Syd Heylen

Harold Charles Sydney Heylen (25 May 1922 – 4 December 1996), credited variously as Syd Heylen, Sid Heylen and Sydney Heylen, was an Australian character actor of radio, stage, television and film, comedian, and variety performer and soldier, he often performed in a traditional vaudeville style in the vein of Roy Rene. Early life Heylen was born in Renmark, South Australia in 1922 (his grave marker states 1923, however all official documents give this year) as the only son of a carpenter. He joined the army at 16 and served on the Kokoda Trail in the 39th Infantry Battalion, later going on to join an army entertainment troupe. In 1961, he married Patti Brittain (his second wife) and they had two children (both in the entertainment industry) - a daughter, Julie Heylen, and a son, Syd Heylen Junior, who is a well known entertainer in variety and cabaret. Career Film and TV Heylen went into vaudeville after World War II and in 1956 starred in the variety show The Show of Stars with Hal Lashwood and John Ewart. He became popular during the 1960s on television as a regular performer on the HSV-7 variety show Sunnyside Up for 10 years, appearing as 'Sydney from Sydney'. He teamed up with other comics, such as Honest John Gilbert, Maurie Fields, and Val Jellay presenting comedy sketches in between the musical items. Recycling his vaudeville shtick, Heylen specialised in stooges prone to cheekiness, drunkenness, pratfalls and spit takes.