Noel Ferrier AM was a renowned Australian television personality, stage and film actor, raconteur, and theatrical producer, whose extensive career in Australian theatre spanned over fifty years. Born on December 20, 1930, in Melbourne, he was a member of the first Australian professional repertory company, the Union Theatre Repertory Company, and created the role of 'Roo' in the original production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll at the Union Theatre of the University of Melbourne.
Ferrier had a remarkable career in film and television, appearing in numerous productions. He was a contemporary of Barry Humphries and, in 1956, was the "interviewer" of the first onstage appearance of Mrs. Norm Everidge, later known as Dame Edna.
To ease the workload of Graham Kennedy, Ferrier was invited to host a Friday night version of In Melbourne Tonight from 1963 to 1965. This show, stylistically different from Kennedy's IMT, garnered a separate and loyal audience, resulting in a Logie for Most Popular Program in Victoria in 1964. Following this success, the network decided to relay the show in Sydney on TCN9, but in the early hours of the following morning after live telecasts of World Championship Wrestling.
After his period on IMT finished in 1965, Ferrier started a morning radio show in Melbourne on 3UZ with Mary Hardy called "The Noel and Mary Show", which contained a riotously funny serial known as "The House on the Hill" featuring Sir & Lady Ernest Snatchbull. He developed a reputation as a reliable television character actor, appearing in Riptide, Skippy, Homicide, Division 4, Matlock Police, and numerous other productions.
Ferrier won the award for Best Australian Comedy with Noel Ferrier's 'Australia A-Z in 1971 and was a regular panelist in Graham Kennedy's popular game show Blankety Blanks. His movie credits include Alvin Purple, Eliza Fraser, Turkey Shoot, and The Year of Living Dangerously. His final movie role was in Paradise Road.
