Stage, film and television actor Fred Parslow has died at the age of 84.

Parslow started at the Union Theatre Repertory Company (now Melbourne Theatre Company) in 1955 and appeared in many of its productions.

He also featured in television from its earliest days, including comedy sketches on In Melbourne Tonight and The Ray Taylor Show and starring in early ABC plays such as As You Are, The Rivals, Boy Round The Corner and She’ll Be Right.

Later television credits included The Magic Boomerang, The Sullivans, Bluey, Against The Wind, Skyways, Neighbours, The Paper Man, Mission Top Secret, telemovie Burn The Butterflies (pictured) and mini-series A Long Way From Home.

In 1971 Parslow appeared in an early anti-smoking campaign for the Cancer Council but the commercial, which showed him in a parody of the Marlboro Man, was never aired. Commercial channels refused to broadcast the ad as it risked the amount of revenues that were coming in from the cigarette companies. (Tobacco advertising was not banned from television until 1976)

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1987, for service to the performing arts.

Fred Parslow died on 26 January. He is survived by son Justin Harris Parslow. His wife, actress Joan Harris, died in September last year.

Source: Melbourne Theatre Company, IMDB, Wikipedia, The ABV2 Page, Cancer Council Victoria, TV Tonight.