Vincent Ball

Vincent Martin Ball OAM (born 4 December 1923) is an Australian-born retired character actor of radio, stage and screen, active in the industry for nearly 55 years (with a brief return) firstly in Britain and then his native Australia. He has also authored a number of books. He is best known for film roles in British and Australian films and TV movies, including A Town Like Alice, Breaker Morant, Phar Lap, Muriel's Wedding and The Man Who Sued God. He appeared in numerous TV roles, primarily in cameo guest roles, but had recurring roles in serials like Rush, The Young Doctors, A Country Practice and Home and Away Vincent Ball has also worked variously in theatre, including Shakespeare, with productions of Henry IV, Part 1 and Romeo and Juliet and a musical based on Charles Dickens famous novel Great Expectations. Early life Born in the town of Wee Waa, New South Wales, in 1923, to a father who worked as a linesman on the New South Wales Government Railways, Ball said he wanted to be an actor from an early age, particularly a "cowboy in the movies". With the outbreak of the Second World War, Ball left his job with the Australian General Electric Company and, after military training in Canada, became a wireless air gunner with the Royal Australian Air Force, serving in Britain.