Mike Walsh

Australian television host and producer, a magnetic and cheeky theatrical entrepreneur, Walsh was the undisputed king of Australian daytime TV in the 1970s and early 1980s. He was born in the Murray River town of Corowa in New South Wales but went to school at Xavier College in Melbourne. He performed in amateur theatre while later studying pharmacy at Melbourne University before joining Radio 3SR in Shepparton in rural Victoria, 1960, and moving to Sydney's 2SM in 1962. From 1966 he hosted various television variety shows, culminating in the top-rating "The Mike Walsh Show" (February 1973-1985). Walsh was the man who made daytime TV fun with his long laughs, the rolling of his eyes and a bunch of zany talented regulars. In the 1980s, Walsh reportedly requested that a tunnel be built from his dressing room-cottage to the studio of "The Mike Walsh Show" to keep the rain off him. Such was his star power that the then-Channel Nine boss reportedly summonsed a quote for the building works but decided against spending the $1 million it would have cost. In 1987 Walsh won a $7 million pay-out after Channel Nine had cancelled his contract in order to produce his show's replacement, "The Midday Show." Walsh received the 41st TV Week Logie Hall of Fame statuette in 1999 in this industry-voted category that recognizes the outstanding contributions of individuals to the Australian television industry. He had previously won three Gold Logies and received his OBE in 1980. Walsh bought Sydney's Orpheum theatre in 1986 and was a Trustee of the Sydney Opera House 1990-96. In 2000, he bought Melbourne's historic but neglected Her Majesty's Theatre, planning a $6 million refurbishment of the edifice that nurtured his childhood fascination with theatre. Walsh has never married. Link to Wikipedia biography