With a career that spanned seven decades and more than 140 productions, the actor Charles “Bud” Tingwell became the doyen of Australian film and television; so much so that he was accorded a state funeral. His career began and ended in his home country, but he spent 17 years in 1950s and 1960s in Britain where he worked in the theatre, radio, film and television.
Charles Tingwell was born in the Sydney seaside suburb of Coogee. He was known as Bud even before his birth. His first role, in 1939, while he was still at school, was as Bob Cherry in a radio broadcast of Billy Bunter. The following year he was engaged as a cadet at a Sydney radio station, the country’s youngest announcer.