Lex Marinos

Lex Marinos
Marinos in 2014
Born	Alexander Francis Marinos (1949-02-01)1 February 1949 Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
Died	13 September 2024(2024-09-13) (aged 75) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1967−2017

Alexander Francis Marinos OAM^[1] (1 February 1949 – 13 September 2024) was an Australian actor. Notable for his acting role as Bruno, the Italian son-in-law of Ted Bullpitt, on the 1980s Australian comedy television series Kingswood Country and as host of Late Night Legends on ABC2, he was also a presenter on radio station Double Jay (2JJ, now Triple J) in the late 1970s with Ted Robinson.

Marinos was born on 1 February 1949 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, the son of a Greek immigrant father, Fotios ("Frank") Marinopoulos and Greek-Australian mother, Anne Karofilis who was the daughter of Adonis ("Tony") Karofilis, a Greek migrant from Kasos, Greece and Minnie Matheson, an Australian of Scottish and English origin, with descent going back to a couple, Samuel Bradley, a convict, and Marian Mortimer, a free migrant who immigrated to Hobart, Tasmania in the 19th century, who are Marinos's maternal great-great-great-grandparents. Marinos' maternal grandparents, Adonis and Minnie worked and owned Greek café's in towns across the Riverina region of New South Wales including; Wagga Wagga, The Rock and also in the town of Bogan Gate.^[2][3] He graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours in Drama.^[3][4] In the late 1970s, he began presenting on the youth radio station 2JJ, later becoming a presenter on ABC local radio, including the show "Late Night Legends."^[5]

In 1980 he was cast in the television comedy Kingswood Country as Bruno, the role for which he is most famous.^[5][6]

Marinos died in Sydney on 13 September 2024, aged 75. His family announced on social media that he died "peacefully... at home, at a moment of his choosing, surrounded by family and the sounds of Bob Dylan."^[5][6]

Marinos was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to the performing arts. He was also a former Deputy Chair of the Australia Council and the Community Cultural Development Fund of the Australia Council.^[7]

In 2008 he delivered the tenth annual Tom Brock Lecture, on the history of Australian immigration and rugby league.^[8]

The cast of The Slap, including Marinos, received the Equity Award for Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble In A Television Movie or Mini-Series in 2012.^[9]

• Lex Marinos at IMDb