Ron Shand

Ronald Ernest McMurtry (3 February 1906 in Carlton, Melbourne, Australia – 8 August 1993), professionally known as Ron Shand and earlier in his career as Ronnie McMurtry, was a Australian actor and comedian who worked extensively in numerously genres of the show business industry including, circus, soft shoe, theatre, cabaret, revue vaudeville, radio, television and film. Shand was also a recording artist. He started his career in vaudeville in Perth, he was probably best known however for his role in television soap opera Number 96 as Herbert "Herb" Evans.

Ron Shand
Born	Ronald Ernest McMurtry 3 February 1906 Carlton, Melbourne, Australia
Died	8 August 1993 (aged 87) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Other names	Ronnie McMurtry
Occupation	Actor (radio, stage (including cabaret, revue), television and film) comedian circus performer dancer vaudevillian
Years active	?-1985
Known for	Number 96, The Benny Hill Show, Poor Man's Orange
Spouse(s)	Letty Craydon
Family	Iris Shand (1912-2000; actress, theatre director, stage manager)[1]

Biography

Shand came from a background in show business, particulary of circus performers, that spanned 4 generations on his mothers side and 3 generations on his fathers side, his grandfather Patrick Montomery was an Irish-born ringmaster and horse trainer and was married to Annie Gordon, who was half French and half Spanish[2]. Born to entertainer parents, his father, Ernest Shand and mother where circus acrobat's, whom had met at 19, whilst performing with the Fitzgeralds Circus. Ron was given the name "Shand" was by to his grandparents as travelling circus performers and Ron grew up with them in Melbourne. He started his career in the circus as a clown, and later performed as a song and dance man in vaudeville, did tent shows and comedy. He appeared in the Tivoli circuit for many years playing in revue and pantomime, before joining the J. C. Williamson theatre company for several seasons in musical comedy. he worked ac act his first wife Laurel Streeter and dancer Eddie Clifford.[3] Roles with J C Williamson included The Pajama Game, Can Can, The Sentimental Bloke, and Sail Away produced by Noël Coward. he also appeared in numerous plays with the John Alden Shakespeare company.

Shand was then one of the original members of the John Alden Shakspeare Company that toured all the capital cities of Australia. Shand played in several straight dramatic roles with the company, appearing in such plays as The Man Who Came to Dinner, Arsenic and Old Lace , Love Thy Neighbour and Bell, Book and Candle. Through the 1960s Shand also acted in several Australian television drama series, including Matlock Police, Division 4 and Homicide

Shand subsequently found his widest audiences in the 1970s on television through his portrayal of hen-pecked Herbert Evans, husband to shrill gossip Dorrie (Pat McDonald), in the phenomenally successful sex-comedy soap opera Number 96. Comedy characters Dorrie and Herb became two of the show's most popular figures and continued in the series its entire 1972–1977 run. After the series ended Shand acted in television dramas The Young Doctors, A Country Practice, Prisoner and G.P. and the acclaimed miniseries Poor Man's Orange. He was also part of the cast of a 1977 The Benny Hill Show TV special made in Australia, in place of Hill's usual short, bald stooge Jackie Wright.[4] He was married to actress and singer Letty Craydon, (born Letitia Matilda Graydon 1899-1965), who coincidentally enough featured in the film Seven Little Australian, that starred Pat McDonald, who would play his future Number 96 on-screen wife Dorrie Evans)[5] whom he appeared with in revues and he also had a younger sister Iris Shand, (Thelma Hilda Shand; 1 April 1912), wo wasa soubrette, dancer and actress, as well as a theatre director and stage manager[2]who worked with their parents in the circus.

Filmography (selected)

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1952	Kangaroo	Accordion Player	[lower-alpha 1]
1960	Farewell, Farewell, Eugene	Unknown	[lower-alpha 2]
1961	Whiplash	Publican	[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 1]
1961	Long Distance	role unknown	[lower-alpha 2]
1962-1964	Consider Your Verdict	Dicker
1966	They're A Weird Mob"	Man at Racetrack	[lower-alpha 1]
1966-1968	Homicide	3 roles: - Jock Wilson - Arthur Wilkes - Alf Purcer	[lower-alpha 3]
1968	Contrabandits	Mickey	[lower-alpha 3]
1969	"You Can't See 'round Corners	Punter	[lower-alpha 1]
1969	"Riptide"	Baliff Napier	[lower-alpha 3]
1968-1969	Skippy	Ernie Stubbs - Gus	[lower-alpha 3]
1970	The Long Arm	Zookeeper	[lower-alpha 3]
1970	The Rovers	Jack Carter	[lower-alpha 3]
1970	Mrs Finnigan	Dan Smith	[lower-alpha 3]
1971	Matlock Police	McPhee	[lower-alpha 3]
1970-1972	Division 4	4 roles: Will ""Duff Duff" Duffy Billy Rabbit Fred Miller	[lower-alpha 3]
1972-1977	Number 96	Herbert Evans	[lower-alpha 3] [lower-alpha 4]
1977	Benny Hill Down Under	Various roles	[lower-alpha 5]
1978	Father, Dear Father in Australi	Pickles	[lower-alpha 3]
1979	Love Thy Neighbour in Australia	Arnold	[lower-alpha 3]
1980	"Menotti"	Halliday	[lower-alpha 3]
1981	The Young Doctors	Arthur Shepherd	[lower-alpha 3]
1982	"Fluteman"	Dicker
1983	A Country Practice	Big Mac	[lower-alpha 3]
1984	Prisoner	Pop Misom	[lower-alpha 3]
1987	Poor Man's Orange	Bumper Reily	[lower-alpha 6]
1988	Rafferty's Rules	Sid Clutten	[lower-alpha 3]
1990	"The Last Crop"	Mr. Thompson	[lower-alpha 2]
1991	G.P.	Charlie Jackman	[lower-alpha 3]

Theatre credits (selected)

Further theatre credits can be found at AusStage: Ron Shand theatre roles[6] Ron had roles for numerous theatre companies including with J.C. Williamson and John Alden theatre: He started on stage in 1934 and had numerous character roles until 1985

Title

The Pajama Game

Can-Can

The Sentimental Bloke

Sail Away

The Man Who Came to Dinner

Arsenic and Old Lace

Love Thy Neighbour

Bell, Book and Candle

Notes

1. Uncredited
2. TV movie
3. TV series
4. 1 of 3 original with Pat McDonald and Bunney Brooke
5. Fill-in for Jackie Wright
6. TV mini-series

References

1. "Iris Shand". AusStage.
2. "Iris Shand interviewed by Bill Stephens [sound recording]".
3. "Practitioners [S]". 27 April 2011.
4. Atterton, Margot. (Ed.) The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Australian Showbiz, Sunshine Books, 1984. ISBN 0-86777-057-0 p 202
5. "Craydon, Letty".
6. "Ron Shand Ron Sand at AusStage".

External links

• Ron Shand on IMDb