George Stephenson Wallace (1895 - 1960)

George Wallace is Notable.

George Stephenson 'Onkus' Wallace was born in 4th June 1895 in Aberdeen, New South Wales (Australia). He was the son of George Stevenson 'Broncho' Wallace, a painter, and Catherine Scott. ^[1] His father toured in minstrel shows, and young George appeared at three years of age in a Sydney pantomime. He was in his parents' song-and-dance act until they separated prior to 1900, later busking in Pyrmont, on the Sydney Harbour-front, and working in his stepfather's ink factory. Leaving home, George obtained work as a farmhand and cane-cutter in North Queensland, before joining a road show at sixteen.

His nickname came from his character Onkus, one half of the comedy duo Dinks and Onkus with Jack Patterson.

George married Margarita Nicholas, a barmaid, on 3rd January 1917 in the People's Evangelic Mission House, Brisbane, Queensland. ^[2] The young couple moved to Sydney in 1918, where George worked at Newtown Bridge Theatre for £4 a week. The act included Margarita and their two-year-old son, George Wallace Jnr, joined them in acrobatic poses. The couple separated in 1924.

He passed away of chronic bronchitis and emphysema at his home in Kensington, in Sydney's southern suburbs, on 16th October 1960. ^[3]

George Wallace had one child, son George Leonard Wallace (known as George Wallace Jnr), who became a famous comedian in his own right. George Jnr's television show, Theatre Royal, won Logie Awards in 1962 and 1963.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #16929/1895; registered at Scone
2. ↑ Queensland Marriage Index #1917/B/19738
3. ↑ New South Wales Death Index #29234/1960; registered at Sydney

See also

• Sayers, Stuart. 'Wallace, George Stevenson (1895–1960)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1990; accessed online 12 Jul 2021.
• Wikipedia profile: George Wallace (Australian Comedian; accessed 12 Jul 2021.