Les Foxcroft

Clement Leslie Foxcroft (19 November 1918 – 24 June 2004) professionally known as Les Foxcroft and credited also as Lester Foxcroft^[1] was an Australian character actor with a career spanning over 50 years, working in all major facets of the industry from stage, radio, television and film.

Foxcroft was born in Fitzroy, Victoria on 19 November 1918, and spent his childhood in Geelong during the Depression. His mother died when he was young, and his father (a South African war veteran who was wounded at Gallipoli), remarried. His stepmother showed him little affection.

Foxcroft worked in a factory after leaving home at age 15. He also learnt to box as a youth. He developed a passion for performing after frequenting the cinema to watch films. He joined Melbourne New Theatre as a teenager, developing his craft in shows such as Showdown in 1941. He was later stationed with the air force in New Guinea, during the Second World War.^[2]

After the war, Foxcroft moved to Sydney, joined Actors Equity in 1947 and spent ten years working in radio and performing theatre in the clubs. He made his television debut with the Captain Fortune Show in 1959 and continued in television in Brisbane before returning to Sydney in 1967. With Sydney's New Theatre, Foxcroft was in a 1970 workshop Cassandra Singing, followed by the lead in Brecht’s Mr Puntila and His Man Matti. He then made a video appearance in The Freedom of the City in 1975.^[2]

Foxcroft appeared in a large number of television productions. He had a recurring role in series Number 96, as Sir William Mainwaring for three months from 1972 to 1977.^[1] He had numerous guest roles in series such as You Can’t See ‘Round Corners, Contrabandits, Riptide, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, The Rovers, The Link Men, Matlock Police, Spyforce, Boney, Homicide, Rush, Glenview High, Young Ramsay, The Young Doctors, Kingswood Country, Sons and Daughters, Carson's Law, Return to Eden, Mother and Son, G.P., E Street, Water Rats and A Country Practice. He also appeared in several miniseries, including The Battlers, The Timeless Land, The Dismissal and Captain James Cook. He had a recurring role in Luke's Kingdom in 1976.

Foxcroft expanded into film in 1972 with black comedy Private Collection, opposite Michael Caton and Pamela Stephenson. His subsequent film credits included biopic Caddie and family film The Fourth Wish (both in 1976), as well as Weekend of Shadows, Newsfront and Little Boy Lost (all 1978). In the 1980s he starred in the thrillers Lady Stay Dead and Hoodwink (both 1981), biopic about the famed racehorse Phar Lap (1983), comedy-drama Bliss opposite Barry Otto, and an adventure film based on the explorer duo Burke & Wills with Jack Thompson (both in 1985). He also appeared in romantic drama The Crossing (1990) alongside Russell Crowe, and romcom The Girl Who Came Late (1992) with Miranda Otto. He played a main role as Mickey in 1994 film The Roly Poly Man, alongside Paul Chubb.^[1] He also appeared in many television films and several short films.

Foxcroft kept working until his retirement in his early 80s.^[2] His final film role was in 1999 dance film Kick, alongside Paul Mercurio, Martin Henderson and Radha Mitchell. The same year, he appeared in an episode of medical drama All Saints.

Foxcroft was married, but after his marriage ended, he returned to Sydney in 1967. Foxcroft had two daughters, Susan Foxcroft and Brenda Chow, and three grandchildren. He died in July 2004, at the age of 85.^[2]

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• Les Foxcroft at IMDb
• Biographical cuttings on Les Foxcroft, actor, containing one or more cuttings from newspapers or journals at the National Library of Australia