Alexander Francis Marinos OAM^[1] (1 February 1949 – 13 September 2024) was an Australian actor and television director, radio personality and voice artist. He was most notable for his role as Bruno, in the 1980s television series Kingswood Country.

Marinos was born on 1 February 1949 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales,^[2] the son of a Greek immigrant father, Fotios ('Frank') Marinopoulos^[3] 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 Marinos's maternal great-great-great-grandparents, Samuel Bradley, a convict, and Marian Mortimer, a free emigrant, who arrived in Hobart, Tasmania, in the 19th century.^{[citation needed]}

Marinos' maternal grandparents, Adonis and Minnie, owned Greek cafés in towns across the Riverina region of New South Wales, including Wagga Wagga and The Rock, and also in the town of Bogan Gate.^[4][5] Marinos moved to Sydney where he attended North Sydney Boys High School. He graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours in Drama.^[5][6] He also studied with renowned American acting teacher, Stella Adler.^[7]

In the late 1970s, Marinos began presenting on the ABC youth radio station 2JJ, later becoming a presenter on ABC Local Radio, including the show Late Night Legends on ABC2.^[8] With Ted Robinson, he was also a presenter on radio station 2JJ (Double Jay), now Triple J, in the late 1970s. He has since worked as a radio presenter on various ABC and commercial networks.^[9]

In 1980, Marinos was cast as Bruno, the Italian son-in-law of Ted Bullpitt in the 1980s television comedy series, Kingswood Country, the role for which he is most famous.^[8][10] He had recurring roles in television series City West (1984), Embassy (1991–1982), miniseries The Slap (2011) and Fighting Season (2018). He also appeared in several films including Cathy's Child (1979), Hoodwink (1981), Goodbye Paradise (1983), Pandemonium (1988), The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992) and Backyard Ashes (2013).

Marinos acted in theatre productions with Nimrod, the APG, Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Company B, Big hART.

He also directed numerous stage productions, including an 1980 tour of No Room for Dreamers across Australia, England, Scotland and Ireland. He co-founded the King O'Malley Theatre Company. He was also a member of the creative and production team for the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, ^[11] directing the segment 'Arrivals' about immigrants arriving in Australia. He was the director of 'Carnivale', NSW’s multicultural arts festival, from 1996 to 1999. He was executive producer of the Yeperenye Federation Festival, for the Centenary of Federation Celebrations in Alice Springs.^[12]

He director credits also extended to film, including An Indecent Obsession (1985) and Boundaries of the Heart (1988), and the television series Bodyline (1984) and Embassy (1990).

Marinos was a former Deputy Chair of the Australia Council and the Community Cultural Development Fund of the Australia Council.^[13] He was a frequent speaker and writer on arts and cultural diversity. In 2008, he delivered the tenth annual Tom Brock Lecture, on the history of Australian immigration and rugby league.^[14] He was also guest tutor at several theatre and screen colleges.^[15]

Marinos's book "Blood and Circuses: an irresponsible memoir" was published by Allen & Unwin.^[16] He has also written for film, television, radio, and stage, as well as the publications The Bulletin, The Weekend Australian, and the Good Weekend. He was a proud member of Actors Equity since 1970.

Marinos was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1994 for "service to the performing arts as an actor, director and writer."^[17] He was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001.^[18]

In 2012, 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.^[19]

Marinos died in Sydney on 13 September 2024, aged 75, after a two-decade battle with leukemia.^[20] 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."^[8][10]

^[24]

• Lex Marinos at IMDb