Chips Rafferty

Chips Rafferty was frequently described as "the Cary Grant of Australia," a reflection of his immense popularity rather than his choice of roles. Rafferty enjoyed a wide variety of on- and off-stage experiences before making his film bow in 1938's Ants in His Pants. Tall, tanned, and rugged, Rafferty seemed equally at home in an open-necked shirt in the Outback as he did in fancy duds on the streets of Melbourne -- much in the manner of his more modern counterpart, American leading man Sam Elliot. Rafferty's most popular starring films included Bush Christmas (1946), The Overlanders (1946), and Eureka Stockade (1948). He also appeared in character roles in several American films and TV programs, often cast as a "Lord-love-a-duck" stereotyped Aussie. Chips Rafferty collapsed on a Sydney street and died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 62.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide