Name: | Chips Rafferty |
Occupation: | Actor |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 196 cm (6′ 6”) |
Birth Day: | March 26, 1909 |
Death Date: | 27 May 1971(1971-05-27) (aged 62) Sydney |
Age: | Aged 62 |
Birth Place: | Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, Australia |
Zodiac Sign: | Aries |
Chips Rafferty
Family Members
# | Name | Relationship | Net Worth | Salary | Age | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Ellen Jameson | Spouse | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Does Chips Rafferty Dead or Alive?
As per our current Database, Chips Rafferty died on 27 May 1971(1971-05-27) (aged 62)
Sydney.
Physique
Height | Weight | Hair Colour | Eye Colour | Blood Type | Tattoo(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
196 cm (6′ 6”) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Biography
Biography Timeline
Rafferty leapt to international fame when cast as one of the three leads in Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940), a film directed by Charles Chauvel that focused on the Battle of Beersheba in 1917. Rafferty had been cast after a screen test. Chauvel described him as “a cross between Slim Summerville and James Stewart, and has a variety of droll yet natural humour.” He played a laconic tall bushman, a type similar to that which had been conveyed on stage and screen by Pat Hanna.
He made his film debut in the comedy Ants in His Pants in 1938, as an extra, produced by Ken G. Hall. At that time, he was managing a wine cellar in Bond Street, Sydney. Rafferty caught the acting bug and got another unbilled role, as one of several inept firemen in Hall’s Dad Rudd, M.P. (1940).
Rafferty married Ellen Kathleen “Quentin” Jameson on 28 May 1941. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force the next day and entertained troops.
Rafferty was discharged on 13 February 1945, having reached the rank of Flying Officer.
He also participated in cinema advertisements that were part of an Australian Government campaign in 1957 called “Bring out a Briton”. The campaign was launched in a bid to increase the number of British migrants settling in Australia.
Rafferty was cast as one of the mutineers in the 1962 remake of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Marlon Brando. The filming of Bounty in Tahiti dragged longer than six months but it restored him to financial health after the failure of his production company; it enabled him to buy a block of flats which supported him for the rest of his life. Rafferty dubbed the film The Bounteous Mutiny.
In 1962, the 6 foot 5 inch actor was socialising with fellow expatriates in a London club when they were joined by an Australian who acted as doorman, and unbeknownst to Rafferty, was a professional wrestler. Claiming he was being ignored after helping them get in the doorman was so argumentative that Rafferty was provoked into accepting a challenge to ‘step outside’. In the severe beating that followed he sustained deep grazing across his face and suffered a myocardial infarction (he had not been aware of having a heart condition until the incident) costing him the chance at roles in two major film productions.
In 1963 he recorded a long play record with Festival Records (FL-31015) entitled ‘A man and his horse’, narrating a selection of works from Australian verse composers including Banjo Paterson (1864–1941), Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833–1870) and Will H. Ogilvie (1869–1963).
He travelled to the US and guest starred in episodes of The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1965) (as a different character to the role that he played in the movie version). This led to further offers to work in Hollywood on television shows; he played a Union soldier in The Big Valley (1966) with a noticeably Australian accent. He was also in episodes of Gunsmoke (1966) and Daktari (1966). “What else can I do but look to America for my future when there is still no assistance or help from the government,” said in April 1966.
On 27 May 1971, Rafferty collapsed and died of a heart attack at the age of 62, while walking down a Sydney street shortly after completing his role in Wake in Fright. His wife Quentin had predeceased him in 1964 and they had no children. His remains were cremated. His ashes were scattered into his favourite fishing hole in Lovett Bay.
In the 1971 New Years’ Honours, Rafferty was made a Member of the Order of British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the performing arts.
Australia Post issued a stamp in 1989 that depicted Rafferty in recognition of his work in Australian cinema, and in March 2006, Broken Hill City Council announced that the town’s Entertainment Centre would be named in honour of Rafferty.
Upcoming Birthday
Currently, Chips Rafferty is 113 years, 6 months and 5 days old. Chips Rafferty will celebrate 114th birthday on a Sunday 26th of March 2023.
Find out about Chips Rafferty birthday activities in timeline view here.
Chips Rafferty trends
FAQs
- Who is Chips Rafferty
? - How rich is Chips Rafferty
? -
What is Chips Rafferty
‘s salary? - When is Chips Rafferty
‘s birthday? - When and how did Chips Rafferty
became famous? - How tall is Chips Rafferty
? - Who is Chips Rafferty
‘s girlfriend? - List of Chips Rafferty
‘s family members? - Why do people love Chips Rafferty?