John McCallum

Actor and impresario

Born: 14 March, 1918, in Brisbane.

Died: 3 February, 2010, in Sydney, aged 91.

ALTHOUGH born in Australia, John McCallum came from a proud Scottish line. His father had emigrated a year before John was born, and he often returned to Scotland with his family. It was a tradition McCallum continued on his many visits to the British stage throughout his life. He and Googie Withers, his wife of 60 years, returned to the UK often and revisited Scotland whenever possible. McCallum was a star of both theatre and film in the immediate post-war years and remained a major force in the production of shows and films in Australia, including Skippy, a series about a kangaroo.

John Neil "Jack" McCallum was the son of a theatre owner and entrepreneur who built and ran a large theatre in Brisbane. After leaving school in Australia, McCallum studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and returned, in1934, to make his stage debut in Brisbane, but in 1939 he joined the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon. From 1941 until the end of the war McCallum served with the Australian Imperial Forces in 2/5 Field Regiment.

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For all his Australian upbringing, McCallum retained the aura of an English gentleman: tall and handsome with well-groomed, swept-back black hair, and always immaculately dressed.

He delighted in telling the story of a round of golf at Stratford with two actor friends (Geoffrey Keen and Michael Gwynn) in September 1939. "As we were starting to putt on the 18th hole to decide who was the overall winne," McCallum recalled, "Michael said, 'The Germans have invaded Poland.' We all stood still for a second or two. Then Geoffrey, without saying a word, and in the best Francis Drake tradition, finished his putt, sank it and won the match."

After the war McCallum laid the foundations of a most successful acting and producing career that earned him a considerable reputation in London and Australia. After his marriage to Withers in 1948, the two often acted together, and as she became more successful – her career reaching a peak when she gave a startlingly cold performance as the governess in BBC TV's Within These Walls – McCallum arranged tours and brought over theatre productions from the UK. One of their first appearances together on stage was in the comedy Simon and Laura, by the Scots playwright Alan Melville.

In the 1970s the couple were often seen in Britain – at the Chichester Festival and in the West End – and McCallum made a memorable appearance as John Middleton opposite Ingrid Bergman in The Constant Wife. Their daughter Joanna forged a successful career as an actress here – in Holby City, Poirot, among others – and the McCallums were seen in prestigious tours of several plays by Oscar Wilde. As recently as 1997 they were in An Ideal Husband and two years later joined a star cast, led by Vanessa Redgrave, in Lady Windermere's Fan.

At the start of his career McCallum was in numerous films. He brought a distinguished presence to them all and supported the various stars with spirited generosity. There was a dashing old-world style to his acting which suited the post-war era ideally. McCallum met Withers on the set of the 1946 film The Loves of Joanna Godden and the two then made It Always Rains on Sunday and Miranda (with Glynis Johns co-starring). Notable films that followed included Trent's Last Case (1952), with Orson Welles and Margaret Lockwood, and Trouble in the Glen (1953).

His work as a producer brought him much recognition in Australia and in 1966 he created for Australian television Skippy, a series depicting the adventures of a young lad and a kangaroo. The programme was shown worldwide and seen on UK television in 1967-68. The catchy theme music allied to the joyous nature of the storylines made it a surefire hit.

McCallum was one of the most important theatrical figures in Australia and is remembered as a warm, witty and committed friend and colleague who did much to encourage young acting talent. He gave early chances to such future stars as Mel Gibson and Sam Neil.

An Australian tour of which McCallum was particularly proud was the one he organised for Joan Sutherland in 1965. She had become an international star in London and this was her first return visit to her native land. The final concert in Sydney ended with an hour-long ovation, with Dame Joan singing Home, Sweet Home.

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McCallum wrote his autobiography, Life with Googie, in 1979. He was president of the Australian Film Council and awarded a CBE in 1971, and received the Order of Australia in 1992. He is survived by Withers and their two daughters and a son.

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