Paul Sonkkila (27 March, 1944 – 1 April 1, 2016) was an actor of stage and screen who trained in Australia and in London. He had a long career in theatre, but is remembered for his cinematic roles in The Interview (1998), The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), Sons And Daughters (1982), The Illustrated Family Doctor (2005) and Daybreakers (2009). He was a regular presence for over 20 years in Australian drama.
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Personal life
Sonkkila was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, on March 27, 1944. He died on April 1, 2016, aged 72.
Sons And Daughters
In Sons and Daughters, Sonkkila played Martin Healey, father of John Palmer and Angela Hamilton Keegan. Martin Healy appeared from Episode 186 to Episode 252 in 1983. In the early 1960s, Martin is a married man with one child and another on the way when he begins an affair with 17-year-old Melbourne teenager Patricia Dunne. When Patricia tells him she is pregnant, Martin arranges for her to have a termination, while keeping secret that he is also involved with her sister, Margaret Dunne. Soon afterwards he moves away with his family and joins the air force, eventually becoming a pilot who serves in Malaya and Vietnam. By the early 1980s he has risen to the rank of Group Captain, though he now works at a desk rather than flying. After the death of his wife Sandra in 1978, Martin lives with his younger son Peter and adopted daughter Jennifer, while his eldest son Adam has already left home. One of his regrets is that neither of his sons wishes to follow him into the air force.
