Monty Maizels, the Australian actor best known for his role as Jack in the iconic comedy film The Castle, has died at the age of 102. A funeral was held in his native Victoria in April following his death last month.
Farewell from Working Dog
The production company Working Dog, which produced the beloved film, announced the news in a heartfelt Facebook post. 'Farewell to the iconic Monty Maizels, who has passed away at the age of 102 and 3/4 years of age,' the post read. 'We know him best from our time making The Castle, where he played Jack but he was a broadcaster, a producer, composer, writer, actor and so much more... Sending our love to Monty's family and friends.'
Tributes from Fans
Fans of the actor quickly flooded the comments with their own tributes. 'Great innings! You are a comedy legend,' wrote one person, while another said, 'Totally charming and wonderful. RIP Monty.' A third fan added, 'RIP Monty. My favourite person from The Castle. We often quote his simple but cathartic line.' Someone else chimed in: 'I love every scene in this movie. But the ones with Monty were extra special.'
Iconic Role in The Castle
In the 1997 comedy, Maizels played the elderly neighbour named Jack, who delivers one of the film's most memorable lines. When developers threaten the home of lead character Darryl Kerrigan (played by Michael Caton), Jack breaks his gentle demeanour to utter, 'Yeah, f* 'em!' The film has recently returned to headlines as critics have linked its plot—about a blue-collar family trying to save their home from acquisition by developers—to Australia's current housing crisis.
Taking to X, one critic slammed the beloved hit comedy that made household names of Eric Bana, Michael Caton, and Stephen Curry. 'The film that did irreparable damage to urban planning in Australia,' complained the keyboard warrior about the film that launched one-liners like: 'Tell 'em they're dreamin'.' The angry critic then explained that the film was 'a convergence towards self entitlement and hypocrisy, a surrender to urban sprawl and sitting on a motorway two hours a day.' Another joined in the strange pile-on against the film. '[1997] Literally when the housing boom took off. Coincidence?' they added on the X thread.
Legacy of The Castle
Originally released in 1997, The Castle is a comedy about a blue-collar family who battle with developers. The ultra-low-budget film went on to gross $11 million at the Australian box office. The film's creators Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, and Jane Kennedy later made another comedy classic, The Dish, in 2000.
