To his friends and co-stars, Brian Wenzel was known simply as “Wenz”, an Aussie acting great commemorated as a rough diamond with a heart of gold and a constant crack-up who kept everyone laughing.
“He was so naturally funny, that’s how I’ll remember him. He was the love of my life,” his wife Linda, 88, tells Woman’s Day from their Adelaide home. “May 21 would have been our 70th wedding anniversary. We were married in 1954.”
The Logie winner, best known for his role as policeman Frank Gilroy in A Country Practice, passed away on May 6.
“In 2018 Brian suffered a series of mini strokes,” tells Linda. “He’d retired from acting, and in late 2022 he went into nursing care. Towards the end, he could barely utter a word.”
Beloved as Wandin Valley’s gruff but fair police officer, Brian enjoyed a stellar, near-80-year showbiz career that began, aged 17, in a comedy theatre show. Over the decades, he appeared on countless TV series, including The Young Doctors, Homicide, Division 4 and Matlock Police, among many others.
FAN FAVOURITE
“He loved acting, particularly his stage work, and he respected his fans,” shares Linda. “He was always being recognised. If we were in the supermarket, people would stop for a chat, so I’d leave Brian and continue shopping. I could always hear his booming voice as he talked and laughed.
“Without doubt, it was his Frank Gilroy character that fans especially loved. He was in A Country Practice for its entire run, appearing in over 900 episodes.”
Co-star Grant Dodwell, who played Dr Simon Bowen, says he has a “treasure trove of crazy memories of working with good old Wenz” on ACP.
“He loved a chat and had an opinion on everything from global politics to fishing to marmalade,” laughs Grant, 71.
Di Smith remembers her colleague and friend as “a model of consistency”.
“He knew his script and even what the writers had in store for my character, Dr Alex Fraser, before I did,” says the 66-year-old actress and producer. “I’ve still got the very cool black leather jacket he sold me for $50, saying I’d wear it for the rest of my life. He was right!”
Other stars have fond memories, too, with Georgie Parker, 59, recalling him as a “lovely, kind man who loved playing Frank Gilroy”. Shane Porteous worked with Brian in shows like Catch Kandy and Certain Women in the ’70s and talks of Brian’s generosity.
ROUGH DIAMOND
“He was a rough diamond – he could be brutally blunt, but he had a heart of gold. He had a deep affection for his dog Serge, and used to call from the studio to his home answering machine, leaving Serge messages,” smiles Shane, 81.
For Josephine Mitchell, whose first major role was in the Seven series, Brian was a wonderful mentor. “We were May birthday buddies. When I first started on ACP, I didn’t have a driver’s licence, so he’d drive me to and from location, sharing tidbits about his life.
He was a clever, intelligent man who’d spent his childhood in homes for ‘difficult’ children,” says the 58-year-old. “It was a privilege to have him in my life.”
Wendy Strehlow, 66, who played beloved Sister Judy Loveday, concurs. “Wenz was a splendid mentor who was always there with the best advice and a good laugh. I feel blessed to have had Wenz around.”
Linda shares how she met the 1983 Silver Logie winner.
“Brian would have been 95 next week [May 24], I still remember our first date. His sister and I were friends, that’s how we met. He’d been at the footy drinking and was a little under the weather. But that was Brian, he never put on airs and graces,” says Linda.
“I remember he brought me home some flowers once, only to confess he’d stolen them off the ACP set. Just remembering him as a larrikin brings a big smile to my face.”
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