Tommy Dysart

Tommy Dysart

Tommy Dysart (24 December 1935 - 7 June 2022) was a Scottish-born actor, currently resident in Australia. Dysart has been a regular fixture on Australian television for several decades, frequently appearing in guest-starring roles in drama series and comedies, and in character roles in films and miniseries. High-profile early roles included appearances in Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, Phoenix Five, and several roles in the Crawford Productions police drama series Homicide, Division 4 and Matlock Police. In the early 1980s he played what is perhaps his best-known acting role, that of vicious and corrupt prison officer Jock Stewart in Prisoner. In the storyline, after being fired from the prison service Stewart admitted to prisoner Judy Bryant that he was the one responsible for murdering her lesbian lover, fellow prisoner Sharon Gilmour. This revelation brought to a close a murder-mystery storyline in the series but launched a long-running story-arc where Bryant repeatedly escaped from prison in a succession of attempts to exact her revenge on Stewart. After this Dysart continued in guest-starring television roles in drama series and situation comedies, and appeared in many feature films. His films included The Man from Snowy River (1982), Bliss (1985), Garbo (1992), and Flynn (1996). Television roles of the 1990s included appearances in All Together Now, The Games, State Coroner, Blue Heelers, Something in the Air and Neighbours. He also provided the voice for Captain Griswald in Anthony Lucas' animated short film The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005). Starting in the 1990s he appeared in a series of well remembered advertisements for the Yellow Pages where he calls a series of mechanics about his problematic Goggomobil. He was also known for playing a recurring character of a Mafia-boss like butcher in advertisements for Don's Smallgoods. In the early 2000s he continued his Goggomobil persona advertising Shannons Insurance. The concept played on the role of a person searching for the car parts as any car enthusiast would. Telstra challenged this in the Supreme Court and Shannons withdrew the advertisements, but continued with Dysart and the accent (which Dysart insisted was his own and could not change). The adverts continue and Shannons Insurance also owns several of the Goggomobil cars which feature regularly in their shows. Tommy has enjoyed a long friendship and working relationship with director/writer Frank Howson in the movies Backstage, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, What The Moon Saw, Flynn, Crime Time, The Final Stage, The Lucky Country, and their most recent collaboration is the award winning film Remembering Nigel, which also stars Tommy's wife Joan and son Kole. He was married to Australian actress Joan Brockenshire.

More details

Known For

Filmography

2005

The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello
The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello
as Captain Griswald (voice)
Movie - Released: 1/19/2005

2001

Four Jacks
Four Jacks
Movie - Released: 8/7/2001

1998

The Games
The Games
as Taxi Driver
TV - Released: 8/17/1998

1997

River Street
River Street
as Sergeant
Movie - Released: 7/17/1997
Good Guys, Bad Guys
Good Guys, Bad Guys
as Athol Amoroso
TV - Released: 3/30/1997

1994

Metal Skin
Metal Skin
as Mr. Graham
Movie - Released: 2/21/1994
Body Melt
Body Melt
as Sergeant
Movie - Released: 10/28/1994
The Man from Snowy River
The Man from Snowy River
as Mr. Couch
TV - Released: 9/23/1994

1993

Blue Heelers
Blue Heelers
TV - Released: 9/10/1993

1992

Movie
Garbo
as Bagpipes
Movie - Released: 5/20/1992

1991

TV
All Together Now
TV - Released: 1/22/1991
Kelly
Kelly
as Sgt. Terry Blake
TV - Released: 8/10/1991

1990

What the Moon Saw
What the Moon Saw
as Skip
Movie - Released: 12/26/1990
Round the Twist
Round the Twist
as Bus Driver
TV - Released: 4/6/1990

1986

Sky Pirates
Sky Pirates
as Bartender
Movie - Released: 1/16/1986
The Flying Doctors
The Flying Doctors
as Inspector Day
TV - Released: 5/15/1986
The Flying Doctors
The Flying Doctors
as Simpson
TV - Released: 5/15/1986

1985

I Live With Me Dad
I Live With Me Dad
as Griffin
Movie - Released: 1/1/1985
Bliss
Bliss
as De Vere
Movie - Released: 10/4/1985
Zoo Family
Zoo Family
as McGregor
TV - Released: 7/28/1985

1984

Eureka Stockade
Eureka Stockade
as Tom Kennedy
TV - Released: 3/27/1984

1982

The Man from Snowy River
The Man from Snowy River
as Mountain Man
Movie - Released: 3/25/1982
Next of Kin
Next of Kin
as Harry
Movie - Released: 4/30/1982
TV
Come Midnight Monday
TV - Released: 3/11/1982
Women of the Sun
Women of the Sun
as Joe
TV - Released: 7/5/1982

1980

The Last Outlaw
The Last Outlaw
as Superintendant
TV - Released: 10/20/1980
Water Under the Bridge
Water Under the Bridge
as Hamish
TV - Released: 9/25/1980

1979

Prisoner: Cell Block H
Prisoner: Cell Block H
as Jock Stewart
TV - Released: 2/27/1979

1968

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
as Andrews
TV - Released: 2/5/1968

1965

The Big Killing
The Big Killing
as Sgt. Basset
Movie - Released: 4/21/1965

1964

Homicide
Homicide
as Nicolo Rogowski
TV - Released: 10/20/1964