Bert Newton

Albert Watson Newton, AM, MBE (born on 23 July 1938), is an Australian media personality. He is a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie award-winning entertainer and radio, theatre and television personality/presenter. Newton has hosted the Logie Awards ceremony on seventeen occasions.

Bert Newton

AM, MBE
Newton in 2013
Born
Albert Watson Newton

(1938-07-23) 23 July 1938
Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
  • Television personality
  • television host
  • radio presenter
  • theatre actor
Years active1952–2015
Known for
Spouse(s)Patti McGrath
ChildrenMatthew and Lauren Newton

Newton is known for his collaborations opposite Graham Kennedy and Don Lane on their respective variety shows, and appearance's with wife, singer Patti Newton. Their two children are actor Matthew Newton and TV personality Lauren Newton.

Newton started his career in radio broadcasting, primarily as an announcer before becoming a star and fixture of Australian television since its inception in 1956, and is considered both an industry pioneer, icon and one of the longest-serving television performers in the world.

Newton is known for his association with both the Nine Network and Ten Network, in numerous shows including: In Melbourne Tonight, New Faces, Good Morning Australia, 20 to 1 and Bert's Family Feud.

Early life

Newton was born in Fitzroy, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Australia, to Joseph (Joe) and Gladys Newton. He had three brothers (Tom, Jack and Bob) and a sister (Alice). He was educated at St Joseph's Marist Brothers Roman Catholic college. In his early years he had thoughts of entering the priesthood and is still an active Roman Catholic.

Radio

Newton's first paid radio appearance was as a schoolboy on Melbourne radio station 3XY on 10 June 1952, doing advertisements dressed as a clown with Doug McKenzie, later to become "Zag" in Zig and Zag.

"... there was a radio program on 3XY Melbourne called Scouting Around, compered by the late Tom Jones. One week the broadcast was recorded at our Scout Hall, and as the direct result of this, I began to appear on 3XY."[1]

This led to regular appearances on a Saturday morning children's show, in which he worked with disc jockey Stan Rofe and McKenzie.

In May 1954, 3XY employed him as a junior announcer (aged 15); by 1955 he was presenting Melbourne Speaks, a vox pop program recorded on the streets of Melbourne's CBD.

After GTV-9 purchased 3AK in April 1961, all GTV-9 personalities were expected to present programs on 3AK. Graham Kennedy and Newton hosted a two-hour morning program.

He began a morning program on 3UZ in 1976. The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd appointed Newton as general manager of 3DB in 1986, which he combined with on-air appearances until 1988.

Television

Early television career

Newton began his television career at Melbourne's HSV-7, hosting The Late Show.[2] For several years Newton worked with former manager Mason Jarrett whilst trying to find work on numerous television stations.

Newton left HSV-7 and went to GTV-9 in early 1959 to host a daytime television program In Melbourne Today.[3] After appearing in a live commercial on In Melbourne Tonight with his friend Graham Kennedy at Easter 1959, he began to make regular appearances on the show and assumed hosting duties on some episodes. This began a lifelong association with Kennedy.

In 1959–1960 he hosted The Bert Newton Show (later re-titled Hi-Fi Club) on GTV-9, a series aimed at teenagers.

In 1960 and 1961, Newton, along with Graham Kennedy, appeared in the national Graham Kennedy's Channel 9 Show (a one-night-a-week national version of IMT). In January 1962, the show was cancelled and replaced by the similar The Channel 9 Show, hosted by Newton.[4]

Television career 1975 to mid-1992

Newton mainly appeared on the Nine Network in these years. He appeared on:

  • The Don Lane Show: Starting in 1975, Don Lane hosted his own variety show, The Don Lane Show, on Channel 9. Newton was cast in the role of sidekick and "barrel boy". Newton was dubbed "Moonface" on the show, and the nickname stuck. On the show Newton would frequently appear in outlandish costumes, often sending up celebrities. One of the most memorable events on the show was when Newton sent-up Demis Roussos, and Roussos was sent on to the set while Newton was doing the impersonation. Newton remained on the show until it ended in 1983.
  • The Bert Newton Show: Newton briefly hosted his own program, The Bert Newton Show, recorded in Sydney for the ABC. It was not a success, and he returned to working with Kennedy.
  • New Faces: In 1976, Newton replaced long-running compere Frank Wilson on the Nine Network's amateur talent program New Faces. The show was a success, and lasted until 1985. In 1992, Newton hosted another version of New Faces; however, it did not last for long.
  • Ford Superquiz: In 1981, Newton (and wife Patti) presented a quiz show, Ford Superquiz, produced by the Reg Grundy organisation for the Nine Network.
  • Tonight With Bert Newton: Tonight With Bert Newton, for the Nine Network, was a short-lived attempt to bring back the spirit of IMT. It aired in 1984.
  • The Bert Newton Show: This was done for the Seven Network in 1989 as an attempt to woo some of the audience away from The Midday Show with Ray Martin. This, however, didn't work and was only on air for that year. It started out lasting one hour with a soapie following it called The Power, The Passion (which was an early role for Julian McMahon) but when that got axed the show was expanded to an hour and a half.

Move to Network Ten (1992–2005)

From mid-1992 until 2005, Newton appeared on Channel Ten as host of Good Morning Australia

  • Good Morning Australia: In 1992 Newton moved into daytime television as host of The Morning Show, which soon changed title to Good Morning Australia (GMA) on Network Ten. The show revived Newton's celebrity status and was a continuing success for Ten. GMA was a mix of interviews, music, cooking segments featuring Newton's floor manager Robert Mascara, aka "Belvedere", doing the popular taste tests and innuendo which was primarily ad-libbed. Much of the screen time was dedicated to infomercials. Unusually for television, the show was broadcast live-to-air on Mondays and Tuesdays but for the rest of the week live-to-tape (recorded complete and aired later).[5]

In October 2005, Network Ten announced that the program would be cancelled at the end of the year after a 14-year run. Although Newton was offered ongoing employment at Network Ten, he stated that he would return to the Nine Network in 2006.

Return to the Nine Network (2006–2012)

After finishing on Network Ten's Good Morning Australia in late 2005, Newton returned to the Nine Network in early 2006. He appeared on:

Newton reputedly received a yearly salary of A$800,000 from Nine during this era.[7]

Stage roles

Newton's stage appearances include Professor Marvel/the Wizard of Oz in The Wizard of Oz, Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast, Franz Liebkind in The Producers and Max in The Sound of Music.

In October 2008, it was announced that Newton would be taking over the role of The Wizard in the Melbourne production of the musical Wicked, after the sudden death of Rob Guest.[8] He played his first performance on 12 November 2008. The production closed on 9 August 2009 and transferred to Sydney from 12 September 2009. Newton continued to play the role on the national tour, which began in January 2011, opposite Lucy Durack as Glinda, Jemma Rix as Elphaba, David Harris as Fiyero and Maggie Kirkpatrick as Madame Morrible. In 2011 he was part of the Australian cast performing Wicked in Singapore. Altogether, Newton had a three-year run in this show.

In July 2012 Newton joined the Melbourne cast of Annie for a few weeks, taking over the role of President Roosevelt from Alan Jones. [9]

In March 2013 it was announced that Newton would be returning to the stage in producer John Frost's production of Grease The Musical which commenced in August 2013. Newton played disc jockey Vince Fontaine.[10]

Newton played the narrator in the 2015 Australian production of The Rocky Horror Show.

Discography

Studio albums
Title Album details
The Bert & Patti Family Album
(with Patti Newton)
  • Released: 1977
  • Format: LP
  • Label: Pisces Records (L 27027)

Singles
List of singles, with Australianchart positions
Year Title Peak chart
positions
AUS
[11]
1960 "Letter to Virginia" / "Deck of Cards" N/A
"To a Sleeping Beauty" / "The White Magnolia Tree" N/A
1968 "The Donkey's Dream" / "Befana and the Three Kings" N/A
1981 "Bring Back the Spirit of Christmas"
(with With The Debney Park High School Band)		 25

Other media

Newton has appeared in several movies including:-

Newton published an autobiography, Bert!: Bert Newton's Own Story, in 1979.

Newton and his wife Patti, released a 1977 music album entitled The Bert & Patti Family Album.[12]

Logies

Newton has been a part of the Logie Awards since the awards started in 1959. He has been nominated for many Logie Awards and has won several:

Awards won:

Awards nominated:

Newton has also hosted the Logies (1968–1980, 1982, 1984, 1989, 1993 and 2010, and co-host in 2006). He holds the record for both the most Logies hosted and the most Logies hosted in a continuous run. Some notable moments of his hosting include:

  • At the 1979 Logies awards Newton said to Muhammad Ali "I like the boy", not knowing that "boy" could be taken as a racial slur. Ali responded "Did he call me Roy?" and members of the audience, including Don Lane, shouted to Newton to say "Yes, Roy". Newton looked puzzled and later explained to the media that he did not realise that "boy" was used as a racial slur. Ali at least realised Newton's use was unintended and they kissed and made up.[13][14] Newton also made light of the incident by saying: "I'll change my name, my religion ... anything.", referring to Ali's change of name from Cassius Clay when he adopted Islam in 1964.
  • In 1973, American actor Michael Cole, best known for his role in the TV series The Mod Squad, accepted an award while obviously drunk and ended his barely coherent thank-you speech with the word "shit",[15] to which Newton, after a classic pause, merely added 'congratulations'.
  • In 2006, after the awards, he had a fall and injured himself. The injury was visible for a number of Bert's Family Feud episodes.

Honours and awards
Moomba monarchs for 2014 – Lucy Durack and Newton.

Newton was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1979, for his service to the performing arts.[16]

On 12 June 2006 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia "for service to the entertainment industry as a presenter, actor, comedian, and through support for a range of medical research and charitable organisations".[17][18]

Newton was the first Melbourne-born King of Moomba in 1978.[19]

"For Bert" was written by GTV-9's musical director Brian Rangott. The lyrics include:

Everything I do,
I do for Bert –
[...]
Some may think Bert's not much,
But they like his gentle touch –
Everything I do,
I do for Bert!

In 1997 Newton was the subject of a This Is Your Life tribute. His wife Patti was honoured with her own tribute in 2001.

The Best of Bert Newton was aired in 2002. Channel Nine Salutes Bert Newton was broadcast in early 2004, depicting the career of Newton from his earliest days.

In 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal.

Show business awards include a Mo Award (1997), a Television Society of Australia award (1981 and 1983), three Penguin Citations and three Pater (Professional Excellence in Television and Radio Arts and Sciences) awards for radio.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of television in Australia, Channel 9 ran a show titled 50 Years, 50 Stars, where they looked back at the Top 50 stars of Australian television. Bert Newton was listed as the No. 1 Australian TV star of the past 50 years.

On 1 July 2008, Newton was named Victorian of the Year.[20]

On 23 July 2008, Channel 9 marked Newton's 70th birthday with a star-studded one-hour special of This Is Your Life hosted by Mike Munro.

In 2018, he was honoured by Australia Post in a series of stamps issued called the Australian Legends series, that features stars from Australian television[21]

Personal life

Newton was reputed to have lived at home with his mother until the age of 36, prompting widespread gossip that he was gay.[22] In 1974 he married Patti McGrath, a co-worker.[22] The Newtons have a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Lauren. Matthew Newton is an actor and has appeared in a number of Australian films and television dramas.[22] Lauren Newton married swimmer Matt Welsh.

In 1993, a gambling problem led Newton to near bankruptcy and a $1 million debt.[23]

In 2020, Newton was the subject of an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? which focused primarily on his father and maternal grandparents. The episode first aired on 26 May 2020.

Health

In November 2012, Newton underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery having been admitted to hospital twice in the twelve months prior.[24]

Having suffered a bout of pneumonia, Bert Newton was admitted to Epworth Hospital several times in March and April 2017.[25]

Further reading
  • Newton, Bert (1977). Bert! Bert Newton's Own Story. Toorak, Victoria, Australia: Garry Sparkes & Associates. ISBN 0-908081-24-3.
  • Blundell, Graeme (2003). King: the life and comedy of Graham Kennedy. Sydney: Pan Macmillan. ISBN 0-7329-1165-6.
  • Lane, Don (2007). The Don Lane story. Frenchs Forest, NSW: New Holland Publishers.

Contributor

References
  1. Bert Newton: 50 years on TV. TelevisionAU 7 July 2007 | Retrieved 30 March 2013
  2. Blundell, Graeme (2003). King: The Life and Comedy of Graham Kennedy. Sydney: Pan Macmillan. ISBN 0-7329-1165-6.
  3. Blundell, Graeme: op. cit., p. 169.
  4. Blundell, Graeme: op. cit., p. 232.
  5. "The cult of Bert", Sydney Morning Herald, 23 October 2002.
  6. "Bert still has the passion". Sydney Morning Herald. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  7. Vickery, Colin; Devlyn, Darren (4 September 2009). "Channel Nine stars' salaries to be slashed". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009.
  8. "Bert Is The Wizard!". 12 November 2008. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
  9. "Bert Newton shines on in Annie", Herald Sun, 24 July 2012, retrieved 30 March 2013.]
  10. "Bert Newton returning to stage for Grease after heart surgery", The Australian, 25 March 2013, retrieved 30 March 2013.
  11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 216. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. Trove website.
  13. Video on YouTube
  14. Gardnier, Stephanie (29 January 2012). "The social kiss: plain cheek or what?". The Age. Fairfax. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  15. Blundell, Graham (2014). Bert (First ed.). Sydney: Hachette Australia. p. 165. ISBN 9780733631641.
  16. It's an Honour – Member of the Order of the British Empire
  17. "Australian Government It's an Honour website". Retrieved 18 December 2007.
  18. "Governor General of Australia website – Order of Australia (AM) award" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
  19. Bellamy, Craig; Chisholm, Gordon; Eriksen, Hilary (17 February 2006). "Moomba: A festival for the people" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2011. PDF pp 17–22
  20. "Bert Newton named Victorian of the Year". AAP. 1 July 2008.
  21. [https:shop.auspost.com.au/stamp-and-coin-collections/australia-legends-2018 https:shop.auspost.com.au/stamp-and-coin-collections/australia-legends-2018] Check |url= value (help). Missing or empty |title= (help)
  22. "Bert Newton Media Man Australia". mediaman.com.au. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  23. "Back to Bert". theage.com.au. 30 May 2002. Retrieved 30 May 2002.
  24. "Bert Newton undergoes major heart surgery". Sydney Morning Herald. 24 November 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  25. Dennehy, Luke; Argoon, Ashley (29 April 2017). "Bert Newton on the mend in hospital as he recovers from pneumonia". Herald Sun. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  26. Camp Quality (2007). Laugh Even Louder!. Gosford, New South Wales: Scholastic Australia Pty Limited. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-74169-022-4.
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