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John Cornell, a journalist who struck fame as Paul Hoganâs mumbling TV sidekick âStropâ and went on to produce the
Crocodile Dundee movie franchise, has died after a 20-year battle with Parkinsonâs disease. He was 80.
An almost accidental TV star, Cornell was also influential off-camera, becoming a key confidant of Kerry Packer during the World Series Cricket revolution and becoming Hoganâs right-hand man during
Dundeeâs worldwide success
.
He died at his home in Byron Bay, on the NSW North Coast, with his wife, Delvene Delaney, and eldest daughter by his side, and his youngest daughter on the phone from Britain.
Crocodile Dundee in tribute to the late John Cornell tomorrow night.
Cornell, who died this morning aged 80, was executive producer and co-writer of the hit 1986 film starring pal, Paul Hogan.
An American reporter goes to the Australian outback to meet an eccentric crocodile poacher and invites him to New York City.
The film will screen at 8:30pm in place of a planned
Bumblebee film.
Paul and Strop at Hotel Brunswick for a commercial shoot in 2019.
Cornell, known to many as ‘Strop’ after his character on the
Paul Hogan Show, had a number of very successful high profile business ventures in his life. He was an intelligent and creative force behind World Series Cricket and the
Crocodile Dundee films as well as the purchaser of both the Hotel Brunswick and the Beach Hotel in early 1990s, a move credited with putting Byron on the map for city visitors.
Cornell, a journalist, met Paul Hogan whilst working on
A Current Affair, and became his manager, later appearing as Strop on the hugely successful
Cornell was new to film producing when he and Hogan went to Kakadu for the shoot after raising the $8 million budget through private investors, including rock singer Michael Hutchence and leading cricketers, under the country’s tax incentives at the time.
“It’s gunna be good,” he told visiting journalists with a showman’s confidence.
He was right. Director Peter Faiman’s comedy about outback adventurer Mick Dundee took a triumphant $US328 million around the world. The only film to sell more tickets that year was
Top Gun.
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Cornell joined Hogan and Ken Shadie in being nominated for an Oscar for the script. In Australia,
Lockdown takes toll as Telegraph puts heat on Gladys Berejiklian and her health minister
The NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard, called out News Corp’s reporting of premier Gladys Berejiklian’s coffee break with her boyfriend. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
The NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard, called out News Corp’s reporting of premier Gladys Berejiklian’s coffee break with her boyfriend. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Thu 22 Jul 2021 23.41 EDT
Last modified on Fri 23 Jul 2021 03.20 EDT
When the Daily Telegraph shamed Gladys Berejiklian on page one for grabbing a coffee with her boyfriend sans mask, the reporting was very precise.
The ambiguous rules over when Sydneysiders need to wear a mask has been brought front and centre by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian after she went maskless when buying a cup of coffee. https://t.co/K3trBLr46kpic.twitter.com/gAYD8XVBwo The West Australian (@westaustralian) July 19, 2021