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Chips Rafferty
John William Pilbean Goffage MBE (26 March 1909 – 27 May 1971), known professionally as Chips Rafferty, was an Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the late 1930s until he died in 1971, and during this time he performed regularly in major Australian feature films such as Wake in Fright, as well as appearing in British and American productions, including The Overlanders and The Sundowners. He appeared in commercials in Britain during the late 1950s, encouraging British emigration to Australia.
John William Pilbean Goffage was born at Billy Goat Hill, near Broken Hill, New South Wales to John Goffage, an English-born stock agent, and Australian-born Violet Maude Joyce. Gaining the nickname "Chips" as a school boy, Rafferty studied at Parramatta Commercial School. At age 16, Rafferty began an apprenticeship as an iron moulder at Clyde Engineering Works before working in a variety of jobs, including opal miner, sheep shearer, drover, RAAF officer and pearl diver.
Rafferty was in his thirties when he made his debut at Cinesound Studios. His first film role was as a fireman in Ken G. Hall's comedy Dad Rudd, M.P. (1940) - Hall later recalled he was looking for an actor who was tall and skinny as a visual contrast to others and Cinesound's casting director, Ron Whelan, introduced Hall to Rafferty. Hall enjoyed Rafferty's performance and when he shot some additional scenes for the comedy Ants in His Pants he used Rafferty again, although the part was much smaller. (This film was released prior to Dad Rudd MP which is why many list it first on Rafferty's filmography.) At that time, he managed a wine cellar in Bond Street, Sydney.
Rafferty leapt to international fame when cast as one of the three leads in Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940), a film directed by Charles Chauvel that focused on the Battle of Beersheba in 1917. Rafferty's part was originally given to Pat Hanna but Chauvel changed his mind after being introduced to Rafferty by Ron Whelen and seeing a screen test with Rafferty. Chauvel described him as "a cross between Slim Summerville and James Stewart, and has a variety of droll yet natural humour." According to Filmink "Rafferty’s inexperience is evident, but it’s made up for by his presence."
Forty Thousand Horsemen was enormously popular and was screened throughout the world, becoming one of the most-seen Australian films made to that point. Although the film's romantic leads were Grant Taylor (actor) and Betty Bryant, Rafferty's performance received much acclaim.
Rafferty married (1) Jean Stewart Ferguson, daughter of John Ferguson of Belmore at St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Sydney on 16 November 1935, divorcing in 1940 in Sydney.
Rafferty married (2) Ellen Kathleen "Quentin" Jameson on 28 May 1941. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force the next day[clarification needed] and entertained troops.
During the war, Rafferty was allowed to make films on leave. He appeared in a short featurette, South West Pacific (1943), directed by Hall. He was reunited with Chauvel and Grant Taylor in The Rats of Tobruk (1944), an attempt to repeat the success of Forty Thousand Horsemen.
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Chips Rafferty
John William Pilbean Goffage MBE (26 March 1909 – 27 May 1971), known professionally as Chips Rafferty, was an Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the late 1930s until he died in 1971, and during this time he performed regularly in major Australian feature films such as Wake in Fright, as well as appearing in British and American productions, including The Overlanders and The Sundowners. He appeared in commercials in Britain during the late 1950s, encouraging British emigration to Australia.
John William Pilbean Goffage was born at Billy Goat Hill, near Broken Hill, New South Wales to John Goffage, an English-born stock agent, and Australian-born Violet Maude Joyce. Gaining the nickname "Chips" as a school boy, Rafferty studied at Parramatta Commercial School. At age 16, Rafferty began an apprenticeship as an iron moulder at Clyde Engineering Works before working in a variety of jobs, including opal miner, sheep shearer, drover, RAAF officer and pearl diver.
Rafferty was in his thirties when he made his debut at Cinesound Studios. His first film role was as a fireman in Ken G. Hall's comedy Dad Rudd, M.P. (1940) - Hall later recalled he was looking for an actor who was tall and skinny as a visual contrast to others and Cinesound's casting director, Ron Whelan, introduced Hall to Rafferty. Hall enjoyed Rafferty's performance and when he shot some additional scenes for the comedy Ants in His Pants he used Rafferty again, although the part was much smaller. (This film was released prior to Dad Rudd MP which is why many list it first on Rafferty's filmography.) At that time, he managed a wine cellar in Bond Street, Sydney.
Rafferty leapt to international fame when cast as one of the three leads in Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940), a film directed by Charles Chauvel that focused on the Battle of Beersheba in 1917. Rafferty's part was originally given to Pat Hanna but Chauvel changed his mind after being introduced to Rafferty by Ron Whelen and seeing a screen test with Rafferty. Chauvel described him as "a cross between Slim Summerville and James Stewart, and has a variety of droll yet natural humour." According to Filmink "Rafferty’s inexperience is evident, but it’s made up for by his presence."
Forty Thousand Horsemen was enormously popular and was screened throughout the world, becoming one of the most-seen Australian films made to that point. Although the film's romantic leads were Grant Taylor (actor) and Betty Bryant, Rafferty's performance received much acclaim.
Rafferty married (1) Jean Stewart Ferguson, daughter of John Ferguson of Belmore at St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Sydney on 16 November 1935, divorcing in 1940 in Sydney.
Rafferty married (2) Ellen Kathleen "Quentin" Jameson on 28 May 1941. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force the next day[clarification needed] and entertained troops.
During the war, Rafferty was allowed to make films on leave. He appeared in a short featurette, South West Pacific (1943), directed by Hall. He was reunited with Chauvel and Grant Taylor in The Rats of Tobruk (1944), an attempt to repeat the success of Forty Thousand Horsemen.