Bill Collins this weekend presented his last Golden Years Of Hollywood for Fox Classics, handing over the reins to actor, writer and TV critic Graeme Blundell.
Making his TV debut as a film reviewer for ABC program Roundabout in 1963, Collins went on to become presenter and movie reviewer for TCN9 in Sydney, later moving to ATN7. He took on a national profile when he moved across to the Ten network, presenting Golden Years Of Hollywood on Saturday nights as well as matinee movie screenings. He also wrote movie reviews for TV Times magazine and later for TV Week. He joined Foxtel when it launched in 1995.
He received an Order of Australia Medal in 1987, was inducted into the TV Week Logie Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and won the inaugural ASTRA Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2013.
“To all my fans, I want to say thank you for your support of the Golden Years of Hollywood. Thank you so much, you’ve brought me so much pleasure,” Collins said in a press release.
Blundell, who will present Saturday Night At The Movies, paid tribute to Collins: “It’s a great honour to continue the tradition of Bill’s foundation work on Fox Classics. There’s no doubt Bill is one of Australia’s best known and most loved movie presenters ever to appear on television, and it’s likely that he’s been adored by not only your parents but your grandparents too. His unique style, insight and passion for movies of the Golden Years of Hollywood has straddled many generations. Indeed the films from this era owe him a huge debt for keeping these wonderful classics alive over many decades.”
Bill Collins’ Golden Years Of Hollywood will continue to be available on Foxtel On Demand.
