younger cast and an updated formula. Davern would later regret dropping Cookie and Bob, as they were two of the show's central older characters who provided many of the comedy scenes between the more dramatic storylines.
Heylen appeared in numerous smaller television series roles including
Heylen played a minor role in the film
Music
In the 1980s, he released a number of albums on vinyl: a spoken word album with comedian/entertainer
Later life and death
After he left A Country Practice in 1992, he and his wife Patti retired to their Gold Coast, Queensland home. Occasionally he would do public appearances and performances. He died from a stroke on 4 December 1996.[1]
Recognition
Heylen was a patron and performer for the
Filmography
Film
Year | Tiitle | Role | Notes |
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1977 | Listen to the Lion | Hunter's Friend | Short film |
1980 | Stir | Old Bob | Feature film |
1981 | Mad Max 2 | Curmudgeon | Feature film |
1982 | Starstruck | Pub guest | Feature film |
1982 | Ginger Meggs | Stablehand | Feature film |
1986 | Hector's Bunyip | Chooka Morris | TV movie |
Television
Year | Tiitle | Role | Notes |
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1982-92 | A Country Practice | TV series, episode: 726 | |
1974 | Division 4 | Jack Murray, Williams, Herbie Ross, Shake, Arthur Stone | TV series, 5 episodes: "For My Next Trick", "Sergeant Banner", "Maria", "A Cry of Wolf", "Sat'dy Arvo" |
1974 | The Box | Vern Walters | TV series |
1974/75 | Homicide | Service station proprietor, Kelpie, Bernie Harrison, George Burley, Publican | TV series, 5 episodes: "A Thing of the Past", "Twelve Bar Blues", "Welcome to Mayfield", "The Chaff Bandits", "Free Enterprise" |
1974-75 | Matlock Police | Pious Pearce, Art, Dummy Dummett, Frank Gallagher, Bernie Coghlan | TV series, 5 episodes: "Loggerheads", "A Couple of Days Away", "Like Fred", "The Last and Final Straw", "The Right of Way" |
1976 | King's Men | Withers | TV series, episode: Public Enemy Number #1 |
1976 | Alvin Purple | Perce | TV series, episode: "Like Father, Like Son" |
1977 | Young Ramsay | Syd Kelly | TV series, episode: "Yellow Dog" |
1980 | Arcade | Walter Blair | TV series, 35 episodes |
1980 | The Sullivans | Gabby | TV series |
1981 | A Town Like Alice | Art Foster | TV series |
1984 | Sweet and Sour | Juggler | TV series |
1992 | E Street | Reggie Bucketts | TV series |
1996 | Fire | Seth | TV series |
1997 | Fallen Angels | Cedric | TV series |
References
- ^ a b c d "Wandin Valley Bush Nursing Hospital - Syd Heylen Biography". www.acountrypractice.com.
- ^ "SYD HEYLEN "COOKIE"". Discogs.
External links
- Syd Heylen at IMDb
- Syd Heylen at Find a Grave