Kenneth Radley is one of those Australian actors that everyone has seen, but few people know his name. He may not be a household name but he is a household face!
You may have seen Kenneth Radley in The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales & Salazar’s Revenge; The Power of the Dog; Rabbit-Proof Fence; Bananas in Pyjamas (he is B1), …
Radley’s TV credits are endless: Underbelly; Romper Stomper; City Homicide; Rush; The Secret Life of Us; Blue Heelers; Home and Away; and much more.
Performers: Ken Radley, Helen Townsend.
The Rent Man, 1985
As I was posting on Instagram some photos that I made during my time at AFTRS, I tagged Kenneth into one of him. It turns out The Rentman was Ken’s first film after graduating from NIDA. He said:
“Thank you. It was a crux experience for me. An important story. Hazel was so wonderful. Trusted me. She shared stories and welcomed me. I’m proud of the cast and crew, Ross and his wife. It was the first of several pictures I have been so lucky to work on exploring issues relating to First Nations peoples. I’m proud of it – a small offering to THE paramount issue in this country. Vote yes friends!!”
said Kenneth Radley.
The 1985 AFTRS student film ‘The Rentman’ starring Aunty Hazel Townsend and Ken Radley told a story of an elderly indigenous woman being evicted from Housing Commission.
Left: Director, Ross Huchens, David Caesar was DOP and Hazel Townsend.
Right: Performers Kenneth Radley and Helen Townsend reading their scripts between takes.
A rent collector for the Housing Commission (low cost public housing) calls on one of his tenants, an elderly Aboriginal woman, for their regular cup of tea together. In the past he has protected her against the bureaucracy of the state housing system, but this visit is different.
Director: Ross Hutchens ; writers: Ross Hutchens, Peter Flynn ; Production: Coral Kollanyi, Helen Townsend. David Caesar was DOP and camera operator.
The AFI catalog describes The Rentman:
“… poignant and engaging short drama, a Housing Commission rent collector is obliged to evict an elderly Aboriginal woman whom he has befriended. He learns of her early life, and her removal from family and homeland, but is unable to save her from this pattern of dislocation.”
Australian Film Institute
Recording of The Rentman on Trove; The Rentman on ACMI (Australian Centre Moving Image)
Peter Kemp said in his comments about the Sydney Film Festival where The Rentman was a GUO finalist:
“The leading actors each give gracefully restrained performances in The Rentman, a film of delicately tuned impact which deals engagingly with doctype issues in a satisfying narrative mode”
Peter Kemp
Actor: Helen Townsend. David Caesar was Director of Photography and camera operator.
Cast and crew of The Rent Man. Director Ross Hutchens became the Western Australian representative of AFTRS in 1987.
Kenneth Radley played the character Pig Kelly in the “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” (2017) and “Salazar’s Revenge” (2017). Pig Kelly is a recurring character in the series known for his appearance as a member of the Brethren Court.
Kenneth Radley played the role of a fence worker in the 2002 film “Rabbit-Proof Fence.” The film, directed by Phillip Noyce, is based on the true story of three Aboriginal girls who escape from a government settlement and embark on a long journey through the Australian Outback to return to their families.
Kenneth Radley, more recently, explaining Australia’s defence policy …
Kenneth Radley appears in the 2023 production, THE NEW BOY, directed by Warwick Thornton, starring Cate Blanchett, Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair, Kenneth Radley, and introducing Aswan Reid.
Kenneth Radley is on Instagram
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