Mark Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Mark Mitchell is an Australia
n actor and comedian.
) and taught secondary school English for 5 years before becoming a professional actor.
.
Mark has made many guest appearances on Australian television series such as SeaChange
, Neighbours
, I am a Bummer, Something in the Air, Blue Heelers
, Prisoner
and Dogwoman
.
Mark has also starred in children's television programs such as Round the Twist
, Lift Off and The Genie From Down Under
. He played the part of Chief Quimby in the 2003 film Inspector Gadget 2
.
Mitchell voices Commercial Radio advertising campaigns, playing a dim-witted fool who interviews various people about radio advertising with amusing consequences resulting from his character's lack of understanding the interviewees.
stall holders at Glenferrie Markets in 1984. The character became known nationally from regular appearances in The Comedy Company
, for which he also created the character of Con's wife, Marika. According to Comedy Company writer Ian McFadyen, "Con the Fruiterer was an attempt to represent that whole immigrant subculture which until recently has been totally ignored except as a stereotype token wog". Con has six daughters, Roula, Toula, Soula, Voula, Foula and Agape.
Con's catchphrases "coupla days" and "bewdiful" entered the Australian vernacular. In August 1989, then Prime Minister Bob Hawke
appeared in a The Comedy Company sketch with Mitchell on the premise of presenting Con with Australian citizenship. In reply to Con's question as to when Hawke was going to fix up the country, Hawke took great delight in responding "a coupla days".
The characters of Con and Marika continue to make appearances on and off television. Con the Fruiterer was appointed Moomba Monarch
(popularly called King of Moomba) in 1989.
Con's Bewdiful Australia: A Guide to the Second-Best Country in the World was published by Penguin Books in 1989 (ISBN 0140127100). Although written by Mitchell, authorship was credited to 'Con Dikaletis'. A condensed version of the book, read by Mitchell as Con, was released on audio cassette. A spinoff series Con's Bewdiful Holiday Videos was screened on the Ten Network in 1997. Con also fronted a campaign urging Australians to eat more fruit in 2010.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n actor and comedian.
Early life
Mark studied English and education at State College of Victoria Rusden Campus (now part of Deakin UniversityDeakin University
Deakin University is an Australian public university with nearly 40,000 higher education students in 2010. It receives more than A$600 million in operating revenue annually, and controls more than A$1.3 billion in assets. It received more than A$35 million in research income in 2009 and had 835...
) and taught secondary school English for 5 years before becoming a professional actor.
Career
Mark starred in the pioneering sketch comedy show The Eleventh Hour, a predecessor to his hit sketch show The Comedy CompanyThe Comedy Company
The Comedy Company was an Australian comedy television series first aired from 16 February 1988 until about 11 November 1990 on Network Ten, Sunday night and was created and directed by Ian McFadyen, and co directed and produced by Jo Lane...
.
Mark has made many guest appearances on Australian television series such as SeaChange
SeaChange
SeaChange was a popular Australian television show that ran for 39 episodes from 1998 to 2001 on the ABC. It was created by Andrew Knight and Deborah Cox and starred Sigrid Thornton, David Wenham, William McInnes, John Howard, Tom Long and Kerry Armstrong...
, Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, I am a Bummer, Something in the Air, Blue Heelers
Blue Heelers
Blue Heelers is an Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of police officers stationed at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in a small town in Victoria.- Overview :...
, Prisoner
Prisoner (TV series)
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
and Dogwoman
Dogwoman
Dogwoman is a series of Australian television telemovies screened on the Nine Network in 2000. The telemovies were created by and starred Magda Szubanski as Margaret O'Halloran. Margaret, a professional dog trainer, is drawn into a world of mystery, intrigue, and murder, which lies beneath the...
.
Mark has also starred in children's television programs such as Round the Twist
Round the Twist
Round the Twist is a Logie Award-winning Australian children's television series about three children and their widowed father who live in a lighthouse and become involved in many magical adventures....
, Lift Off and The Genie From Down Under
The Genie From Down Under
The Genie From Down Under is an Australian children's comedy television series. It was a co-production between the ACTF, the BBC and the ABC from 1996 to 1998...
. He played the part of Chief Quimby in the 2003 film Inspector Gadget 2
Inspector Gadget 2
Inspector Gadget 2 is a live-action comedy film, released directly to VHS and DVD in March 2003. It was based upon the cartoon series created by DiC Entertainment and is a direct-to-video sequel to the 1999 Walt Disney Pictures film Inspector Gadget and also released by DIC Entertainment...
.
Mitchell voices Commercial Radio advertising campaigns, playing a dim-witted fool who interviews various people about radio advertising with amusing consequences resulting from his character's lack of understanding the interviewees.
Con the Fruiterer
Mitchell's best known character is Con Dikaletis aka 'Con the Fruiterer' whom he created after being served by two Greek AustralianGreek Australian
Greeks are the seventh-largest ethnic group in Australia, after those declaring their ancestry simply as "Australian". In the 2006 census, 365,147 persons declared having Greek ancestry, either alone or in conjunction with another ethnicity....
stall holders at Glenferrie Markets in 1984. The character became known nationally from regular appearances in The Comedy Company
The Comedy Company
The Comedy Company was an Australian comedy television series first aired from 16 February 1988 until about 11 November 1990 on Network Ten, Sunday night and was created and directed by Ian McFadyen, and co directed and produced by Jo Lane...
, for which he also created the character of Con's wife, Marika. According to Comedy Company writer Ian McFadyen, "Con the Fruiterer was an attempt to represent that whole immigrant subculture which until recently has been totally ignored except as a stereotype token wog". Con has six daughters, Roula, Toula, Soula, Voula, Foula and Agape.
Con's catchphrases "coupla days" and "bewdiful" entered the Australian vernacular. In August 1989, then Prime Minister Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
appeared in a The Comedy Company sketch with Mitchell on the premise of presenting Con with Australian citizenship. In reply to Con's question as to when Hawke was going to fix up the country, Hawke took great delight in responding "a coupla days".
The characters of Con and Marika continue to make appearances on and off television. Con the Fruiterer was appointed Moomba Monarch
Moomba
Moomba is Australia's largest free community festival and one of the longest running festivals in Australia. Held annually in the city of Melbourne, Australia, Moomba is celebrated during the Labour Day long weekend , and has been celebrated since 1955...
(popularly called King of Moomba) in 1989.
Con's Bewdiful Australia: A Guide to the Second-Best Country in the World was published by Penguin Books in 1989 (ISBN 0140127100). Although written by Mitchell, authorship was credited to 'Con Dikaletis'. A condensed version of the book, read by Mitchell as Con, was released on audio cassette. A spinoff series Con's Bewdiful Holiday Videos was screened on the Ten Network in 1997. Con also fronted a campaign urging Australians to eat more fruit in 2010.