# Martin Vaughan

Martin Kevin Vaughan (5 June 1931 – October 2022) was an Australian stage, television and film actor and musician. He is best known for appearing in the film Phar Lap as trainer Harry Telford and the lead role in the award-winning 26-part 1976 television miniseries Power Without Glory.

## Career

Vaughan was born in Brisbane, Queensland, to a vaudeville comedian father in 1931. Moving to Sydney, New South Wales. at age 17, he was employed in a number of occupations including steam presser, tram conductor, postman, customs clerk and bassoon player. After taking theatre production classes, Vaughan landed his first stage role in 1963 when he was 32.
Vaughan moved into television in 1967 and in 1975 won the Hoyts Prize for Best Performance by an Actor at the AFI Awards, for his role of Australian prime minister Billy Hughes in Billy and Percy. This was a tied result with Jack Thompson's role in Sunday Too Far Away. His continuing interest in Billy Hughes led some years later to the revelation that Hughes's daughter Helen had died in childbirth in London; in 2004 he presented an ABC program on the story.
Vaughan's big break came in 1976, when he was chosen to play the lead role of John West in the ABC's 26-part television adaptation of Frank Hardy's novel Power Without Glory. In 1977 he won the Logie Award for Most Popular Actor for this role. He has since appeared in such television programs as The Dismissal (1983 miniseries; as Senator Albert Field), Come In Spinner (1989–90 miniseries), Water Rats, Blue Heelers, All Saints, The Flying Doctors, Heartbreak High, Salem's Lot (2004 miniseries) and headLand. His feature films include Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Letters from Poland (1978), We of the Never Never (1982), Phar Lap (1983), The Man Who Sued God (2001) and Australian Rules. He has also appeared in over 60 stage plays.

## Later years

Vaughan completed a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Film at the age of 63 at the University of New South Wales. He was mainly retired, but occasionally agreed to take part in theatre roles that interested him, such as "Brian" in The Seed.
Vaughan died in October 2022, aged 91.

## Award and nominations

| Institution | Award | Year | Work/s | Results |
| AACTA Awards | Hoyts Prize for Performance by an Actor | 1975 | Billy and Percy as Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes | Won |
| Logie Awards | Silver Logie Award for Most Popular Actor | 1977 | Power Without Glory | Won |
| AACTA Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | 1983 | Phar Lap | Nominated |
| AACTA Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | 1983 | The Winds of Jarrah | Nominated |
| Sydney Theatre Awards | Best Supporting Actor | 2007 | The Seed | Nominated |

## Filmography
### Film

| Title | Year | Role | Type |
| 1973 | The Taming of the Shrew | Christopher Sly | TV movie |
| 1974 | Between Wars | Dick Turner | Feature film |
| 1974 | Escape from Singapore | | TV documentary movie |
| 1974 | Billy and Percy | Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes | TV movie |
| 1975 | Picnic at Hanging Rock | Ben Hussey | Feature film |
| 1975 | Ride a Wild Pony | | Feature film |
| 1975 | They Don't Clap Losers | Martin | TV movie |
| 1979 | Just Out of Reach | Father | Feature film |
| 1981 | Hoodwink | Solicitor | Feature film |
| 1981 | A Hard God | Paddy Cassidy | TV movie |
| 1981 | Run Rebecca, Run | Cranky Member | Feature film |
| 1980 | Departmental | | TV movie |
| 1981 | Alison's Birthday | Mr. Martin | Feature film |
| 1982 | We of the Never Never | Dan | Feature film |
| 1982 | Wilde's Domain | Tom Moore | TV movie |
| 1982 | A Shifting Dreaming | A.H. O'Kelly | TV movie documentary |
| 1982 | Fluteman | Mr. Shaw | Feature film |
| 1983 | The Winds of Jarrah | Ben | Feature film |
| 1983 | Phar Lap | Harry Telford | Feature film |
| 1983 | The Cattle King | | TV movie |
| 1984 | Constance | Alexander Eslworth | Feature film |
| 1984 | The Schippan Mystery | Detective Edward Priest | TV movie |
| 1987 | Great Expectations: The Untold Story | Daniel | Feature film |
| 1988 | Danger Down Under | Ginger McDowell | Feature film |
| 1988 | Sisterly Love | Bob | TV movie |
| 1989 | Kokoda Crescent | Eric | Feature film |
| 1992 | The Phantom Horseman | | Feature film |
| 1993 | You and Me and Uncle Bob | Uncle Bob | Feature film |
| 1993 | Encounters | Harris | |
| 1994 | Cops and Robbers | | Feature film |
| 2000 | The Magic Pudding | Parrot (voice) | Features film |
| 2001 | The Man Who Sued God | Co-plaintiff | Feature film |
| 2002 | Australian Rules | Darcy | Feature film |

### Television

| Title | Year | Role | Type |
| 1967 | Hunter | Agent #4 | TV series |
| 1971 | Spyforce | Sergeant Wills | TV series |
| 1971 | The Comedy Game | | TV series |
| 1973 | Boney | Paroo Bikeman | TV series |
| 1973 | Seven Little Australians | Pat | TV miniseiries |
| 1974 | Silent Number | Winslow | TV series |
| 1974 | Division 4 | Charlie Hill | TV series |
| 1975 | Processed Process | | |
| 1965-76 | Homicide | Archie Prouse / George Armstrong / Snatcher Bennett / Paul Matthews | TV series |
| 1974-76 | Matlock Police | Various roles | TV series |
| 1976 | Luke's Kingdom | Connelly | TV miniseries |
| 1976 | Power Without Glory | John West | TV miniseries |
| 1978 | Glenview High | | TV series |
| 1978 | Chopper Squad | Ferry Captain | TV series |
| 1979 | Skyways | Charlie Day | TV series |
| 1979 | Doctor Down Under | Wardsman | TV series |
| 1980 | Cop Shop | Albie Reid | TV series |
| 1981 | Bellamy | Hill | TV miniseries |
| 1982 | 1915 | Hugh McKenzie | TV miniseries |
| 1983 | The Dismissal | Albert Field | TV miniseries |
| 1984 | Sweet and Sour | Shrug Yates | TV series |
| 1984 | Special Squad | Ben Alexander | TV series |
| 1982-85 | A Country Practice | Various roles | TV series |
| 1986 | A Fortunate Life | Frank Phillips | TV miniseries |
| 1986 | Return to Eden | Dr. Bennett | TV series |
| 1986 | Alice to Nowhere | Jack "The Dogger" Harris | TV miniseries |
| 1987-88 | Willing and Abel | "Just One" Moore | TV series |
| 1984-88 | Mother and Son | Dr. Holloway | TV series |
| 1988 | Australians | Ced Fitzgerald / Mr. Jackson | TV miniseries |
| 1987-88 | Rafferty's Rules | 2 roles | TV series |
| 1989 | In Sickness and Health | The Priest | TV series |
| 1990 | Come in Spinner | Blue | TV miniseries |
| 1986-90 | The Flying Doctors | 3 roles | TV series |
| 1990 | Howard the Mild Colonial Boy | Constable Cliche | TV series |
| 1991 | Deadly | Doctor Ward | |
| 1995 | G.P. | Charles Restegina | TV series |
| 1995 | On the Dead Side | | |
| 1997 | Water Rats | Vic Roland | TV series |
| 1997 | Heartbreak High | Harold | TV series |
| 1997 | Emmerdale: The Dingles Down Under | Crocodile Dingle | |
| 1998-00 | Search for Treasure Island | Jones | TV series |
| 1999 | Murder Call | Walter Hart | TV series |
| 1999 | The Missing | Father John | |
| 2000 | Bondi Banquet | Hal Trembath | TV series |
| 2000 | Tales of the South Seas | | TV miniseries |
| 2001 | Head Start | Cullen Ashton | TV series |
| 2002 | Blue Heelers | Roy Haiseman | TV series |
| 2003 | Grass Roots | Lex Fisher | TV series |
| 2004 | Salem's Lot | Ed "Weasel" Craig | TV miniseries |
| 2005-06 | headLand | Curly | TV series |
| 2006 | Nightmares and Dreamscapes | Dr. Kazallan | TV anthology series |
| 1998-06 | All Saints | | TV series |
| 2008 | H2O: Just Add Water | Max Hamilton | TV series |
| 2010 | Cops L.A.C. | Tim | TV series |
| 2013 | Crownies | Alfred McMahon | TV series |
| 2010-14 | Rake | 2 roles | TV series |