John Reford Ewart (26 February 1928 – 8 March 1994) was an Australian actor of radio, stage, television and film. Ewart was a double recipient of the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Biography Career Ewart, who was born in Melbourne, Victoria to Alfred Adam Ewart an insurance agent and his wife Jennie Grace Madge Lois (nee Macauley) began his acting career when he was cast at the age four in a radio production of Snow White. At the age of 18, he made his film debut in the lead role of Mickey O'Riordan in Charles Chauvel's production of Sons of Matthew. Ewart appeared in hundreds of Australian radio, theatre, film and television productions. To many thousands of Australians who grew up in the 1950s and '60s, he will be remembered as "Jimm", the boyishly cheeky co-presenter of the ABC Radio Children's Session, and in the title role of its long-running serial The Muddle-Headed Wombat. He was well known for his role in the film Sunday Too Far Away, his ongoing role in the Australian TV series The Restless Years in 1980–81, and his lead role opposite Nicole Kidman in Bush Christmas. He was proudest of his starring role in the 1977 film The Picture Show Man. Personal life Ewart married four times, firstly to Lorraine Marie Crocker, a Sydney beauty consultant in May 1951 and had 2 sons, but divorced a few years later, he then married Susan Mary Newton, a broadcasting presentation consultant on 17 April 1966, with whom he had 2 daughters. They divorced in 1978 and on 24 December he married public relations consultant Patricia De Heer In 1992 he became engaged to TV presenter Jane Fennell, but they postponed the wedding after the death of her father, Ewart's long time friend Willie Fennell. They were married on 8 March 1994 in a bedside ceremony as Ewart was dying of throat cancer. He died five days after the wedding. Film awards In 1976 John Ewart was nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Let the Balloon Go. In 1977 he won the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for The Picture Show Man. Filmography Film Sons of Matthew (1949) .... Mickey O'Riordan Petersen (1974) .... Peter Sunday Too Far Away (1975) .... Ugly The Love Epidemic (1975, Documentary) Caddie (1976) .... Paddy Reilly Let