Ray Meagher OAM
Born	(1944-07-04)4 July 1944 (age 80) Roma, Queensland, Australia
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1972–present
Spouse	Gilly Meagher ​ (m. 2010)​

Raymond Francis MeagherOAM (born 4 July 1944) is an Australian actor, who has appeared in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s. He is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, portrayingAlf Stewart onHome and Away, having played the role since the first episode in 1988. Meagher won aGold Logie Award for his role inHome and Away in 2010 and has currently played the role of Alf for over 37 years.

Meagher was born and raised on a sheep and cattle station in Queensland, before attending a boarding school on theGold Coast from the age of nine. He became a keen sportsman at high school,Marist College Ashgrove inBrisbane, representing the school at a number of sports includingrugby union, a sport which he ultimately played at state level.^[1]

Meagher played at first five eighth forQueensland at senior level in the late 1960s, including playing againstFrance.^[2]

Meagher played Sergeant Drummond in the 1980 war dramaBreaker Morant, which he said was one of his favourite roles.^[3] His other film appearances includeThe Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978),Newsfront (1978),My Brilliant Career (1979),The Shiralee (1987),^[1]Mad Dog Morgan (1976),Money Movers (1978),The Odd Angry Shot (1979),The Earthling (1980),Hoodwink (1981),Runaway Island (1982), andThe Fire in the Stone (1984).^[3] He had a cameo in the 1979 war comedyThe Odd Angry Shot.^[3]

Meagher first appeared on television as host of the late night ABCfolk music programmeAround Folk in June–August 1973.^[3] His first regular acting work on television was in the soap operaNumber 96, briefly appearing as Fred Shrimpton in 1977.^[4] Meagher became "a much in demand character actor", with his early television roles includingMatlock Police,Ben Hall,Rush,Certain Women,Pig in a Poke,The Restless Years,Glenview High,The Oracle,Kingswood Country,Cop Shop,Skyways,Sporting Chance,Holiday Island, andBellamy.^[3] Subsequent television acting roles included three different roles as villains inPrisoner, including Geoff Butler between 1979 and 1980, Kurt Renner in 1984, and Ernest Craven in 1986. He also had two different guest starring roles inA Country Practice and substantial roles in several 1980sminiseries.^[1]

In 1984, Meagher was cast in theNine Network miniseriesA Fortunate Life, based onAlbert Facey's book of the same name. He plays the role of evil cattle-rustler Bad Bob.^[3] Marie Ussher ofTV Week observed that Meagher was often cast as the "baddie" or tough, ruthless characters in his early career.^[3] He also appeared in an episode ofFive Mile Creek as Irish bushranger Lightning Ridge.^[3] Meagher won aPenguin Award for his starring role inMail Order Bride (1984) for the ABC. He filmed the 12-part seriesFive Times Dizzy in Sydney in 1986. Meagher played The Red Headed Person, who was billed as "a tough standover man."^[5] Meagher liked playing "heavy" characters, who showed their lighter sides.^[5] While filmingFive Times Dizzy, Meagher also flew back and forth to Melbourne to film miniseriesThe Great Bookie Robbery in which he plays Bob Temple. During the same period, he also made an appearance inA Country Practice as alcoholic, pub owner Wally, followed by a role in television filmThe Blue Lightning for America's CBS network.^[5]

Meagher joined the cast of soap operaHome and Away in 1987 and has appeared in the role of Alf Stewart continuously since the first episode aired in January 1988.^[4] Meagher holds a Guinness World Record as the longest-serving actor in an Australian serial.^[6] Meagher also appeared in the 1988 children's seriesThe True Story of Spit MacPhee, along withJohn Bach andElspeth Ballantyne.^[7]

In September 2009, Meagher was the third-highest paid personality on Australian television, behindEddie McGuire andRove McManus.^[8]

Meagher won theGold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the 2010Logie Awards, where he was also nominated for "Most Popular Actor".^[9] Meagher subsequently won that Logie Award in 2018.^[10]

In 2007, Meagher took over the role of Bob the mechanic inPriscilla Queen of the Desert fromBill Hunter.^[11] From 30 September 2010, he took over the role of Bob in the West End production ofPriscilla until March 2011.^[12] In June 2011, it was announced that Meagher would be returning to the West End production from October.^[13] He then rejoined the show for its New Zealand tour in 2016.^[14]

Meagher regularly travels to the United Kingdom to take part in the traditional Christmaspantomimes. In December 2008, he played Abanazar in a production ofAladdin at theAnvil Theatre in Basingstoke and in 2009 he performed asCaptain Hook inPeter Pan at theAssembly Hall Theatre in Royal Tunbridge Wells.^[15][16]

• Ray Meagher atIMDb
• Profile at Home and Away site
• Profile from UK TV channel Five

• 1944 births
• Living people
• Australian people of Irish descent
• People from Roma, Queensland
• Australian male film actors
• Australian male soap opera actors
• Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
• Gold Logie winners
• Queensland rugby union team players
• Australian rugby union players
• Rugby union fly-halves
• Male actors from Queensland
• 20th-century Australian male actors
• 21st-century Australian male actors
• People educated at Marist College Ashgrove
• 20th-century Australian sportsmen

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