- Tommy Hanlon Jr
Infobox actor
name = Tommy Hanlon Jr
caption =
birthname = Tommy Gene Thomason
birthdate = 1923
birthplace =Parkersburg, West Virginia ,United States
deathdate = Death date and age|2003|10|9|1923|1|1
deathplace =Melbourne , Victoria,Australia
restingplace =
restingplacecoordinates =
othername =
occupation =Television actor , Circus ringmaster
yearsactive = 1927 - 2001
spouse = Jean Gregory, Muriel
domesticpartner =
parents = Tommy Hanlon
children =
website =Tommy Hanlon Jr (
1923 -9 October 2003 ) was an American-bornAustralia n media personality, notable for his early television appearances as host of "It Could Be You".Born Tommy Gene Thomason in
Parkersburg, West Virginia in 1923 tovaudeville performers, he appeared in his mother and father's act at age 4. He later took the stage name Tommy Hanlon Jr since his father's stage name was Tommy Hanlon. He first appeared on his own as a magician as a teenager and was an entertainer in show business for the rest of his life. After two years withOrson Welles 'Mercury Theatre inLos Angeles in the 1940s, and appearing on stage alongsideW.C. Fields , he came to Australia in the early days of television in the late 1950s. Hanlon became a major TV celebrity in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s.Hanlon quit television in 1978 and toured Australia as ringmaster of
Silvers Circus until 2001.Hanlon died from a stroke in
Melbourne onOctober 9 2003 . He was predeceased by his wife, Muriel (whom he always called Murphy), and survived by his daughter April Bell from that marriage and her son Jeff Almond. He was also survived by his first wife, Jean Gregory; his son by that marriage, Tommy Hanlon Thomason; three grandchildren by and two great-grandchildren.Despite his love for Australia, he never relinquished his
United States citizenship .References
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/10/1065676160014.html?from=storyrhs "TV legend found his calling under the big top", "The Age", October 11, 2003.]
External links
*imdb name | id=0360124 | name=Tommy Hanlon Jr
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