Ken Shorter

Kenneth Shorter (1945 – November 2024) was an Australian actor.

Shorter's career spanned theatre, television and film, but he was best known for starring opposite Mick Jagger in a film adaptation of Ned Kelly (1970), as the title character in the cult biker film Stone (1974) and in American fantasy film Dragonslayer (1981).

Early life

Shorter was born in 1945, and worked as a police officer and truck driver before becoming an actor.

Career

In 1967, he commenced playing the character of Frankie McCoy on the Seven Network series You Can't See 'Round Corners. He later reprised the role for the 1969 theatrical film adaption.

It was announced in 1969 that Shorter had been cast as Aaron Sherritt in the film Ned Kelly, in which he starred alongside Mick Jagger.

In the early 1970s, Shorter was a member of Sydney's Old Tote Theatre Company and appeared in several of the company's productions including Lasseter, The Man of Mode, The Government Inspector and The Legend of King O'Malley. Shorter also starred in numerous theatre productions throughout the UK from 1972 to 2010.

In 1974, Shorter was cast in his best known role as the title character in the low-budget cult biker film Stone, which has often been cited as inspiration for the Max Max series. That same year, he played a fictional New South Wales rugby league player called Frank Scully in The Forward Pack which was written by Robert Caswell and was one of four Sunday night television plays broadcast by ABC TV. In 1975, he appeared in the outback drama film Sunday Too Far Away as Frankie Davis. And in 1981, he played a henchmen guard in the American fantasy film Dragonslayer. He was also part of the cast for the 2000 Hollywood film Dragonheart: A New Beginning.

Shorter's many Australian television credits included a regular role (as Duncan Ross) in Bellbird (1968), a presenter role on children's series Play School (1969–1982) and a recurring role in Number 96 (1977). He also had guest roles in Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, Homicide, Matlock Police, Riptide, Boney, Division 4 and G.P..

In the UK, he appeared in The Bill, Casualty, Holby City and the TV movie Persuasion.

Death

After a health decline, Shorter retired from acting in 2018. He died in November 2024, aged 79.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

External links

• at IMDb
• at National Film and Sound Archive
• discography at Discogs