Misplaced Pages

Lex MarinosOAM
Marinos in 2014
Born	Alexander Francis Marinos (1949-02-01)1 February 1949 Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
Died	13 September 2024(2024-09-13) (aged 75) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation(s)	Actor, director, radio presenter
Years active	1967−2017

Alexander Francis Marinos OAM (1 February 1949 – 13 September 2024) was an Australian actor and television director, radio personality and voice artist. He was most notable for his role as Bruno, the Italian son-in-law of Ted Bullpitt, in the 1980s Australian comedy television series Kingswood Country, and as host of "Late Night Legends" on ABC2. With Ted Robinson, he was also a presenter on radio station 2JJ (Double Jay), now Triple J, in the late 1970s.

Biography

Marinos was born on 1 February 1949 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, the son of a Greek immigrant father, Fotios ("Frank") Marinopoulos and Greek-Australian mother, Anne Karofilis, who was the daughter of Adonis ("Tony") Karofilis, a Greek migrant from Kasos, Greece and Minnie Matheson, an Australian of Scottish and English origin, with descent going back to Marinos's maternal great-great-great-grandparents, Samuel Bradley, a convict, and Marian Mortimer, a free emigrant, who arrived in Hobart, Tasmania, in the 19th century.

Marinos' maternal grandparents, Adonis and Minnie, owned Greek cafés in towns across the Riverina region of New South Wales, including Wagga Wagga and The Rock, and also in the town of Bogan Gate. He graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours in Drama. In the late 1970s, he began presenting on the ABC youth radio station 2JJ, later becoming a presenter on ABC Local Radio, including the show "Late Night Legends".

In 1980, he was cast as Bruno in the television comedy, Kingswood Country, the role for which he is most famous.

Marinos died in Sydney on 13 September 2024, aged 75, after a two-decade battle with leukemia. His family announced on social media that he died "peacefully... at home, at a moment of his choosing, surrounded by family and the sounds of Bob Dylan."

Honours and awards

Marinos was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1994 for "service to the performing arts as an actor, director and writer." He was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001. He was also a former Deputy Chair of the Australia Council and the Community Cultural Development Fund of the Australia Council.

In 2008, he delivered the tenth annual Tom Brock Lecture, on the history of Australian immigration and rugby league.

In 2012, the cast of The Slap, including Marinos, received the Equity Award for Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Television Movie or Mini-Series.

Filmography

References

1. "Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) entry for Marinos, Alexander Francis". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 January 1994. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
2. Kapetopoulos, Fotis (14 September 2024). "Farewell to Lex Marinos OAM: A pioneer of diversity in Australian arts". NEOS KOSMOS. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
3. "Greek Australians: beyond the stereotypes | Green Left". www.greenleft.org.au. 24 March 1999. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
4. "Lex Marinos". Who Do You Think You Are?. Season 5. Episode 5. 2013. SBS.
5. ^ "Unleashed – Lex Marinos". ABC. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 December 2007. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
6. "Reference Number: MS 327 Guide to the Papers of Lex Marinos". Australian Defence Force Academy. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
7. ^ Nancarrow, Dan; Dasey, Jason (14 September 2024). "Actor, director and radio presenter Lex Marinos dies aged 75". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
8. ^ Kennelly, Hannah (14 September 2024). "Kingswood Country star Lex Marinos dies aged 75". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
9. Kapetopoulos, Fotis (14 September 2024). "Farewell to Lex Marinos OAM: A pioneer of diversity in Australian arts". Neos Kosmos. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
10. "Australia Day 1994". The Canberra Times. Vol. 68, no. 21, 469. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 26 January 1994. p. 5. Retrieved 15 September 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
11. "Australian actor Lex Marinos dies 'surrounded by family' aged 75". news.com.au. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
12. "Profile of Lex Marinos". from www.celebrityspeakers.com.au
13. "Tom Brock Lecture". Australian Society for Sports History. Archived from the original on 18 February 2011.
14. "Australian television ensembles honoured by their peers". The Equity Foundation. 10 April 2012. Archived from the original on 10 April 2012.
15. ^ "Lex Marinos". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 18 September 2024.

External links

• Lex Marinos at IMDb

• 1949 births
• 2024 deaths
• Australian male film actors
• Australian television directors
• Australian male television actors
• Australian male voice actors
• Australian people of Greek descent
• Australian people of Scottish descent
• Australian people of English descent
• Triple J announcers
• People from Wagga Wagga
• Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
• People educated at North Sydney Boys High School
• 20th-century Australian male actors
• 21st-century Australian male actors