Paul Karo
Paul Karo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 1935 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 4 April 2025 (aged 89)[1] |
| Education | Auckland University |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, producer, reporter |
| Years active | 1955–1999 (acting career) |
| Known for | The Box (TV series) as Lee Whitman |
Paul Karo (June 1935 – 4 April 2025) was a Scottish-born, New Zealand and Australian actor and producer.[2] He was notable for his role in Crawford Productions' first television soap opera The Box (as well as the feature film version of the same title) as the LGBTIQA character of television studio producer Lee Whiteman in 1974 and 1975, as well as a return to the role in 1976, at a time when gay characters were unknown on television. He and Number 96 star Joe Hasham became cult figures for the gay liberation movement.[3] He also became notable for his recurring role as Detective Inspector Rouse on series Prisoner in the 1980s.[1]
Biography
[edit]Karo—not his birth name—was born in June 1935[4] in Edinburgh, Scotland.[2] His family moved to New Zealand in 1946, where he took on the Māori language surname Karo.[4][5] He grew up in Auckland, New Zealand.[2] He was educated at Auckland Grammar School and the University of Auckland. He worked for two years as a cadet reporter at The New Zealand Herald.[2]
Karo became interested instead in acting and joined the New Zealand Players theatre company for two years.[2][6] He relocated to Sydney, Australia in 1957, where he resumed his career in theatre[2] and appeared in Under the Clocks, a 'sophisticated intimate revue' in Melbourne in 1958.[7] He featured in another revue, Further Off the Beach, the following year; he was singled out by a critic from The Age for a segment called 'Television Anonymous' about television addicts seeking a cure.[8][9]
He had many television and film roles starting from 1959, including Tragedy in a Temporary Town,[10] Beauty and the Beast,[11] Outpost,[12] and Rope.[13]
He appeared in Quiet Night in 1961. In 1967 he received an award for Best Actor of 1966 (the "Erik") from Melbourne theatre critics for his role in A Lily for Little India.[14]
Karo is best known for his role as the gay television producer Lee Whiteman in the first 18 months of the 1970s television soap opera The Box. On leaving the show he told TV Week's Sue Wallace that he felt he had been typecast: "Everyone thinks of me as playing the role of a queer. They haven't had the opportunity to see me do anything else."[6] He was unemployed for a year, then rejoined The Box and won the Logie Award in 1976 and the Penguin Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Whiteman.[15][16]
Other selected TV credits include: Homicide, Division 4, Matlock Police, Prisoner, The Sullivans, Special Squad, Phoenix, Blue Heelers and SeaChange.[4]
Karo retired in 1999 and died on 4 April 2025, aged 89.[1][17]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Title | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tragedy in a Temporary Town[4] | 1959 | Raphael Infante | TV movie |
| OutPost[4] | 1959 | Flight Sgt. Steve McCudden | TV movie |
| Uncle Martino[4] | 1960 | Silvio | TV movie |
| Quiet Night[4] | 1961 | Russell Keane | TV movie |
| Boy Round the Corner | 1962 | Gerry Lacey | TV movie |
| A Piece of Ribbon[18] | 1963 | TV movie | |
| And the Big Men Fly[4] | 1963 | Wally Sloss | TV movie |
| Duet: The Face at the Club House Door and How Do You Spell Matrimony? | 1965 | TV movie | |
| Plain Jane | 1966 | TV movie | |
| Demonstrator | 1971 | Charles East | Feature film |
| The Box[4] | 1975 | Lee Whiteman | Feature film |
| The Lion's Share | 1978 | TV movie | |
| Death of a Soldier | 1986 | Opposition MP | Feature film |
| A Cry in the Dark (aka Evil Angels) | 1988 | Lecturer | Feature film |
| Paperback Romance (aka Lucky Break) | 1994 | Defence Lawyer | Feature film |
Television
[edit]| Title | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consider Your Verdict[4] | 1962 | Hugh Barte | TV series |
| The Magic Boomerang[4] | 1965 | 2 roles: Johnson – Oswald III – Whitey the Postman | TV series |
| Adventures of the Seaspray[4] | 1966 | Criminal | TV series |
| The Long Arm[4] | 1970 | Gregory Watson | TV series |
| Division 4[4] | 1969–72 | 3 character roles: Bert Sweeney – Harry Sullivan – Jimmy Hansen | TV series |
| Matlock Police[4] | 1971–73 | 3 character roles: Brendon Parker Smith – David Shannessy – Kevin Harrison | TV series |
| Homicide[4] | 3 character roles: Alan Maddern – Carl Warren Lee – Club Customer | TV series | |
| The Box[4] | 1974–75, 1976 | Lee Whiteman | TV series, 193 episodes |
| Case for the Defence[4] | 1978 | Doctor Brian Mark | TV series |
| The Sullivans[4] | 1978 | Reverent Roland | TV series |
| Skyways[4] | 1979 | Brett Miles | TV series |
| Cop Shop[4] | 1980–81 | 3 character roles: Percy Bradford – Graham Jordon – Norman Lyons | TV series |
| Prisoner (aka Prisoner: Cell Block H)[4] | 1981–84 | Detective Inspector Rouse | TV series |
| Special Squad[4] | 1984 | Scaffer – Skinny | TV series |
| Carson's Law[4] | 1983–84 | 3 character roles: Allan – Giles D.Albert – Charles McMillan | TV series |
| Golden Pennies[4] | 1985 | Marcel | TV series |
| A Thousand Skies | 1985 | English Director | TV miniseries |
| ANZACS | 1985 | Doctor | TV miniseries |
| My Brother Tom[4] | 1986 | Chemist | TV miniseries |
| Sword of Honour[4] | 1986 | Godfrey | TV miniseries |
| Nancy Wake[4] | 1987 | Commissioner | TV miniseries |
| Phoenix[4] | 1993 | Ted McKinnon | TV series |
| Janus[4] | 1995 | Mr. Hoy | TV series |
| Blue Heelers[4] | 1994 | Dr. Fielding | TV series |
| Good Guys, Bad Guys[4] | 1997 | Joe Tyson | TV series |
| SeaChange[4] | 1998 | Dr. Ashcombe | TV series |
Theatre
[edit]| Title | Year | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Lily for Little India[19] | 1966 | Alvin Hanker | Stage play |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Knox, David (5 April 2025). "Vale: Paul Karo | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "N.Z. start for 'The Box' star". The Press. 10 February 1977. p. 11. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ Giles, Nigel "NUMBER 96: AUSTRALIA'S MOST INFAMOUS ADDRESS" published by Melbourne Books
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag "Obituary: Paul Karo". Television.AU. 5 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "karo". Te Aka Māori Dictionary. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ a b Wallace, Sue (21 February 1976). "Paul Doesn't Want to Play it for Laughs". TV Week. p. 25.
- ^ 'Under the Clocks' (ad) Melbourne Age 6 September 1958 p. 64
- ^ 'Revue is Entertaining' Melbourne Age 9 April 1959 p. 5
- ^ "PAUL KARO THEATRE CREDITS". AusStage.
- ^ 'Drama Set in Caravan Park' Age 'Radio/TV Supplement' 14 May 1959 p. 3
- ^ 'New Venture in TV "Live" Drama Field', Age 'Radio/TV Supplement' 25 June 1959 p. 1
- ^ 'From Comic Opera to Tense Jungle Drama',Age 'Radio/TV Supplement' 22 October 1959 p. 5
- ^ "Thrill Murder Drama for TV". Age. 29 October 1959. p. 1.
- ^ 'Actors Named', Melbourne Age 21 March 1967 p. 6
- ^ Zuk, Tony. "Australian Television: 1974–1977 Logie Awards". Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ Coates, Ken (8 February 1977). "'Australian TV sold on profits, ratings'". The Press. p. 17. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ OUTinPerth (5 April 2025). "Actor Paul Karo, who played a trailblazing gay role on Aussie TV, has died". OUTinPerth. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Murder Thriller on Channel 3". The Canberra Times. 24 July 1963. p. 35. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "A Lily in Little India". The Australian Jewish News. 5 August 1966. p. 10. Retrieved 7 April 2025.