Editing Ray Meagher (section)

===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>