Brian Wenzel
{{Short description|Australian actor (1929–2024)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Brian Wenzel
| image =
| imagesize =
| years active = 1946–1995, 2002, 2009–2014
| birthname = Brian Thomas Wenzel
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1929|05|24}}
| birth_place = Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|05|06|1929|05|24|df=yes}}
| death_place = South Australia, Australia
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|comedian|director|singer}}
| known_for = A Country Practice (TV series) as Frank Gilroy
Rove Live (TV series) (recurring)
| spouse = {{marriage |Linda Wenzel |1953}}{{Cite news |last=Bennett |first=Craig |date=10 June 2013 |title=Sgt Frank Gilroy The secret to 60 years of marriage... |magazine=Woman's Day |page=30 |issn=1321-9839 |id={{EBSCOhost|88351346}}}}
}}
Brian Thomas Wenzel (24 May 1929 – 6 May 2024) was an Australian actor, comedian, director and singer.{{cite web|title=Wenzel, Brian|publisher=Trove, National Library of Australia|access-date=29 September 2020|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/people/1672167|archive-date=29 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829114953/https://trove.nla.gov.au/people/1672167|url-status=live}} He was in the entertainment business itinerantly for some 60 years, including circus, stage, television and film.
After numerous character roles in Crawford Productions serials and films, and after appearing in the ABC serial Certain Women and The Young Doctors, he was cast in the permanent role of Frank Gilroy, an old-fashioned and upright police sergeant (later chef and barman) of the fictional Wandin Valley in A Country Practice, opposite co-star Lorrae Desmond, which he played from 1981 to 1993.
Wenzel had a small role in 1995 in Neighbours as Gordon "Flakey the Clown" Orchard. He was also briefly a cast member of Rove Live in 2009.
Life and career
= Early life =
Wenzel was born in 1929 in Adelaide, South Australia of German descent, one of eight children to Harold Wenzel, a grocer who served with the RAAF, and Kathleen Wenzel.{{cite news |last=Davies |first=Nathan |date=17 June 2017 |title=Brian Wenzel, better known as Sgt Frank Gilroy, on his troubled childhood and a lifetime in showbiz |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/brian-wenzel-better-known-as-sgt-frank-gilroy-on-his-troubled-childhood-and-a-lifetime-in-showbiz/news-story/f38acdd6bf709ddaa4862ecdbc6005db |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240506102649/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/brian-wenzel-better-known-as-sgt-frank-gilroy-on-his-troubled-childhood-and-a-lifetime-in-showbiz/news-story/f38acdd6bf709ddaa4862ecdbc6005db |archive-date=6 May 2024 |access-date=6 May 2024 |newspaper=Herald Sun |publisher=News Corp Australia |location=Melbourne}}
Wenzel grew up in Western suburbs of Adelaide including Mile End, Thebarton. Torrensville. and then some time in Mt. Gambier, before moving to Geelong, Victoria and had an unsettled early life and spent much of his childhood in remand homes run by various organisation's including the Christian Brothers and the Salvation Army. Wenzel ran away several times. At age 14, he left school and to stay out of trouble was offered a job, as a pony groomer and dog trainer, by a chap with the Sole Brothers' Circus, eventually he would be offered a job in the ring riding the Broncos. During World War II, he was criticised because of his German Prussian surname.
=Early theatre=
Wenzel in the post-WWII years started acting professionally in 1946 when his first performance in an acting role came at the age of 17 in a comedy stage play. He subsequently appeared in numerous stage roles, musicals, pantomime and children's theatre, including productions of Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, The Imaginary Invalid and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. He also worked with the Adelaide Festival of Arts and the South Australian Theatre Company.{{cite web|url=https://www.hennessyharmanmanagement.com.au/brian-wenzel|title=Brian Wenzel|publisher=Hennessy Harman Management|access-date=18 May 2020|archive-date=12 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312150331/https://www.hennessyharmanmanagement.com.au/brian-wenzel|url-status=live}}
=Television and film=
After many years in the entertainment industry, primarily in live comedy and theatre, Wenzel appeared on the small screen starting from the late 1960s, including the Crawford Production drama series Division 4, Matlock Police and Homicide, as well as The Young Doctors, Cop Shop and Certain Women. In 1972, he and his wife Linda moved to Sydney in order for Wenzel to do full-time acting.{{Cite news |last=Davies |first=Nathan |date=18 June 2017 |title=Bashed in boys' homes, the Adelaide lad who ran away to the circus and became a TV star |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AUNB&req_dat=2FC64405CDC9450D8CE0F660AE4E730F&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F1651B26BB822A6B8 |access-date=6 May 2024 |newspaper=Sunday Mail |publisher=News Corp Australia |location=Adelaide |page=8 |via=NewsBank |archive-date=6 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240506195817/https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AUNB&docref=news/1651B26BB822A6B8&f=basic |url-status=live }} It was the role in Certain Women that won him the part of old-fashioned and affable policeman Frank Gilroy, originally a constable and later a sergeant, in A Country Practice. He appeared in the series from its inception in 1981, winning a Silver Logie for his role. Later episodes would eventually see Gilroy retire from the police force to become the local RSL club's barman and chef after the original owner, "Cookie" (Syd Heylen), retired. He also had a guest role playing a NSW Police officer in the series Home Sweet Home with John Bluthal.{{fact|date=December 2021}} Wenzel became very popular with the NSW Police due to his role as Sgt Gilroy. He was once presented with a leather police jacket from former commissioner John Avery as the fictional country town of Wandin Valley was located in New South Wales.{{fact|date=December 2021}} Wenzel did not reprise his role as Frank Gilroy when A Country Practice was revived for a single season in 1994.
Wenzel appeared in many Australian films during the 1970s and 1980s, including Caddie (1976), The Odd Angry Shot (1979) and Alison's Birthday (1981). He also appeared in the 2014 crime thriller John Doe: Vigilante{{cite news |title=Brian Wenzel, best known for role in A Country Practice, dies aged 94 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-06/a-country-practice-star-brian-wenzel-dead-at-94/103811936 |access-date=6 May 2024 |work=ABC News |date=6 May 2024}}
=''Rove Live'' and advertising=
Wenzel was a semi-recurring presence on the Rove McManus light entertainment series Rove Live in 2009. Wenzel also appeared in a television advertisement for the Advance Medical Institute in a role about sexual dysfunction therapy.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt2n9sCgcl0 |title=AMI Bedroom Police Ad |date=26 May 2009 |author=B&T Australia |type=Advertisement |language=en-AU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/dt2n9sCgcl0 |archive-date=19 December 2021 |url-status=live |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} His Sgt Gilroy character (now 80 years old) arrives to save the day when a newlywed wife complains about her husband "speeding" in bed and then prosecutes him in court. The advertisement created much controversy{{cite news |date=3 March 2009 |title=Country Practice cop patrols bedrooms in weirdest role |url=http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25134358-5012985,00.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090310045120/http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25134358-5012985,00.html |archivedate=10 March 2009 |newspaper=The Advertiser |publisher=News Limited |location=Adelaide}}{{cite news |last=Burke |first=Kelly |date=26 May 2009 |title=Men's sexual health TV ad scrapped |url=http://www.watoday.com.au/national/mens-sexual-health-tv-ad-scrapped-20090526-bmnc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305143747/http://www.smh.com.au/national/mens-sexual-health-tv-ad-scrapped-20090526-bmnc.html |archive-date=5 March 2016 |access-date=6 May 2024 |work=WAtoday |publisher=Fairfax Media |location=Perth}} and Wenzel was featured on A Current Affair, defending the advertisement and stating that he was "an actor and this is what I do" and being thrown into the spotlight after almost 15 years out of it. In May 2009, he appeared on a spoof of the advertisement which was aired on Rove Live.
Personal life and death
Wenzel was married to his English-born wife Linda Wenzel for 70 years.{{cn|date=May 2024}}
He was an Australia Day ambassador for the state of Victoria and a lifelong supporter of the Carlton Football Club.{{cn|date=May 2024}}
Wenzel had two mini strokes in 2018.{{Cite news |last=Koch |first=Phillip |date=31 October 2021 |title=EXCLUSIVE: Brian Wenzel: 'I miss Lorrae dearly' |url=https://www.newidea.com.au/brian-wenzel-lorrae-desmond-a-country-practice |magazine=New Idea |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112215748/https://www.newidea.com.au/brian-wenzel-lorrae-desmond-a-country-practice |url-status=live }} He went into an Adelaide nursing home in September 2022 with dementia, and died on 6 May 2024, at the age of 94.{{Cite web |last=Knox |first=David |date=6 May 2024 |title=Vale: Brian Wenzel |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2024/05/vale-brian-wenzel.html |access-date=6 May 2024 |website=TV Tonight |language=en-AU |archive-date=6 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240506064609/https://tvtonight.com.au/2024/05/vale-brian-wenzel.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Gossling |first=Bronte |date=6 May 2024 |title=The Young Doctors and A Country Practice's Brian Wenzel dies aged 94 |url=https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/brian-wenzel-death-a-country-practice-the-young-doctors-star-dies-aged-94/f7dcc850-71da-4668-b7fd-a0878e3ff290 |access-date=6 May 2024 |website=9Honey Celebrity |publisher=Nine Entertainment |language=en-AU |archive-date=6 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240506064600/https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/brian-wenzel-death-a-country-practice-the-young-doctors-star-dies-aged-94/f7dcc850-71da-4668-b7fd-a0878e3ff290 |url-status=live }}
Awards
| class="wikitable"
| Event | Year | Award | Production | Results |
| Logie Awards of 1983{{cite news|author=|date=2014|title=1983: The 25th Annual TV Week Logie Awards|url=https://au.tv.yahoo.com/the-logie-awards/winners/article/-/5399282/1983/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128135948/https://au.tv.yahoo.com/the-logie-awards/winners/article/-/5399282/1983/|archive-date=28 January 2015|work=Yahoo!7 |access-date=6 May 2024}}
| Best Supporting Actor in a Series | A Country Practice as Sgt. Frank Gilroy |
Filmography
{{unreferenced|section|date=May 2024}}
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Title !Role | ||
| 1968 | Hunter | Harrison – Sargeant Reynolds |
| 1970 | The Long Arm | Det. Sgt Harrison |
| 1972–1973 | Boney | Sgt. Cox |
| 1967–1973 | Homicide | 8 roles |
| 1971–1973 | Matlock Police | 7 roles |
| 1969–1973 | Division 4 | 10 roles |
| 1974 | Movin' On | |
| 1973–74 | Ryan | 3 roles |
| 1973–74 | The Evil Touch | Mr. Jiggs |
| 1973–1976 | Certain Women | Barry Gardiner |
| 1976 | Caddie | Doctor |
| 1976 | The Young Doctors | Mr. Cox |
| 1979 | Glenview High | |
| 1979 | The Odd Angry Shot | Bill's Dad |
| 1979 | Ride on Stranger | Detective |
| 1980 | Skyways | Frank Richmond |
| 1980 | Young Ramsay | Ken Cooper |
| 1981 | Punishmnent | Wally Webber |
| 1981 | Alison's Birthday | Police sergeant |
| 1982 | Deadline | ASIO agent |
| 1981–1993 | A Country Practice | Frank Gilroy |
| 1995 | Neighbours | Gordon "Flakey the Clown" Orchard |
| 2002 | Marshall Law | Murray |
| 2014 | John Doe: Vigilante | Judge |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0921171|name=Brian Wenzel}}
- {{discogs artist|Brian Wenzel}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wenzel, Brian}}
Category:20th-century Australian male actors
Category:Australian male stage actors
Category:Australian male television actors
Category:Australian people of German descent
Category:Australian male film actors