Actor

1922-10-05 · Australia · Male

1 series in the catalog

Kenard Charles Wayne (5 October 1922 – 30 September 1993) was an Australian actor.

Career

Wayne made his film debut in Sons of Matthew (1949) and appeared in a number of movies including Dust in the Sun (1958). Wayne had a featured role as a submarine officer using an American accent in 1959's On the Beach filmed in Melbourne.

He also worked in radio and was best known for his role as private eye Larry Kent in the series I Hate Crime. Wayne auditioned for the part of Larry Kent, after the first choice for the lead felt through. He played him for all three seasons. According to colleague and friend Charles Tingwell, being so identified with Larry Kent hurt Wayne from being cast in other roles.

Wayne relocated to Britain in the early 1960s where he worked in London for 13 years, appearing in series such as The Saint, No Hiding Place, Dixon of Dock Green and Coronation Street.

He returned to Australia in 1972 to become a regular guest artist on television movies and series, including the miniseries Serpent in the Rainbow (1973) and Power Without Glory (1976), police procedural series Homicide and Matlock Police, sitcom Doctor Down Under and soap operas Punishment, A Country Practice and E Street, continuing to act until the early 1990s. He also had a minor role as a bartender in the 1989 American film The Punisher, which was filmed in Australia.

On stage in Australia, Wayne appeared in productions of These Positions Vacant (1945), Get a Load of This (1945), Ah, Wilderness! (1948), The Big Knife (1957), Curly on the Rack (1958) and That Championship Season (1974). His stage credits in the UK included Happy as a King (1953), Licence to Murder (1963), Twelve Angry Men (1963–1964) and The Odd Couple (1966–1967).

Theatre

Radio (partial)

Cuttings on Ken Wayne at National Library of Australia