Bert's one of those Ubiquitous
Australian celebrities who always seems popular, but it's almost impossible to find anyone who likes him. Maybe that's because his audience are all
blue-rinse brigade, and I don't spend enough time in
nursing homes or around
poker machines.
Bert's a celebrity because he's on
TV, and that's it.
Since television began in
Australia in
1951,
Bert Newton, with his twin talents as a natural
comedian and sophisticated
compere, has been a favourite with the viewing public, visiting celebrities and critics alike. During a visit to Australia in
1983,
Bob Hope said of Bert, "Personally, he is a
fine man. Professionally, he is one of the best I've ever seen."
Bert's career has been recognised with an incredible collection of awards including 15
Logie's (six of which were Gold) and an
MBE from the Queen in
1979. He has earned a reputation as Australia's premier
Master of Ceremonies for special event television and has hosted the Logie Awards a record 18 times.
In
1975 Bert became compere of the
Nine Network's '
New Faces' show, which was on air for 22 years. He has also had 20 years working on live variety productions with
Graham Kennedy and
Don Lane. In
1984 he hosted 'Tonight with Bert Newton', which is of special significance - he was the first compere to present a fortnightly variety show on a national basis.
In July
1985 Bert left the Nine Network after a
record-breaking 27 years and in
1986 joined
3DB Radio
Melbourne as General Manager and on-air personality.
1989 saw Bert's return to the
Seven Network as host of '
The Bert Newton Show'.
Bert starred in
The Wizard of Oz and as Cogsworth in
Disney's Beauty and the Beast. In
1991, during The Wizard of Oz, he was signed by
Network Ten to host '
Good Morning Australia', which he continues to host today.
(bio taken from http://www.oncueonline.com.au/oncue/profile/celebs/bert_newton/bert_newton.htm, obviously written by someone working for a TV station)