Nationality Australian Years active 1959–present | Name John Hamblin Role Television presenter | |
Born 1935 (Age 79) Suffolk, England Occupation Television presenter, actor Movies The Disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain, Crime of the Decade, A Good Thing Going Similar People Benita Collings, Monica Trapaga, George Spartels, Trisha Goddard, Anne Haddy | ||
John Hamblin (born 1935) is an Australian children's television presenter and actor, best known for his lengthy stint presenting Play School from 1970 to 1999. He published a memoir in 2008.
Contents
Playschool john hamblin and the saucepan with no lid
Soap opera and film
Hamblin grew up in Suffolk, England, and did his national service in Cyprus before returning to England to become an actor, with an appearance in cult series The Prisoner - the episode 'A Change of Mind'. He came to Australia as a Ten Pound Pom in the 1960s and secured roles in television, including regular roles in soap operas Class of '74, The Restless Years, and The Young Doctors (as Dr Dan Wheatley), along with guest roles in Number 96 and Sons and Daughters. He was lead in short lived legal drama Case for the Defence (1978) in which he played the title role. He was a presenter of Play School and became the second most prolific presenter, appearing in 357 episodes while fellow presenter Benita Collings appeared in 401 episodes). Hamblin played the role of Michael Chamberlain in The Disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain.