Frank Thring Pics

Frank

Thring (I)

Male

11 May 1926

Large

Salt and Pepper

Melbourne, Victoria

Taurus

29 December 1994

Melbourne, Victoria

Australian

White

Ben Hur

Cancer

Frank William Thring (11 May 1926 – 29 December 1994) was an Australian character actor.

Frank William Thring (11 May 1926 — 29 December 1994) was an Australian character actor. Thring was born in Melbourne and educated at the Melbourne Grammar School. His father, Frank W. Thring, was the head of Efftee Studios, in Melbourne, in the 1920s, and is said to be the inventor of the clapperboard. Thring, Sr., was also a noted film producer (The Sentimental Bloke), and partner in the nationwide Australian theatre circuit Hoyts. Frank said his earliest memory is of his mother - Olive Kreitmeyer - standing on a stepladder in the foyer of the Regent Theatre in Melbourne, and arranging gladioli in the vases attached to the pillars. His career spanned over 35 years, much of it spent alternating between stage, film and television. Perhaps his most famous role was that of Pontius Pilate in Ben-Hur (1959). Thring`s most well-known screen role was as Pontius Pilate in Ben-Hur (1959). He also appeared as Al Kadir in El Cid (1961). Thring was also awarded the `Erik Kuttner Award for Acting` (1965). In addition to these roles, Thring played Herod Antipas in King of Kings (1961) and the usurping king Aella (Ælla of Northumbria) in The Vikings (1958). He played numerous glowering bad guys in Hollywood epics of the 1950s and 1960s. Back in Australia, he appeared in two biographical films about famous bushrangers: Ned Kelly (1970) and Mad Dog Morgan (1976). He played suave gangsters in Alvin Purple Rides Again (1974) and The Man from Hong Kong (1975). In his later years, screen roles included the devilish Collector in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), and a comedic role as an Alfred Hitchcock-like film director in the horror movie spoof, Howling III (1987). Off-screen, Thring was known for his flamboyant, often waspish, persona. He was featured in numerous TV commercials and guest-starring roles on popular weekly series, variety programs and quiz shows, often dressed in black funereal attire and other sinister costumes. However, his acting career was interrupted by bouts of alcoholism and periods of ill health. Thring was appointed 1982 King of Moomba, "this doyenne [sic] of film and theatre looked nothing short of majestic in his regal garb and riding on a thespian-inspired float". Although homosexual, Thring was briefly married to actress Joan Cunliffe during the 1950s; this ended in divorce. Joan lived in London, and was manager of both Rudolf Nureyev and Dame Margot Fonteyn. In 1994, he died from cancer, aged 68. He was cremated and his ashes scattered off the coast of Queenscliff, Victoria. A celebration of his life was held at the Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, in 1995.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Thring

Frank William Thring

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