Mark Mitchell (actor) explained

Mark Mitchell
Birth Date:1954 9, df=yes
Birth Place:Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation:Actor, comedian, contemporary artist
Years Active:1984–present

Mark Mitchell (born 29 September 1954) is an Australian actor, comedian and contemporary artist, best known for his roles in the sketch comedy series The Comedy Company, most especially his character of Greek Australian fruit store proprieter Con the Fruiterer.

Early life

Mark Mitchell was born in Melbourne. He studied English and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne and then completed a Diploma of Education at State College of Victoria Rusden Campus (now part of Deakin University). He taught secondary school (Ararat high school) English for five years before becoming an advertising copy-writer and then a professional actor.

Career

Mitchell starred in the pioneering sketch comedy show The Eleventh Hour, a predecessor to his hit sketch show The Comedy Company. His best known character is Con Dickaletus aka 'Con the Fruiterer' whom he created after being served by two Greek Australian stall holders at Glenferrie Markets in 1984.[1] The character became known nationally from regular appearances in The Comedy Company, for which he also created the character of Con's wife, Marika.

He has made many guest appearances on Australian television series such as SeaChange, Neighbours, Something in the Air, Blue Heelers, Prisoner, Special Squad, Willing and Abel, Dogwoman and Upper Middle Bogan.

He has also starred in children's television programs such as Round the Twist, Lift Off and The Genie From Down Under. He played the part of Chief Quimby in the 2003 film Inspector Gadget 2. He has also lent his voice to the children's animated series Li'l Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers and The Flamin' Thongs.

Mitchell voices commercial radio advertising campaigns, playing a dim-witted fool who interviews various people about radio advertising, with amusing consequences resulting from his character's lack of understanding the interviewees.

He portrayed fictional museum exhibit figure "Max Muck" for some of the video reel and photos used and depicted in the exhibit "The Muck Bunker Constipation Experience" at Scienceworks Museum in Melbourne housed in the Spotswood Pumping Station.

He has had supporting lead roles in various US movies made in Australia including The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas and The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes, and voiced the character of 'Buck Cluck' for the Australian release of Chicken Little. He has also portrayed David Lange in the 1994 New Zealand tv mini-series Fallout.[2]

Filmography

Film

TitleYearRoleType
Wills & Burke1985CarpenterFeature film
Ground Zero1987DetectiveFeature film
With Love to the Person Next to Me1987Salesman in TaxiFeature film
Evil Angels (aka A Cry in the Dark)1988School TeacherFeature film
The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas1996SantaTV movie
Dogwoman: Dead Dog Walking2000Prologue Narrator (voice)TV movie
On the Beach2000RegTV movie
Dogwoman: A Grrrl's Best Friend2000Prologue Narrator (voice)TV movie
Like Mother Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes2001Sante's LawyerTV movie
Abschied in den Tod2001Chief Inspector PeckTV movie
Dogwoman: The Legend of Dogwoman2001Prologue Narrator (voice)TV movie
Inspector Gadget 22003Chief QuimbyFeature film
Loot2004Billy AngelTV movie
Chicken Little2005Buck Cluck (voice - Australian release only) Feature film
The Fourth Pillar2009Dr. Francis Staedler
Paper Planes2009Mr. WhiteTV movie
Spirit of the Game2016President BinghamFeature film

Television

TitleYearRoleType
Carson's Law1984Worker at protestTV series
The Fast Lane1985DerekTV series
Trapp, Winkle and Box1985VariousTV series
A Thousand Skies1985Hotel Receptionist in San FranciscoTV miniseries
Anzacs1985Young Dying GermanTV miniseries
The Eleventh Hour 1985Various characters (including Bert Newton)TV series
Prisoner 1984-86Peter Waterson / Steve Formby / RestaurateurTV series
Sword of Honour1986Sergeant OlsenTV miniseries
The Petrov Affair1987WestTV miniseries
Willing and Abel1987Sergeant DobsonTV series
The Comedy Company 1988Con the Fruiterer / Stuart Parkington-Loafe / Marika Dikaletis (Con's Wife)TV series
Larger than Life1990Various CharactersTV series
The Big Time1990Mark TV series
Good Vibrations1992W.C. FieldsTV miniseries
Lift Off1992Mr. FishTV series
E Street 1992Uncle Wally TV series
Paradise Beach1993Shirley BarnettTV series
Fallout1995David LangeTV miniseries
The Genie from Down Under1996Otto von MeisterTV series
Con's Bewdiful Holiday Videos 1997Con the Fruiterer / Marika TV series
The Genie From Down Under 21998Otto von Meister / Mrs SimpsonTV series
Li'l Elvis and the Truckstoppers1998VoiceAnimated TV series
Something in the Air2000Neville McGregor TV series
SeaChange2000Morton TregonnineTV series
Round the Twist1992–2001Mr. Gribble TV series
The Wonderful World of Disney2001GriffTV series
Blonde2001Texas OilmanTV miniseries
Farscape2001Mu-QuillusTV series
Blue Heelers2004Arnold RobinsonTV series
Eagle and Evans2005Ron SalisburyTV series
2006BlondieTV miniseries
The Nation2007Con the FruitererTV series
Neighbours 2010Magistrate Paul O'ReganTV series
Sleuth 1012010Ramsay McGordonTV series
Taj2011Ben
This Week Live2013GuestTV series
The Flamin' Thongs2014Trevor Thong (voice)Animated TV series
Upper Middle Bogan2014Dr. MortimerTV series
Movement2016Casting Agent Dave TV series
The Wizards of Aus2016Senator QuinnTV series
Jack Irish2016Radio HostTV series
The Doctor Blake Mysteries2016Harvey TreloarTV series
True Story with Hamish & Andy2018Dr. BeatsonTV series
American Eggs2018DriverTV series
FeedbackNarrator / Charles BukowskiTV series
New Gold Mountain2021Linus CumminsTV miniseries

Video

TitleYearRoleType
The Muck Bunker Constipation ExperienceMax Muck Video reel (for Scienceworks (Melbourne)
Con the Fruiterer: A Coupla Days1989Con the FruitererMusic video
The Story of EC1992Mr. Fish Video
Finding My Magic2010Mench / Tom (voice)Video

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Con The Fruiterer's secret . ABC news . 2005-11-12 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121110172227/http://www.abc.net.au/wa/stories/s1514381.htm . 10 November 2012 .
  2. Web site: Fallout - Part 1. NZ On Screen.