Editing Ray Meagher (section)

==Career==

===Film===
Meagher played Sergeant Drummond in the 1980 war drama ''[[Breaker Morant (film)|Breaker Morant]]'', which he said was one of his favourite roles.<ref name="Bob">{{cite magazine|last=Ussher|first=Marie|date=8 September 1984|title=Bob's as bad as they come|magazine=[[TV Week]]|page=79}}</ref> His other film appearances include ''[[The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (film)|The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith]]'' (1978), ''[[Newsfront]]'' (1978), ''[[My Brilliant Career (film)|My Brilliant Career]]'' (1979), ''[[The Shiralee (1987 film)|The Shiralee]] (1987),''<ref name="yahoo7" /> ''[[Mad Dog Morgan]]'' (1976), ''[[Money Movers]]'' (1978), ''[[The Odd Angry Shot]]'' (1979), ''[[The Earthling]]'' (1980), ''[[Hoodwink (1981 film)|Hoodwink]]'' (1981), ''[[Runaway Island (1982 film)|Runaway Island]]'' (1982), and ''[[The Fire in the Stone]]'' (1984).<ref name="Bob"/> He had a cameo in the 1979 war comedy ''[[The Odd Angry Shot]]''.<ref name="Bob"/>

===Television===
Meagher first appeared on television as host of the late night ABC [[folk music]] programme ''Around Folk'' in June–August 1973.<ref name="Bob"/> His first regular acting work on television was in the soap opera ''[[Number 96 (TV series)|Number 96]]'', briefly appearing as Fred Shrimpton in 1977.<ref name="Duck">{{cite news|url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/hell-always-be-alf-to-us/story-e6freq7x-1111117049053|title=Home and Away's Ray Meagher OK with career character|last=Duck|first=Siobhan|date=30 July 2008|work=[[The Courier-Mail]]|access-date=16 November 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120906163523/http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/hell-always-be-alf-to-us/story-e6freq7x-1111117049053|archive-date=6 September 2012}}</ref> Meagher became "a much in demand character actor", with his early television roles including ''[[Matlock Police]]'', ''[[Ben Hall (TV series)|Ben Hall]]'', ''[[Rush (1974 TV series)|Rush]]'', ''[[Certain Women (TV series)|Certain Women]]'', ''[[Pig in a Poke]]'', ''[[The Restless Years]]'', ''[[Glenview High]]'', ''[[The Oracle (TV series)|The Oracle]]'', ''[[Kingswood Country]]'', ''[[Cop Shop]]'', ''[[Skyways (TV series)|Skyways]]'', ''Sporting Chance'', ''[[Holiday Island]]'', and ''[[Bellamy (TV series)|Bellamy]]''.<ref name="Bob"/> Subsequent television acting roles included three different roles as villains in ''[[Prisoner (TV series)|Prisoner]]'', including Geoff Butler between 1979 and 1980, Kurt Renner in 1984, and Ernest Craven in 1986. He also had two different guest starring roles in ''[[A Country Practice]]'' and substantial roles in several 1980s [[miniseries]].<ref name="yahoo7" />

In 1984, Meagher was cast in the [[Nine Network]] miniseries ''[[A Fortunate Life#Mini series|A Fortunate Life]]'', based on [[Albert Facey]]'s book of the same name. He plays the role of evil cattle-rustler Bad Bob.<ref name="Bob"/> Marie Ussher of ''[[TV Week]]'' observed that Meagher was often cast as the "baddie" or tough, ruthless characters in his early career.<ref name="Bob"/> He also appeared in an episode of ''[[Five Mile Creek]]'' as Irish bushranger Lightning Ridge.<ref name="Bob"/> Meagher won a [[Penguin Award]] for his starring role in ''[[Mail Order Bride (1984 film)|Mail Order Bride]]'' (1984) for the ABC. He filmed the 12-part series ''[[Five Times Dizzy#Television adaptation|Five Times Dizzy]]'' in Sydney in 1986. Meagher played The Red Headed Person, who was billed as "a tough standover man."<ref name="Ussher">{{cite magazine|last=Ussher|first=Marie|date=15 February 1986|title=Ray's heavy workload|magazine=[[TV Week]]|page=49}}</ref> Meagher liked playing "heavy" characters, who showed their lighter sides.<ref name="Ussher"/> While filming ''Five Times Dizzy'', Meagher also flew back and forth to Melbourne to film miniseries ''[[The Great Bookie Robbery]]'' in which he plays Bob Temple. During the same period, he also made an appearance in ''A Country Practice'' as alcoholic, pub owner Wally, followed by a role in television film ''[[The Blue Lightning]]'' for America's CBS network.<ref name="Ussher"/>

Meagher joined the cast of soap opera ''[[Home and Away]]'' in 1987 and has appeared in the role of Alf Stewart continuously since the first episode aired in January 1988.<ref name="Duck"/> Meagher holds a Guinness World Record as the longest-serving actor in an Australian serial.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/shadows-fall-on-home-and-away-behind-the-scenes-at-australias-most-troubled-soap-opera/story-e6frf96f-1225811925149 | title = Shadows fall on Home And Away – behind the scenes at Australia's most troubled soap opera | first = Janet | last = Fife-Yeomans | newspaper = The Daily Telegraph | location = Sydney | date = 19 December 2009}}</ref> Meagher also appeared in the 1988 children's series ''[[Spit MacPhee|The True Story of Spit MacPhee]]'', along with [[John Bach]] and [[Elspeth Ballantyne]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Zachariah|first=Amanda|date=19 September 1987|title=Elspeth's lucky break|magazine=[[TV Week]]|page=73}}</ref>

In September 2009, Meagher was the third-highest paid personality on Australian television, behind [[Eddie McGuire]] and [[Rove McManus]].<ref>Clune, Richard (13 September 2009). [http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/tv/flamin-heck-alf-stewarts-worth-a-quid/story-e6freeul-1225772280968 "Flamin' heck! Alf Stewart's worth a quid]". ''[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|Sunday Mail]]'' (Adelaide).</ref>

Meagher won the [[Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television]] at the 2010 [[Logie Awards]], where he was also nominated for "Most Popular Actor".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/national/logie-awards-full-list-of-winners/story-e6frg15u-1225861311455|title=2010 Logie Awards: Full List of Winners|date=2 May 2010|work=[[The Sunday Times (Western Australia)|Perth Now]]|access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> Meagher subsequently won that Logie Award in 2018.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/tv/home-and-aways-ray-meagher-dedicates-his-logie-to-cornelia-frances-49572|title=Logies 2018: Ray Meagher dedicates his win to his late Home and Away co-star, Cornelia Frances|last=Lilly|first=Alex|date=1 July 2018|work=[[TV Week]]|access-date=12 September 2018}}</ref>

===Stage===
In 2007, Meagher took over the role of Bob the mechanic in ''[[Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (musical)|Priscilla Queen of the Desert]]'' from [[Bill Hunter (actor)|Bill Hunter]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/archives/2007/04/|title=Culture: Slurs and slingbacks|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=30 April 2007|access-date=25 June 2011}}</ref> From 30 September 2010, he took over the role of Bob in the West End production of ''Priscilla'' until March 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/ten/2010/0420/homeandaway.html|title=Meagher taking Home and Away break|date=20 April 2010|work=[[RTÉ.ie|RTÉ TEN]]|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann]]|access-date=5 April 2011}}</ref> In June 2011, it was announced that Meagher would be returning to the West End production from October.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://holysoap.channel5.com/homeandaway/news/ray-swaps-the-bay-for-uk-14843 |title=Ray swaps the Bay for UK |date=24 June 2011 |work=[[Holy Soap]] |publisher=[[Channel 5 (UK)|Channel 5]] |access-date=25 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628013216/http://holysoap.channel5.com/homeandaway/news/ray-swaps-the-bay-for-uk-14843 |archive-date=28 June 2011 }}</ref> He then rejoined the show for its New Zealand tour in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HRQh0zmqfs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/5HRQh0zmqfs |archive-date=22 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Priscilla the Musical hits Auckland|last=Andrew Whiteside|date=14 October 2016|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Meagher regularly travels to the United Kingdom to take part in the traditional Christmas [[pantomime]]s. In December 2008, he played Abanazar in a production of ''[[Aladdin]]'' at the [[The Anvil, Basingstoke|Anvil Theatre in Basingstoke]] and in 2009 he performed as [[Captain Hook]] in ''[[Peter Pan]]'' at the [[Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells|Assembly Hall Theatre in Royal Tunbridge Wells]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/entertainment/theatre_and_dance/s/2041838_aussie_soap_star_crosses_the_globe_for_panto|title=Aussie soap star crosses the globe for panto|last=Margrave|first=Lauren|date=24 December 2008|publisher=Get Hampshire|access-date=25 June 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809204059/http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/entertainment/theatre_and_dance/s/2041838_aussie_soap_star_crosses_the_globe_for_panto|archive-date=9 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/986180/light-relief-for-home-and-away-meagher |title=Light relief for Home and Away Meagher |last=Baynes |first=Valkerie |date=21 December 2009 |publisher=[[Ninemsn]] |access-date=25 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501133701/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/986180/light-relief-for-home-and-away-meagher |archive-date=1 May 2010 }}</ref>