John Cornell

John Cornell
Born	(1941-03-02) 2 March 1941 Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Occupation	Film producer, writer, actor and businessman
Years active	1973 to 1995
Spouse(s)	Delvene Delaney
Children	Allira and Liana (with Delaney); Melissa (previous marriage)

John Cornell (born 2 March 1941) is an Australian film producer, writer, actor, and businessman who was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. He is best known for his role as "Strop" in The Paul Hogan Show, and he was instrumental in the introduction of World Series Cricket in 1977.

Career

As a journalist, Cornell reported on local events in Perth for The Daily News (a publication of West Australian Newspapers).

In 1971, while working as a producer for the television show A Current Affair, Cornell recognised the talents of a Sydney Harbour Bridge rigger, Paul Hogan (who had been the subject of an interview by the station). Cornell became Hogan's manager and often appeared alongside him in his popular television show, The Paul Hogan Show, as a character called "Strop" (a dim-witted dinkum Australian surf lifesaver). He produced and co-wrote the screenplay for Hogan's 1986 film "Crocodile" Dundee which became the highest grossing Australian film. He also produced and directed the successful 1988 sequel, "Crocodile" Dundee II.

Cornell worked closely with Kerry Packer and Austin Robertson in setting up World Series Cricket (WSC) in 1977. Based on a suggestion in 1976 by Dennis Lillee (whom Cornell was managing at the time), Cornell presented the idea to Kerry Packer—primarily with the aim of providing better financial rewards to the players. Cornell was actively involved in the recruitment of players for WSC, for example travelling to New Zealand to sign players (including Doug Walters). Cornell engaged the Mojo agency to produce radio and television advertisements to promote WSC—including the production of the jingle "C'mon Aussie C'mon".

Personal life

Cornell was born in Kalgoorlie, but grew up in Bunbury in Western Australia. He states that he was considered a "ratbag" at school, but he topped the class in both English and economics at Bunbury High.

Cornell married Australian television personality Delvene Delaney in 1977, and they have two children: Allira and Liana. He was married twice before, and has a daughter from one of those marriages (Melissa, born in 1970).

Until its sale for a record price of $65 million in 2007, Cornell owned the Beach Hotel in Byron Bay (which he had built for $9 million in 1990).

Cornell suffers from Parkinson's disease and has undergone deep brain stimulation to alleviate the symptoms. The disease had rendered Cornell largely immobile, however treatment by Professor Peter Silburn at St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital in Brisbane enabled him to "enjoy 2km walks with his wife".

Cornell and Paul Hogan were investigated for alleged tax evasion as part of the Australian Taxation Office's Project Wickenby which commenced in 2004. They were also investigated by the Australian Crime Commission "over the use of offshore accounts to bank royalties from the Crocodile Dundee films" (with both denying any dishonest conduct). They were later cleared of any wrongdoing by the ACC. In 2012 Hogan and Cornell confirmed that they had settled the eight-year dispute with the Australian Taxation Office.

Filmography

Cornell has been involved in various roles in the following projects:

• Almost an Angel (1990) – producer, director
• "Crocodile" Dundee II (1988) – producer, director
• "Crocodile" Dundee (1986) – producer, writer
• Hogan in London (1975) – producer, actor, writer
• The Paul Hogan Show (1973 to 1984) – producer, actor, writer

References

Citations

Sources

External links

• John Cornell at the Internet Movie Database