Bert Newton AM MBE (1938-2021) was one of Australia's longest-serving and best-known television personalities. Having rejected the idea of joining the priesthood, he began work on Melbourne radio in 1952. In the earliest years of television, he hosted a daytime show before making his debut as straight-guy to Graham Kennedy on In Melbourne Tonight, the most popular program on the fledgling medium. When Kennedy left the station, Newton remained the sidekick to US import Don Lane, who gave him his tenacious nickname, 'Moonface'. With the demise of The Don Lane Show Newton hosted Ford Superquiz; New Faces - co-hosted with his wife, Patti - and Tonight with Bert Newton. In 1992 he moved into daytime television with Good Morning Australia, a continuing success for Channel 10 until late 2005. He hosted Bert's Family Feud and 20 to 1 on Channel 9. Newton hosted the Logies nearly 20 times and won the Gold Logie four times. The Channel 9 documentary Channel Nine Salutes Bert Newton was broadcast in 2004. Newton also appeared in a number of musical stage roles including in The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast, The Producers, The Sound of Music, the 2008 Melbourne production of Wicked, Grease the Musical and as the narrator of the 2015 production of The Rocky Horror Show.
