John Ewart

Early life

Ewart was born in Melbourne, Victoria to Alfred Adam Ewart, an insurance agent and his wife Jennie Grace Madge Lois (nee Macauley). He was educated at Scotch College, Hawthorn.

Career

Ewart's mother was, he claimed, 'a frustrated actress if I ever saw one' and pushed him 'unwilling' into acting (his father had hoped he would become a dentist). He was cast as Dopey at the age four in a 3XY radio production of Snow White. He was first seen on stage, still a child, in Chekhov's The Proposal. At the age of 18, he made his film debut in the lead role of Mickey O'Riordan in Charles Chauvel's production of Sons of Matthew.

Ewart appeared in hundreds of Australian radio, theatre, film and television productions. To many thousands of Australians who grew up in the 1950s and '60s, he will be remembered as 'Jimmy', the boyishly cheeky co-presenter of the ABC Radio Children's Session, and in the title role of its long-running serial The Muddle-Headed Wombat.

In the 1960s he was involved with the Phillip Street Theatre, notably the 1965-66 production A Cup of Tea, a Bex and a Good Lie Down. In the 1970s he was frequently seen in sitcoms: he told TV Week in 1976 that 'Whenever they want a short, fat, funny looking bloke they call Ewart.'

He was well known for his role in the film Sunday Too Far Away, his ongoing role in the Australian TV series The Restless Years in 1980–81, and his lead role opposite Nicole Kidman in Bush Christmas. He was proudest of his starring role in the 1977 film The Picture Show Man.

Personal life

Ewart married four times, firstly to Lorraine Marie Croke, a Sydney beauty consultant, in May 1951. The couple had twins, a son and a daughter, but divorced a few years later. Ewart then married Susan Mary Newton, a classical singer and actress on radio, stage and TV on 17 April 1966, with whom he had two daughters. They divorced in 1978. On 24 December, he married public relations consultant Patricia De Heer.

In 1992 he became engaged to TV presenter Jane Fennell, but they postponed the wedding after the death of her father, Ewart's long time friend Willie Fennell. They were married on 8 March 1994 in a bedside ceremony as Ewart was dying of throat cancer. He died five days after the wedding.

Filmography

Film

Sons of Matthew (1949) as Mickey O'Riordan

Bodgie (1959, TV movie) as Kenney

A Night Out (1961, TV movie) as Albert

The Man Who Shot the Albatross (1971)

Solomon (1973, TV movie)

The Hotline (1974, TV movie)

Petersen (1974) as Peter

Sunday Too Far Away (1975) as Ugly

The Love Epidemic (1975, documentary film)

Arena (1976, TV movie)

Master of the World (1976, TV movie) as Voice

Caddie (1976) as Paddy Reilly

Let the Balloon Go (1976) as PC Baird

The Picture Show Man (1977) as Freddie

Blue Fire Lady (1977) as Mr. Peters

Newsfront (1978) as Charlie

Cass (1978, TV movie)

Plunge Into Darkness (1980, TV movie)

The Department (1980, TV movie)

Run Rebecca, Run (1981) as Minister for Immigration

Save the Lady (1982) as Uncle Harry

Deadline (1982, TV movie) as Sam O'Bannon

Television

The Hungry Ones (1963)

Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table (1966) as Voice

Nice 'n Juicy (1966-67) as Mort Hamlin

The Barry Crocker Show (1966) as Himself

Bellbird (1967)

Contrabandits (1967) as Murdoch

The Long Arm (1970) as Lenny

Division 4 (1970-75) as James Barrett / Logan / Paddy Ryan / Alby / Bernie Lewis / Ted Watts / Bob Shaw

Homicide (1971-74) as Richardson / Derek Thomas / Bert Doyle / Buster White / Andy Simpson / Ron Fisher / Ray

Matlock Police (1971-75) as Billy Ross / Rob Lucas / Arthur Wilson / Harry Green / Geoff Mitchell / Bob Jones / 'Buttercup' Sands

Catwalk (1972) as Torchy Byrne

Behind the Legend as Francis Greenway

Ryan (1974) as Charlie Bell / Jones

Ben Hall (1975)

The Last of the Australians (1975)

Alvin Purple (1976) as Sos Temple / Bus Driver / Mack / Murray

Silent Number (1976) as Burton

King's Men (1976)

Who Do You Think You Are? (1976)

Radio

Son of Inspector Champion