Christopher Milne

Christopher Milne
Born (1950-05-24) 24 May 1950
Australia
EducationMonash University
OccupationsActor, writer
Known forWater Under the Bridge (1980)
Neighbours (1985; 1998)
Spouse
(m. 1979; div. 1990)
Children2

Christopher Milne (born 24 May 1950) is an Australian actor and writer who has scripted episodes of Prisoner and Neighbours, as well as appearing on the shows as a performer.

Early life

Milne studied a Bachelor of Civil Engineering at Melbourne's Monash University. After graduating, he worked as an engineer for 18 months, before realising it wasn't for him. He then joined a theatre group and trained with a film and television school, before auditioning for various television roles. Between acting roles, he drove a taxi and picked potatoes for extra income.[1]

Career

Milne played Chris in the soap opera Bellbird from 1967 until 1977.[2] He appeared in the 1979 vampire horror film Thirst and the 1979 sexploitation film Felicity.[3]

He played Ben Mazzini in 1980 miniseries Water Under The Bridge, based on the Australian book of the same name, alongside Judy Davis.[4]

Milne originated the character of Philip Martin on Neighbours in 1985, when the program aired on Network Seven,[5] before Ian Rawlings took over the role in 1992. He returned to Neighbours in 1998, to play journalist Declan Hewitt.[6][1]

Milne was a script editor for Crawford Productions,[7] and wrote scripts for numerous episodes of Prisoner, Neighbours and Starting Out.[5] He has written children's books (ages 6–13) for many years and his Naughty Stories for Good Boys and Girls (based on his two sons) is a winner of The Young Australians Best Book Award. He recorded 13 of the stories for the BBC in London.[8][9]

Personal life

Milne was married to television presenter Denise Drysdale for ten years, until their separation in 1989.[5][10] Together, they had two sons, but ended their marriage when they realised they did not have much in common. They have a grandson. Milne subsequently remarried.[11]

Filmography

Film

Year Work Role Notes
1978 Felicity Miles
1979 Snapshot Book Marker
Thirst David
1980 Dead Man's Float (aka Smugglers Cove) Thug 1
1982 Breakfast in Paris Craig

Television

Year Work Role Notes
1967–1977 Bellbird Chris Regular role
1974 Division 4 David Porter 1 episode
1978 The Sullivans Billy 4 episodes
1978–1981 Cop Shop Nick Williamson / Andrew Lawford / Max White / Bill Morris 10 episodes
1979 Skyways Brent Clarke / Hank 2 episodes
1980 Water Under The Bridge Ben Mazzini Miniseries, 4 episodes
1981; 1984 Prisoner Tony Morton / Barry Rockman 7 episodes
1983–1984 Carson's Law John Slade / Matt Gilbert / Johnny Watkins / Bill Ponsford 5 episodes
1984 Special Squad Sanders 1 episode
1985 The Henderson Kids Stan 2 episodes
1985 Neighbours Philip Martin Recurring
1989 The Flying Doctors Robert Morton 1 episode
1991 Chances Bank Manager / Mr Crane 4 episodes
1994 Janus Alan Tyrrell 1 episode
Law of the Land Minister 1 episode
1996 Blue Heelers Patrick Munroe 1 episode
Halifax f.p. Harry 1 episode
1997 State Coroner Bryce Hall 1 episode
1998 Neighbours Declan Hewitt Recurring
1998–2003 Stingers Phillip Matthews / Brad Logan 2 episodes
2000 The Games Bernard Milne 1 episode
2002 Something in the Air Trent Bradley 1 episode
2008 Satisfaction Funeral Celebrant 1 episode
2010 City Homicide Jim Montague 1 episode

References

  1. ^ a b "Interviews > Christopher Milne". www.perfectblend.net. 13 January 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  2. ^ "Tuesday TV". The Age. 6 October 1977. Retrieved 13 March 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Christopher Milne - New York Times". movies.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 27 March 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  4. ^ Teerds, John (18 September 1980). "Another step forward". The Age. Retrieved 13 March 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c Cooney, Jenny (13 July 1985). "'Don't call me Mr Drysdale'". TV Week. p. 64.
  6. ^ "Aussie soaps updates". TV Week. 18–24 April 1998. p. 67.
  7. ^ Johnson, Jacqui (5 June 1982). "New mother Denise calls it quits". TV Week. p. 14.
  8. ^ "The Complete book of Naughty Stories for Good Boys and Girls". www.librarything.com.
  9. ^ "Christopher Milne". Goodreads.
  10. ^ Devlyn, Darren (3 March 1990). "'Stranger things have happened'". TV Week. pp. 14–15.
  11. ^ "The TV legend takes us inside her Queensland home". The Australian Women's Weekly. 26 April 2018 – via PressReader.