Frank Lloyd (actor)

Frank Gerard Lloyd (died; 15 December 1995, Potts Point, New South Wales, Australia) credited briefly as Frank Maxwell^[2] was an Australian actor, best known for his brief fifteen-month stint in the TV series Home and Away as retired carnival worker Neville McPhee, alongside his co-star Sheila Kennelly who played his wife Floss McPhee^[1]. Lloyd's long career spanned five decades starting from the 1930s as a featured player in radio plays, during the "Golden Age of Australian Radio", he worked in all sectors of the genre, including soft shoe and as a traditional song-and-dance man, but was well known through his character parts on television and film, and most especially for his long tenure in the theatre.

Lloyd's was born in Sydney, New South Wales and started working an after-school job as an office boy at 2GB Sydney radio.

Lloyd stared his early career in the early Golden Days of Australian Radio, whilst working at 2GB, he was asked by producer's to appear in radio plays for it's listeners, subsequently after finishing his schooling, he travelled to England, and whilst in the United Kingdom, he had small characters roles in the films Let Us Be True in 1953 and The Battle of the River Plate in 1956.

He then travelled to New York where he appeared in the stage play The Drunkard, returning to Australia, he would later play small roles in Australian films including Mr. Tinkle in Around the World in Eighty Ways, Those Dear Departed and Fast Talking.. He also served a script translator and dubber of international stage and film,

He served in Moscow International Ministry of the Arts.^[2]

Lloyd was perhaps best known for his 15-month stint in TV series Home and Away in 1988, as one of 16 original characters, in the role of retired carnival worker Neville McPhee. He appeared in the first 109 episodes, opposite Sheila Kennelly who played his wife Floss. Both actors were subsequently written out of the series, with producers stating they wanted to focus more on a younger cast and updated formula.^[3]

He featured in many guest character roles in soap operas, serials and telemovies, with parts in The Young Doctors as (Ted Wilcox), Prisoner, Sons and Daughters, and A Country Practice. He had guest roles on sitcoms including Mother and Son and Boys from the Bush.

Lloyd, although primarily known for small role's in TV and film worked regularly in theatre throughout his career, including both dramatic roles in Shakespeare to traditional pantomime, notable he featured in Twelfth Night, Othello, The Wizard of Oz, The Man of La Mancha, Annie, The Diary of Anne Frank, as well as a longer year-long stint in a production of Guys and Dolls.

Lloyd was badly injured in a car crash, in Greece alongside Canadian actor and musician Donald Harvie (1929–2011) in 1963.^[4]

Lloyd died in Potts Point, Sydney, Australia on 15 December 1995, from unspecified causes. His obituary was published in a Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, stating he was survived by his wife Noreen and son Frank Lloyd Jr. though his death was never mentioned in any mainstream media, hence until the late 2010's that he may still be living, though his whereabouts were unknown, until industry researchers located the clipping in the articles archives.^[1]

^[5][6]

• Frank Lloyd at IMDb
• Frank Lloyd biography on backtothebay.net Archived 26 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine