Richard Meikle (10 October 1929 – 2 June 1991) was an Australian actor who worked extensively in radio, theatre, and television (in TV movies and as a guest in serials). He also worked in England. He was the father of screenwriter and director Sam Meikle.

Career Meikle began his career as a stage actor. His first recorded role was in the Metropolitan Theatre's 1947 production of Ned Kelly. He also appeared in Shakespearean roles including Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night.

In the 1950s, Meikle moved into radio acting, most prominently with Grace Gibson Productions. He landed many major roles with the company, as both an actor and an announcer. Meikle was included in Reg James' list of his favourite Grace Gibson performances, for his starring role alongside John Unicomb in the serial Becket. Meikle's ability to perform his own sound effects saw him highly sought after, as Grace Gibson Productions' budget did not cover a professional sound effects person. He would often compete for rights to do sound effects with his co-stars Ron Roberts and James Condon. He played the London-based spy "Guy Marriott" in the Grace Gibson radio series Undercover.

In 1959, Meikle was cast as "Davis" in Stanley Kramer's apocalyptic science fiction drama On the Beach, filmed in Melbourne.

1966 produced several roles for Meikle. He had the dual role of Mickey Higgens and narrator (reading the opening credits) in The Shame of Sefton Ridge, an adaptation of Hamilton Basso's novel The View from Pompey's Head. He also played Paul Kruger in Phillip Mann drama The Red Gardenia, as well as reading the end credits of a few episodes. Another major role in the 1960s was as Logan Berkeley in Ross Napier's adaptation of the novel Borrasca. Borrasca was another example of Grace Gibson using Meikle as an announcer.

The early 1970s also proved to be a busy time for Meikle, with Grace Gibson and Crawford Productions TV series. He had another actor/announcer job in the form of Ross Napier's So Help Me God in 1970, where he read the credits for each episode and played criminal Toby Laird. Meikle had starring roles in the 1971 shows I Killed Grace Random and I, Christopher Macaulay, where he played copywriter Curtis Miller and the titular character respectively.

As local television production started to become more prevalent, Meikle began to branch out in the late 1970s. He appeared in several television movies, including Harvest of Hate, where he replaced Sir Robert Helpmann in the role of vineyard owner John Camden. In 1976, Meikle had a major role as Martin Gruman in the one hour pilot episode of the television drama Bluey.

In 1982, Meikle returned to Grace Gibson Productions, joining the cast of the company's most popular serial, The Castlereagh Line, playing Jim Holly.

Personal life Meikle was the son of Leslie Meikle, an engineer, and Alma May Meikle ().New South Wales Electoral Rolls Meikle married twice, firstly in 1955 to Lola Edna Brooks, an actress, with whom he had a son. He married again in 1968, to Helen Millicent Madgwick, by whom he had another four children.

Meikle died in Gosford, New South Wales, on 2 June 1991.

Filmography

Television Year Title Role Notes Ref.1957 A Fourth for Bridge TV play The Importance of Being Earnest Algernon Moncrieff TV play In the Zone TV play 1960 ITV Play of the Week Lindsey Stone Episode: "The Night of the Big Heat" 1961 No Hiding Place Arthur Wolf Episode: "The Long Stretch" Whiplash Pecos Denvers Episode: "Episode in Bathurst" A Night Out Gidney TV play 1962 The Taming of the Shrew Tranio TV play The Patriots W. H. Moore Miniseries 1963 Prelude to Harvest Captain Collins TV play 1965 The Affair Donald Howard TV play My Brother Jack Dud Rosevear 1 episode 1966 Australian Playhouse Nicholas Episode 3: "The Air-Conditioned Author" 1967 Contrabandits Sam Kodiak Episode: "Target, Smokehouse" Love and War Episode: "Serjeant Musgrave's Dance" 1968 The Battlers Hunter Phan Lin Episode: "Brain Storm" 1968–1969 I've Married A Bachelor Guru Chanderadas 2 episodes 1969 Riptide Alex Kolonis Episode: "Good Friday Island" Delta Bill Prescott Episode: "The Devil Take the Blue Tongue Fly" Woobinda, Animal Doctor Episode: "No Love for Theodore" 1969–1973 Division 4 Gil Williamson / Ian Taylor / James Marshall 8 episodes 1970 The Rovers Professor Anderson Episode: "A Present for Jenny" 1972 Barrier Reef Joe Francis Episode: "The Speckled Stone Fish" Homicide Barrington Episode: "From the Top" Catwalk Christopher Kemper Episode: "Try Anything Twice" The Prince and the Pauper Voice TV movie (animated) 1973 The Count of Monte Cristo Voice TV movie (animated) The Three Musketeers Voice TV movie (animated) 1972–1976 Matlock Police Roy 'Tiger' Donovan / Neil Thomas / Norman West 3 episodes 1973 Certain Women George Lindsay 6 episodes 1976 Bluey Martin Gruman Episode: "The First Bloody Day" The Young Doctors Les Bradley 1 episode Silent Night, Holy Night TV movie 1977 Dot and the Kangaroo Jack the Farmhand (voice) TV movie (animated)Also casting director Glenview High Michael Wilson Episode: "Quiet Nights and Silent Deaths" 1978 The Restless Years Senator Ross Lindsay 26 episodes Chopper Squad George Deacon Episode: "8:52 A.M." 1979 Harvest of Hate John Camden TV movie The Little Convict Sergeant Bully Langton (voice) TV movie (animated)Also casting director & production manager Cop Shop Frank Dobson 4 episodes 1982–1987 A Country Practice Fred Murray / Arthur Ryan / Jim Higgins 6 episodes 1983 Who Killed Baby Azaria? Coroner Galvin TV movie Scales of Justice Premier Russell Cooper Episode: "The Numbers" 1984 The Last Bastion General Vasey Miniseries 1985 The Pickwick Papers Voice TV movie (animated) The Adventures of Robin Hood Voice TV movie (animated) The Man in the Iron Mask Voice TV movie (animated) Stock Squad McCabe TV movie Robbery Major General TV movie Sons and Daughters Colonel Gerrard Bainbridge 5 episodes 1986 Kidnapped Voice TV movie (animated) The Hunchback of Notre Dame Voice TV movie (animated) 1988 The Dirtwater Dynasty Mr. J. James Miniseries, 1 episode 1990 Home and Away Paramedic 1 episode

Film Year Title Role Notes Ref. 1958 This Land Australia Short film 1959 On the Beach Davis 1974 Moving On 1981 Doctors and Nurses The President 1984 For Love or Money Himself Documentary film

Radio Year Title Role Notes Ref.1954 Starlight Theatre Serial The Western Trail Serial Fat Man Serial 1955 The King of Friday's Men Owen Fenigan Serial 1958 Radio Cab Scott Sullivan Serial Chicken Everett ABC play 1959 Not to be Taken Steven Davies (original voice) 1960s Pray for a Brave Heart Serial The Big Fisherman Serial 1962 Sara Dane Irish rebel convict 1963 The Robe Marcellus Gallio Serial 1964 Too Young to Die Larry Gates Pray for a Brave Heart 1965 The Tilsit Inheritance Jim Serial Becket King Henry II Serial Requiem for Paul Jason Eric Millgate Serial 1966 The Red Gardenia Paul Kruger / Announcer Serial The Shame of Sefton Ridge Mickey Higgens / Announcer 1967 The Sinners of Sonoma Robby Barrow Serial 1968 Borrasca Logan Berkeley Kinkhead Warren Butler Undercover Guy Marriott 1970 So Help Me God Toby Laird / Announcer 1971 I Killed Grace Random Curtis Miller / Announcer 1972 I, Christopher Macaulay Christopher Macaulay Serial 1979 Alladyce and the Holy Virago Serial on ABC Radio Sydney The Great God Mogadon The Maitland and Morpeth String Quartet The Fire on the Snow Kookaburra 1982 The Castlereagh Line Jim Holly / William Holly Serial Crisis Point Narrator Serial The Silent Witness Les Callaghan / End Credits Serial Step into Deep Waters Leslie Galvin Serial Old Times Deeley

Theatre Year Title Role Notes Ref.1947 Ned Kelly Mackin Metropolitan Theatre, Sydney Hamlet Laertes 1948; 1950 A Midsummer Night's Dream Demetreus Metropolitan Theatre, Sydney, Killara Soldiers Memorial Hall, Sydney 1949 Twelfth Night The Story of Madeleine Smith Emile Killara Soldiers Memorial Hall, Sydney with Kuring-gai Theatre Guild A Marriage of Convenience Independent Theatre, Sydney 1950 Raymond, Lord of Milan Ezzelin Metropolitan Theatre, Sydney 1951 You Never Can Tell Metropolitan Theatre, Sydney, Independent Theatre, Sydney 1952 Worm's Eye View Theatre Royal, Adelaide, Savoy Theatre, Wollongong, Crystal Theatre, Broken Hill 1953 Columbe Julien Independent Theatre, Sydney Anne of the Thousand Days The Apple Cart His Excellency Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme 1954 Captain Brassbound's Conversion 1954–1955 Dear Charles Walter, Denise's elder son Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal Sydney, Theatre Royal, Adelaide with J. C. Williamson's 1956 The Boy Friend Gendarme Elizabethan Theatre, Sydney, Theatre Royal, Adelaide with J. C. Williamson's 1957 Come Back, Little Sheba Independent Theatre, Sydney 1962 The Caretaker Daughter of Silence 1964 Overruled St James' Hall, Sydney, Grace Brothers Auditorium, Sydney with The AETT The Zoo Story Gesty Palace Theatre, Sydney with AETT & Old Tote Theatre Company 1968 Sarah and the Sax AMP Theatrette, Sydney with AETT & Old Tote Theatre Company 1977 The Father The Captain UNSW Old Tote Parade Theatre, Sydney Caesar and Cleopatra Julius Caesar Sydney Opera House with Old Tote Theatre Company Wild Oats Sir George York Theatre, Sydney with Old Tote Theatre Company 1989 Curtains Northside Theatre, Sydney

References

External links

Richard Meikle at National Film and Sound Archive