Andy Anderson (actor)

Music

Anderson performed in several well-known Australian rock bands of the 1960s,^[2] in 1965 he joined the second lineup of famed Sydney garage punk group the Missing Links as lead vocalist, and he performed on the group's only album. After the demise of the Links, he moved to Melbourne and joined another radical punk-R&B outfit, Running Jumping Standing Still, which also included lead guitarist Doug Ford, who subsequently joined the Masters Apprentices. He sang with the avant-garde theatre group Red Mole for a time.^[2]

Anderson was well known for his outrageous stage performances but his wild lifestyle at the time took a heavy toll and in late 1966 he was hospitalised after suffering a brain haemorrhage onstage at Melbourne's Thumpin' Tum discothèque.^[4] After his recovery, Anderson formed two short-lived Melbourne bands, Andy James Asylum, followed by Mother Superior, before moving back to Sydney, where he joined the cast of the Australian production of Hair for a short time during 1970. This was followed by an 18-month stint with Sydney club band Southern Comfort, with co-vocalist Bobbi Marchini.^[4]

Anderson returned to his music career in the 2000s, recording a solo album called If I'd Known I'd Live This Long... in 2003.^[5] The same year, he participated in a reunion of Southern Comfort in Sydney.

In 2017, Anderson released his next album, Andersongs.^[5] In 2019, at the age 71, he was writing and making music, based in Palmerston North, New Zealand.^[3]

Film and television

After taking a hiatus from music, Anderson returned to working as a gardener, before turning his attention to acting. Upon sending out a photo and a written submission, Anderson attracted the attention of New Zealand's South Pacific Television. He joined the cast of Radio Waves in 1979, playing the part of a stoned DJ.^[3]

He then returned to Australia and began performing regularly on Australian TV from the mid-1970s to appear in The Sullivans, playing the role of Jim Sullivan.^[3] Regular roles in numerous television series followed, including Gloss as Matt Winter, Prisoner as Rick Manning, Fire as John Kennedy and a starring role in the talking-dog sitcom The Bob Morrison Show as Steve Morrison.^[2]

He had a prominent featured role as detective Lochie Renford in the first season of the acclaimed ABC TV police series Phoenix (1992–1993). In 2012 he had a recurring featured role as Vince, the minder of drug lord Harry Montebello, in the ABC crime drama series The Straits.

His guest appearances on television have included The Flying Doctors, Halifax f.p., A Country Practice, Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Heartbreak High, Water Rats, All Saints, Blue Heelers, Neighbours, Stingers,^[2] Packed to the Rafters, Sea Patrol, McLeod's Daughters and The Man from Snowy River.^[3]

On film, Anderson is known for playing the role of John Livingston in the Hollywood film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004) and also starred in House of Wax (2005) and Tracker (2010).^[2] He also had cameos in Swerve and Honk if You're Horny.^[3]

Film

Television