Vale: Anthony Hawkins

Veteran Australian actor Anthony (Tony) Hawkins, best known for roles in Special Squad and Prisoner , died last week aged 80.

Hawkins died in a Kyneton hospital just shy of his 81st birthday.

Hawkins’ early acting career began in the UK, following a short stint in policing -a career he would come to reflect in subsequent role.

His first Australian TV role was in the 1973 series Ryan.

He went on to appear in many dramas, especially for Crawford Productions, such as Matlock Police, Division 4, Homicide, Power Without Glory, Bluey, Against The Wind and Skyways.

In Prisoner he played of Bob Morris, who later wed prison officer Meg Jackson (Elspeth Ballantyne), in a recurring role for around two years.

He played Greg Smith in the Crawfords police drama Special Squad in 1984, alongside John Diedrich and Alan Cassell.

Other credits included Water Under The Bridge, The Last Outlaw, Women Of The Sun, Prime Time, Body Business, Carson’s Law, The Flying Doctors, Inside Running, The Magistrate, Ocean Girl, Tales Of The South Seas, The Damnation Of Harvey McHugh, Kelly, Bony, Janus, Mercury, Blue Heelers, Marshall Law and Saddle Club.

His last credited role was in the ABC telemovie The Great Air Race in 2008.

A funeral will be held in Lancefield today, on what would have been his 81st birthday.

Source: TelevisionAU, IMDB,