Ross Higgins (14 June 1930 – 7 October 2016) was an Australian vaudevillian, character actor, television host, comedian, singer and voice actor. He was best known for his role as Ted Bullpitt in the 1980s television situation comedy series Kingswood Country and brief revival Bullpitt!. He was also a commercial advertiser who provided the voice of animated character "Louie the Fly" in the television ad campaign for Mortein, over a 50-year period (the longest running such ad in Australia) as well as Mr. Pound, when decimal currency was first introduced in Australia.[2][3]
Ross Higgins | |
|---|---|
 Higgins as his most famous character Ted Bullpitt in Kingswood Country | |
| Born | 14 June 1930[1] Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 7 October 2016 (aged 86) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1946–2016 |
| Spouse | Nadine |
| Children | 4, including actor Brendan Higgins |
Career
editRadio
editHiggins' entertainment industry career began in 1946, when he took a cadetship at Sydney's 2GB commercial radio station at the age of 15. This led to an on-air announcing position and hosting of breakfast and, later, evening variety shows. A trained singer, he soon began recording singles which lifted his profile around Australia. His flair for comedy came to the fore in the 1950s when he became a cast member of the very popular The Jack Davey Show. He moved between commercial radio and the ABC,[4] touring the country, hosting and singing with the ABC show band. It was during this period he performed with Peter Dawson, Slim Dusty and Mel Tormé. His radio career reached a peak in the mid-1950s and, when television arrived in 1956, he successfully made the transition, appearing on variety shows, hosting game shows on the 7 Network and in the early 1960s on Singalong and Bobby Limb's Sound of Music on the 9 Network.
Recording
editHiggins used his vocal talents on thousands of projects during his 60 years in radio and television, including recording the song "Monster Mash" for ABC For Kids Video Hits,[5] and two albums of the classic Australian children's story "Blinky Bill".[6][7]
Voice over
editDuring the 1960s, Higgins consolidated his position as a leading voiceover artist, creating character voices for TV and radio ads and cartoons. His earliest character voice—"Louie the Fly"[8] (an animated fly for the Mortein fly-spray commercials),[2] was recorded by him as late as 2011.[2] It is now the longest continuously running campaign in television history, having run for over 50 years (1957–2011). Other characters that Higgins voiced included Mr. Sheen,[9] Mr. Pound[2][3] and the Paddle Pop Lion.[10]
Theatre
editDuring the mid-1960s, Higgins worked in theatre, doing several back-to-back seasons at Sydney's Menzies Theatre Restaurant—a popular nightspot where musicals were staged under the direction of Hayes Gordon.
Television
editHiggins played Rev. Larcombe in two episodes of the soap opera Motel in 1968.[11] He also had guest roles in various series, including Division 4 and Skippy. Throughout the 1970s, he and voiceover colleague Kevin Golsby dominated Australian airwaves. While enjoying this success, another break-through role came in 1977 when he and Golsby were key regular performers in sketch comedy series The Naked Vicar Show. He played various characters in the series, which lasted two seasons.[12] In 1980, a spin-off series based on a bombastic Holden Kingswood driving character he had portrayed in one sketch of The Naked Vicar Show was created. Titled Kingswood Country, the series had a successful five-year run, completing five-and-a-half seasons.
As well as being known as the voice of Mortein's "Louie the Fly", during the 1980s Higgins did TV commercials for one of their main competitors in the Australian market, Pea Beu.[13]
Higgins played a straight dramatic role in the soap opera Richmond Hill (1988).[14] His character, a dour policeman, was the show's main authority figure. The series was cancelled at the end of 1988. In 1992, he starred in the Ten Network's sitcom Late for School (which launched the TV careers of Matthew Newton and Stephen Curry). Higgins' final series saw him reprise the Ted Bullpitt character in the situation comedy Bullpitt! in 1997, which had two seasons on the 7 Network. Kingswood Country has since found new audiences via cable TV, DVD and YouTube.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Dot and the Kangaroo | Willie Wagtail (voice) | Animated feature film |
| 1984 | Epic | Voice | Animated feature film |
| 1991 | The Magic Riddle | Philippe's singing voice | Animated feature film |
| 1992 | Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala | The Frogs (voices) | Animated feature film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Motel | Reverend Larcombe | TV series |
| Division 4 | Guest role | TV series | |
| Skippy | Guest role | TV series | |
| 1977 | The Naked Vicar Show | Various characters | TV series, 2 seasons |
| 1980 | Kingswood Country | Ted Bullpitt | TV series |
| 1988 | Richmond Hill | Dan Costello | TV series |
| 1992 | Late for School | Stan Price | TV series |
| 1997 | Bullpitt! | Ted Bullpitt | TV series, 2 seasons |
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [15] | ||
| The Highwayman. Highlights from the Australian Musical Comedy by Eddie Samuels (with Jan Mazurus, Valda Bagnall, Babs McKinnon, Bob Gibson and His Orchestra) |
|
- |
| Eddie's Alphabet |
|
- |
| The Naked Vicar Show (with Noeline Brown and Kev Golsby ) |
|
- |
| Son Of Naked Vicar (with Noeline Brown and Kev Golsby ) |
|
55 |
| The Adventures of Blinky Bill (with Dorothy Wall) |
|
- |
| The Further Adventures of Blinky Bill (with Dorothy Wall) |
|
- |
| Live from The Madge Burrows Room! / The Naked Vicar Show (with Noeline Brown, Kev Golsby, Colin McEwan and Julie McGregor) |
|
84 |
Personal life and death
editHiggins and his wife Nadine had four children, including actor Brendan Higgins.
Higgins died of unspecified causes on 7 October 2016, aged 85. He had been ill for some time and had been hospitalized for several weeks.[16]
References
edit- ^ source: Grant Higgins (Ross's son)
- ^ a b c d Erica Thompson (7 October 2008). "Ross Higgins' role of Ted Bullpitt appeals to a new un-PC generation". Courier Mail. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
- ^ a b "Dollar Bill Turns 50 Years Old | Reserve Bank of Australia - Museum".
- ^ "21 Years of TV Times". TV Times. 7 July 1979.
- ^ "ABC for kids [videorecording]". 1 February 2000.
- ^ "Blinky Bill". Screensound Australia. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009.
- ^ "The adventures by Blinky Bill Dorothy Wall, narrated by Ross Higgins".
- ^ Louie the Fly. Straight from rubbish tip to you!
- ^ "Mr. Sheen ad (Australia 1980's)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Streets Paddle Pop 1963 TV commercial". YouTube. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Motel (TV Series 1968– ) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ "What's On (February 3–9)". TV Times. 3 February 1979. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- ^ Smooth Pierre Pea Beu ad 1986
- ^ Andrew Mercado (2004). Super Aussie soaps: behind the scenes of Australia's best loved TV shows. Pluto Press Australia. pp. 274–277. ISBN 1-86403-191-3.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 138, 282. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Kingswood Country star Ross Higgins dies". ABC News. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.