One of Australia’s longest-working actors has died.
Leslie Dayman, who boasted a showbiz career that spanned five decades, died this month at the age of 85 from unknown causes.
He is survived by his wife Rose Dayman, whom he married in 1961, and sons Nicholas Andrew and Timothy Paul, whom he shares with ex-wife, actress Diane Chamberlain.
Born in Victoria, the star began his acting career in theater in 1955, before landing his first TV role as Detective Bill Hudson in the 1960s crime drama series Homicide.
Dayman became a soap star in the 1980s and 1990s, landing roles on several popular series, including Sons and Daughters, Prisoner and E Street.
Australian actor Leslie Dayman (photo), best known for her leading roles in E Street and Prisoner, has died at the age of 85.
In Sons and Daughters he portrayed ruthless businessman Roger Carlyle, while in Prisoner he was cast as inmate Geoff MacRae.
He also played Senior Sergeant George Sullivan on E Street from 1989 to 1993, appearing in all but one episode of the series.
Dayman previously joked about being mistaken for another actor at the height of his E Street fame.
Born in Victoria, the star began his acting career in theater in 1955, before landing his first TV role as Detective Bill Hudson in the 1960s crime drama series Homicide.
“One of the more hilarious consequences of public recognition was the fact that I was often mistaken for Brian Wenzel, who was on the long-running TV show ‘A Country Practice,’ and vice versa,” he said EdenStreet.neT
“We’re about the same age and we both play police sergeants in small communities. We were both from Adelaide in South Australia, where we played in amateur theater in the early 1960s,” he mused.
Other TV credits include A Country Practice, Water Rats, Stingers, All Saints and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
Dayman also made several film appearances, including in the iconic Australian drama Gallipoli, as well as appearing regularly in local theater productions.
His last appearance was at All Saints in 2008.
Dayman became a soap star in the 1980s and 1990s, landing roles on several popular series, including Sons and Daughters, Prisoner and E Street. (Pictured L-R: Prisoner actors Peter Bensley, Leslie Dayman, Frank Burke)
Dayman previously joked about being mistaken for another actor at the height of his E Street fame. (Pictured L-R: E Street actors Leslie Dayman, Marianne Howard, Chelsea Brown and Vic Rooney)