Lex Marinos OAM
Marinos in 2014
Born	Alexander Francis Marinos (1949-02-01)1 February 1949 Wagga Wagga,New South Wales,Australia
Died	13 September 2024(2024-09-13) (aged 75) Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
Education	University of New South Wales
Occupations	Actor, director, radio presenter
Years active	1967−2017
Known for	Kingswood Country (1980–1984)

Alexander Francis MarinosOAM^[1] (1 February 1949 – 13 September 2024) was an Australian actor and television director, radio personality and voice artist. He was most notable for his role as Bruno, in the 1980s television seriesKingswood Country.

Marinos was born on 1 February 1949 inWagga Wagga,New South Wales,^[2] the son of aGreek immigrant father, Fotios ('Frank') Marinopoulos^[3] andGreek-Australian mother, Anne Karofilis, who was the daughter of Adonis ('Tony') Karofilis, a Greek migrant fromKasos, Greece and Minnie Matheson, anAustralian ofScottish andEnglish origin, with descent going back to Marinos's maternal great-great-great-grandparents, Samuel Bradley, a convict, and Marian Mortimer, a free emigrant, who arrived inHobart,Tasmania, in the 19th century.^{[citation needed]}

Marinos' maternal grandparents, Adonis and Minnie, ownedGreek cafés in towns across theRiverina region of New South Wales, including Wagga Wagga andThe Rock, and also in the town ofBogan Gate.^[4][5] Marinos moved to Sydney where he attendedNorth Sydney Boys High School. He graduated from theUniversity of New South Wales with aBachelor of Arts degree with honours inDrama.^[5][6] He also studied with renowned American acting teacher,Stella Adler.^[7]

In the early 1970's Lex appeared as a Gunman inNUMBER 96 series, 1974 episode 599.

In the late 1970s, Marinos began presenting on the ABC youth radio station2JJ, later becoming a presenter onABC Local Radio, including the showLate Night Legends onABC2.^[8] WithTed Robinson, he was also a presenter on radio station 2JJ (Double Jay), nowTriple J, in the late 1970s. He has since worked as a radio presenter on various ABC and commercial networks.^[7]

In 1980, Marinos was cast as Bruno, the Italian son-in-law of Ted Bullpitt in the 1980s television comedy series,Kingswood Country, the role for which he is most famous.^[8][9] He had recurring roles in television seriesCity West (1984),Embassy (1991–1982), miniseriesThe Slap (2011) andFighting Season (2018). He also appeared in several films includingCathy's Child (1979),Hoodwink (1981),Goodbye Paradise (1983),^[10]Pandemonium (1988),The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992) andBackyard Ashes (2013).

Marinos acted in theatre productions withNimrod, theAPG,Sydney Theatre Company,Melbourne Theatre Company,Company B,Big hART.

He also directed numerous stage productions, including a 1980 tour ofNo Room for Dreamers across Australia, England, Scotland and Ireland. He co-founded the King O'Malley Theatre Company. He was also a member of the creative and production team for the Opening Ceremony of theSydney 2000 Olympics,^[11] directing the segment 'Arrivals' about immigrants arriving in Australia. He was the director of 'Carnivale', NSW’s multicultural arts festival, from 1996 to 1999. He was executive producer of the Yeperenye Federation Festival, for the Centenary of Federation Celebrations in Alice Springs.^[7]

He director credits also extended to film, includingAn Indecent Obsession (1985) andBoundaries of the Heart (1988), and the television seriesBodyline (1984) andEmbassy (1990).

Marinos was a former Deputy Chair of the Australia Council and the Community Cultural Development Fund of the Australia Council.^[12] He was a frequent speaker and writer on arts and cultural diversity. In 2008, he delivered the tenth annualTom Brock Lecture, on the history of Australian immigration andrugby league.^[13] He was also guest tutor at several theatre and screen colleges.^[7]

Marinos's book "Blood and Circuses: an irresponsible memoir" was published byAllen & Unwin.^[7] He has also written for film, television, radio, and stage, as well as the publicationsThe Bulletin,The Weekend Australian, and theGood Weekend. He was a proud member ofActors Equity since 1970.

Marinos was awarded theMedal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1994 for "service to the performing arts as an actor, director and writer."^[14] He was awarded theCentenary Medal in 2001.^[15]

In 2012, the cast ofThe Slap, including Marinos, received theEquity Award for Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Television Movie or Mini-Series.^[16]

Marinos died in Sydney on 13 September 2024, aged 75, after a two-decade battle with leukemia.^[17] His family announced on social media that he died "peacefully... at home, at a moment of his choosing, surrounded by family and the sounds ofBob Dylan."^[8][9]

^[21]

• Lex Marinos atIMDb

• 1949 births
• 2024 deaths
• Australian male film actors
• Australian television directors
• Australian male television actors
• Australian male voice actors
• Australian people of Greek descent
• Australian people of English descent
• Triple J announcers
• People from Wagga Wagga
• Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
• People educated at North Sydney Boys High School
• 20th-century Australian male actors
• 21st-century Australian male actors

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• Articles with unsourced statements from September 2024