Ian Turpie
Ian Turpie | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943 (age 68) Melbourne, Australia |
| Died | March 11, 2012 Melbourne, Australia |
| Website | http://www.ianturpie.com.au |
Ian "Turps" Turpie is an Australian television celebrity, best known for hosting the long-running game show The Price Is Right.
Career
Early life
Born in Melbourne in 1943, Turpie began his entertainment career at the age of 10, when he was accepted at the Hector Crawford Drama School and gained recognition as a juvenile actor working in radio and theatre.
He starred in a number of radio programmes alongside Sir Robert Helpmann and June Bronhill, and featured in the top-rated radio series D24.
During his teens, he discovered a passion for music and focused on playing guitar, songwriting and singing. By the age of 16, Turpie was a seasoned radio and stage performer, touring Australia in such hits as Peter Pan, Auntie Mame and Bye Bye Birdie, and appearing in several National Theatre Productions including Shakespeare's Macbeth. He was an early boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John, with whom he starred in the 1965 Australian musical telefilm Funny Things Happen Down Under, Newton-John's debut performance.
Diagnosed with cancer early 2011. Ian Turpie passed away Sunday 11th March 2012, Aged 68.
Television and personal life
Television soon beckoned, and Turpie made regular appearances on Bandstand, Time For Terry and The Graham Kennedy Show. In 1964, Turpie played a student shot dead in a mock bank robbery in the opening scene to the debut episode of the iconic Crawford police series Homicide, having earlier appeared in a featured guest role in an episode of the courtroom drama Consider Your Verdict.
Turpie's talents as musician and compere were recognised at 21, when he replaced Johnny O'Keefe for a stint as national television compere on Sing Sing Sing. He was subsequently chosen to host the top-rating teenage variety show The Go!! Show.
In the 1970s, Turpie moved to Sydney to work the club circuit, and continued to make guest appearances on numerous television shows including The Mike Walsh Show, The Bert Newton Show, A Guy Called Athol and the ABC variety series Follies.
In the 1980s, Turpie became a nation-wide figure as host of the highly successful, frenzied game show The New Price Is Right. This was followed by other game shows including Press Your Luck and Supermarket Sweep.
In the 1990s, Ian developed cult status following a regular four-year stint as Club President on Roy & HG's Club Buggery. Known as the "Giant of the G Chord", he performed renditions of such classics as Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, and, complete with suspenders, The Rocky Horror Picture Show's Time Warp. Less serious Club Buggery appearances in Turps about the House, Captain Ajax and Sam Stain showcased his comedic talents, as did a semi-regular role as cabaret-style singer Rolan Fields in drama series Always Greener (2001-03).
More recently, 'Turps' has taken to acting in infomercials. Additionally, Ian Turpie currently hosts a successful trivia nights every Monday at The Pagewood Rex Hotel, Tuesday at The Time and Tide Hotel at Dee Why and Wednesday at the Bat and Ball hotel in Surry Hills, Sydney. Since 2008 he has acted in Swift and Shift Couriers.
Controversy
In 2004 the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) took legal action against Ian Turpie for misleading and deceptive conduct in breach of the Trade Practices Act. The ACCC alleged Turpie had made false claims in advertisements for an erectile dysfunction treatment spray from Australian Medical Institute.[1][2][3]
In 2005 Turpie pleaded guilty to drink driving after driving in Manly, New South Wales, with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 (the legal limit in NSW is 0.05). He had his drivers licence suspended for 6 months however this was overturned on appeal. When questioned about the incident outside the courtroom Turpie stated: "I'm sorry that I was so stupid because it's a big thing, drink-driving, you won't be seeing me here again."[4]
Cancer
On 18 February 2011 it was announced that Turpie had been diagnosed with cancer.[5] Turpie has been married to his wife Jan for over 35 years and has three children and three grandchildren.
The family has asked for privacy during his treatment and has declined media requests to sell his story.
Awards
- Logie Award, Most Popular Western Australia Show, Turpie Tonight (1983)
- Penguin Award, Best Light Entertainment, The New Price Is Right (1982)
- Penguin Award, Best Light Entertainment, The New Price Is Right (1985)
Filmography
- Funny Things Happen Down Under, as Lennie (1965)
- Heaven's Burning, cameo as used car salesman (1997)
- All the Way (1998)
- Somewhere in the Darkness, as the Weatherman (1998)
- Kissing Kimberley Cooper (Tropfest film)
TV
Acting
- Homicide (1964) 1 episode
- The Magic Boomerang (1965) 1 episode
- Consider Your Verdict (1966) 1 episode
- Always Greener as Rolan Fields (2002–2003) 6 episodes
- Swift and Shift Couriers as Keith Warne (2008, 2011) 19 episodes
- Double the Fist as M.C (2008) 1 episode
- Housos as Wazza (2011)
Host regular
- Sing, Sing, Sing (replacing Johnnie O'Keefe)
- The Go!! Show
- Time for Terry co-host with Terry O'Neill
- Surprise, Surprise — co-host with Tommy Hanlon Jr
- The New Price Is Right
- The Price Is Right
- Newlyweds Game
- Press Your Luck, Seven Network (1987–1988)
- Supermarket Sweep, Nine Network (1992–1994)
- Club Buggery, ABC (1996–1997)
- Turpie Tonight
Guest appearances
- The Young Entertainers
- This is your Life (with Mike Munro)
- Love is in the Air
- Long Way to the Top
- All the Way
- Theatre Royal
- Revue 7
- TeenTime
- Kommotion
- Bandstand (Brian Henderson)
- Steve Vizard Tonight
- Bert Newton Show
- Blankety Blanks (Graham Kennedy)
- Family Feud (Rob Brough)
- The Fat (Tony Squires)
- Mike Walsh Show
- Don Lane Show
- Hey Hey It's Saturday (Daryl Somers)
- Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
- Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
- Penthouse Club (Mary Hardy)
- Bandstand
- A Guy Called Athol
- ABC Follies
- The Melbourne Show
- Supermarket Sweep
- Spicks & Specks
- We'll Call You
Theatre
- Toad of Toad Hall, Boronia State School
- Peter Pan, Princess Theatre
- Nude with Violin (with Sir Robert Helpmann), Comedy Theatre
- Auntie Mame (with Shirl Conway), Princess Theatre
- MacBeth, National Theatre
- Bye Bye Birdie, Her Majesty's Theatre
- Rock Opera — Hero, Seymour Centre (with Graham Bond)
- Rock Opera — Jesus Christ Superstar (with Marcia Hines & John English), St George Leagues Club
- Bull and Bush Theatre Restaurant Show "Bubble & Squeak" (with Noel Ferrier & Jill Perryman)
Radio
- ABC Play "D24"
- ABC Play "Five Find Outers"
- Evening Host 2CH
Discography
- Turps is the Talk of the Town
- Decimal point (1967) (For the decimalisation of New Zealand)
Charity work
Turpie has been involved with the following charities: Australia Day ambassador (since 1995), Make a Wish Foundation, Merry Makers, Sunnyfield Association, Meningococcal Association, Children with Cancer, Lifeforce, Sydney Children's Hospital (Celebrity Golf Days), Alzheimer's Australia NSW and Rotary Club.
References
- ^ Mercer, Neil (29 October 2006). "Rise of nasal spray guru". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Turpie's impotence ads 'a lie'". Nine News. 16 August 2006. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "ACCC resolves court action with Ian Turpie for alleged misleading claims". ACCC. 1 September 2004. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Turps wins drink driving appeal". ninemsn. 3 August 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Ian Turpie diagnosed with cancer". Sydney Morning Herald. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
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