Ray Meagher (born 4 July 1944) is a veteran Australian character actor. He has appeared regularly in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s, and is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, as Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the role since the first episode in 1988. He is the only original actor still with the series as of 2015. Meagher won the Gold Logie Award for his role in Home and Away in 2010.

Early life

Meagher was born and raised on a sheep and cattle station in Queensland, before attending a boarding school on the Gold Coast from the age of nine. He became a keen sportsman at high school, Marist College Ashgrove in Brisbane, representing the school at a number of sports including rugby union, a sport which he ultimately played at state level.

Career

Film

His early film roles included appearances Breaker Morant, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Newsfront, My Brilliant Career and The Shiralee He also had a cameo in the 1979 war comedy The Odd Angry Shot.