FrankWhitten
- Actor
Actor Frank Whitten first won attention in 1984, playing the enigmatic farmer in Vincent Ward's breakthrough feature Vigil. Later he was known to many for his role as the Southern Man in the Speights "onya mate" commercials, and his ongoing appearances in Outrageous Fortune, playing the manipulative grandfather to the West clan. He died in February 2011.
Screenography
Biography
Frank Whitten, who passed away in February 2011, played the clever, fitfully senile ex safecracker on Outrageous Fortune. But his acting career began far earlier, and included key roles in 80s TV series Open House and landmark feature film Vigil. Whitten's distinctive voice featured in many commercials; he narrated Rose Noelle documentary Back from the Dead, and voiced the koala in forgotten Australian film Napoleon. For 12 years, Whitten appeared on the Speights ‘Southern Man' advertisements, and wryly delivered the iconic "good onya mate" line.
Awards
2007 Air New Zealand Screen Awards
Best Supporting Actor - Television: for Outrageous Fortune
2005 New Zealand Screen Awards
Nominated for Best Performance in a Short Film: for My Father's Shoes
“...a wicked, irreverent man of lethal wit, a heart of gold and one of the best actors we'll ever work with. We all respected him enormously but in good Outrageous spirit we treated him with the disrespect and irreverence he loved.”
More information
Related images
