Whatever Happened to Wally from Crocodile Dundee? the True Story of John Meillon

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Audiences introduced to Meillon through international multiplexes often assumed he was an Outback native plucked from relative obscurity. His resume told an entirely different story. Born in Mosman, Sydney, in 1934, Meillon entered broadcasting at just ten years old in radio serials. By his early twenties, he was an established stage performer with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre company.

During the 1960s, Meillon spent significant time working in the United Kingdom, appearing in prominent films like The Sundowners (1960) and Billy Budd (1962). He returned home to become a foundational figure during the golden age of Australian cinema in the 1970s. He delivered a chilling, nuanced turn as Charlie in Ted Kotcheff’s psychological thriller Wake in Fright (1971), played the stoic mayor in Peter Weir’s cult classic The Cars That Ate Paris (1974), and took home the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor for his heartbreaking lead role in The Fourth Wish (1976).

Queen Elizabeth II appointed Meillon an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1979 Birthday Honours for his services to theatre. To domestic audiences, his rich baritone voice was just as iconic as his face. For years, he voiced the legendary Victoria Bitter television and radio campaigns, delivering the immortal line: "A hard-earned thirst needs a big cold beer, and the best cold beer is Vic, Victoria Bitter."