Harold Sydney Charles Heylen (25 May 1923 – 4 December 1996),[1][2] credited variously as Syd Heylen, Sid Heylen and Sydney Heylen, was an Australian character actor of radio, stage, television and film, comedian, and variety performer and soldier, he often performed in a traditional vaudeville style in the vein of Roy Rene.

Syd Heylen
Born
Harold Sydney Charles Heylen

(1923-05-25)25 May 1923[1]
Died4 December 1996 (aged 73)
Queensland, Australia
Other namesSydney Heylen
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • variety performer
Years activec. 1940s–1996
Known forA Country Practice as Vernon "Cookie" Locke
Notable work
Spouses
  • Dorothy Plater
    (m. 1944, divorced)
  • Patti Brittain
    (m. 1961)
Children2

Early life

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Heylen was born in Renmark, South Australia in 1923, as the only son of a carpenter, he had 4 sisters[2] He joined the army at 16 and served on the Kokoda Trail under the rank of Private in the 39th Infantry Battalion, later going on to join an 1st army entertainment troupe. In 1961, he married Patti Brittain (his second wife) and they had two children (both in the entertainment industry) - a daughter, Julie Heylen, and a son, Syd Heylen Junior, who is a well known entertainer in variety and cabaret.

Career

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Film and TV

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Heylen went into vaudeville after World War II and as one of Australian television's early performer in 1956 starred in the television variety show The Show of Stars with Hal Lashwood and John Ewart.

He became popular during the 1960s on television as a regular performer on the HSV-7 variety show Sunnyside Up for 10 years, appearing as 'Sydney from Sydney'. He teamed up with other comics, such as Honest John Gilbert, Maurie Fields, and Val Jellay presenting comedy sketches in between the musical items. Recycling his vaudeville shtick, Heylen specialised in stooges prone to cheekiness, drunkenness, pratfalls and spit takes.

Heylen was best known for his role in A Country Practice, as the RSL club manager, barman and chef Vernon 'Cookie' Locke, who he played from 1982 until 1992, alongside Gordon Piper as his mate Bob Hatfield. Cookie and Bob were styled as a version of The Odd Couple, with Cookie as the slob and Bob as the neat one. In the series he was briefly engaged to town gossip Esme Watson (Joyce Jacobs)[1] He was cast as Cookie after the series creator and executive producer James Davern saw him in the ill-fated TV series Arcade in 1980 alongside Lorrae Desmond, whom he would also cast in ACP. Heylen was written out of the series in 1992 alongside Gordon Piper), as the producers wanted to concentrate on a younger cast and an updated formula. Davern would later regret dropping Cookie and Bob, as they were two of the show's central older characters who provided many of the comedy scenes between the more dramatic storylines.

Heylen appeared in numerous smaller television series roles including Crawford Production staples Matlock Police, Homicide and Division 4 in each case in 5 different roles, as well as Alvin Purple. storylines. Heylen also acted in the soap opera The Box playing a fast-talking television sportscaster.

Heylen played a minor role in the film Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior as Curmudgeon.

Music

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In the 1980s, he released a number of albums on vinyl: a spoken word album with comedian/entertainer Maurie Fields and a collaboration with ACP co-star Lorrae Desmond and music albums including "Cookie" featuring jazz, world music, folk, country and stage and screen tunes and containing songs such as covers like Patsy Cline's "Who's Sorry Now?", to which the D-Generation quipped "anyone who bought the album".[3]

Later life and death

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After he left A Country Practice in 1992, he and his wife Patti retired to their Gold Coast, Queensland home. Occasionally he would do public appearances and performances. He died from a stroke on 4 December 1996.[1]

Recognition

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Heylen was a patron and performer for the Variety Club Australia, where he was awarded as The First National Living Treasure.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Tiitle Role Notes
1977 Listen to the Lion Hunter's Friend Short film
1980 Stir Old Bob Feature film
1981 Mad Max 2 Curmudgeon Feature film
1982 Starstruck Pub guest Feature film
1982 Ginger Meggs Stablehand Feature film
1986 Hector's Bunyip Chooka Morris TV movie

Television

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Year Tiitle Role Notes
1982-92 A Country Practice TV series, episode: 726
1974 Division 4 Jack Murray, Williams, Herbie Ross, Shake, Arthur Stone TV series, 5 episodes: "For My Next Trick", "Sergeant Banner", "Maria", "A Cry of Wolf", "Sat'dy Arvo"
1974 The Box Vern Walters TV series
1974/75 Homicide Service station proprietor, Kelpie, Bernie Harrison, George Burley, Publican TV series, 5 episodes: "A Thing of the Past", "Twelve Bar Blues", "Welcome to Mayfield", "The Chaff Bandits", "Free Enterprise"
1974-75 Matlock Police Pious Pearce, Art, Dummy Dummett, Frank Gallagher, Bernie Coghlan TV series, 5 episodes: "Loggerheads", "A Couple of Days Away", "Like Fred", "The Last and Final Straw", "The Right of Way"
1976 King's Men Withers TV series, episode: Public Enemy Number #1
1976 Alvin Purple Perce TV series, episode: "Like Father, Like Son"
1977 Young Ramsay Syd Kelly TV series, episode: "Yellow Dog"
1980 Arcade Walter Blair TV series, 35 episodes
1980 The Sullivans Gabby TV series
1981 A Town Like Alice Art Foster TV series
1984 Sweet and Sour Juggler TV series
1992 E Street Reggie Bucketts TV series
1996 Fire Seth TV series
1997 Fallen Angels Cedric TV series

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Wandin Valley Bush Nursing Hospital - Syd Heylen Biography". www.acountrypractice.com.
  2. ^ a b "Harold Sydney Charles (Syd) Heylen".
  3. ^ "SYD HEYLEN "COOKIE"". Discogs.
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