Film director Kevin James Dobson has died at the age of 73, his former agents, Back To Crawford Productions, confirmed. The TV legend, who was married to his first wife, Noni Hazlehurst, from 1975 to 1978, passed away in Melbourne on Saturday (February 21), after a career spanning four decades.
Taking to social media, his agents announced: “A young Manchester, UK-born Kevin Dobson started at Crawford’s as a trainee before becoming an assistant film editor. Kevin worked in the USA, living in Los Angeles for over 30 years. When he came back to Australia, Kevin lived in Sydney until his illness took him to Melbourne approximately three months ago, where he passed away in care in the suburb of Lilydale.”
The TV star was born in England before moving Down Under at 14 under the Ten Pound Poms scheme. His TV career began in the early 1970s, working on Australian productions such as Matlock Police, Homicide, A Country Practice and Cop Shop. He later directed episodes of US shows including Babylon 5, and his final work was the 2010 Australian movie Savages Crossing.
Dobson received much acclaim for his work, winning a Television Society of Australia Penguin Award for Best TV Play in 1980 for his directorial work on Young Ramsay. After the news broke, fans shared sympathies online, with one writing: “I had many great times with Kevin. We worked and partied together. Sad to hear of his death, although his spirit lives on.”
