Farewell to ‘Bud’

At 10:30am today at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne, family, friends, colleagues and dignitaries will farewell actor Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell in a State Funeral.

86 year old Tingwell died in hospital last Friday after a battle with prostate cancer, his son Christopher and daughter Virginia were by his side.

So beloved was the veteran star that mourners have had to arrange reserve seating and be seated by 10am. Many more are expected to overflow outside the cathedral.

Tingwell made more than 140 film and television appearances across seven decades including such works as The Desert Rats, The Shiralee, Smithy, The Castle, Breaker Morant, Enemy of the State, Malcolm, Evil Angels, Thunderbirds, Catweazle, All the Rivers Run, Homicide, Bellbird, The Late Show and Churchill at War.

He was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame in 1994.

Tingwell was always a gentleman to media on the red carpet, happy to champion the Australian industry to anyone who would listen. He always believed Australians did it as well as anybody else.

One younger actor was also honoured to be directed by him, if ever so briefly…

‘Bud’ died with a script by his bedside, having filmed episodes of the ABC’s Bed of Roses.

Farewell…