In the late 1970s, a young Aussie actor by the name of Tom Burlinson had no idea what was in store for him.
Though he had begun making a name for himself in TV dramas like The Restless Years (1979), and Cop Shop (1980), he couldn't predict the first feature film he would star in, The Man from Snowy River (1982) would not only lead to international fame, but would also help him reconnect with his estranged mother.
Burlinson had a rough family life as a child, with the family being shuffled from Canada (where he was born) to America, and finally Australia, due to his father's work.
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Tom Burlinson in The Man From Snowy River (Cambridge Productions Edgley International)Months after they had moved to Australia, his parents separated and his mother Angela had left to go back to England, taking his two youngest sisters with him, while he was left with his father and older sister down under.
"I didn't see my mother from the age of 13 until I was 25. It was only after I'd appeared in The Man from Snowy River that I thought, 'I have to do something about this disconnection.' That's when I re-established contact with Mum," he said in a 2020 piece for The Sydney Morning Herald.
"So many traits in me are like Mum. We are closer now than ever, which seems odd given the time we spent apart."
Following his Snowy River acclaim, Burlinson went on to star as Tommy Woodcock in Phar Lap (1983), Flesh and Blood (1985), and alongside a teenage Nicole Kidman in Windrider (1986), whom he later dated for three years.
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Burlinson was 11 years Kidman's senior when they dated in their youth. "I was 11 years older and it was her first relationship with a man as an adult," he reflected, "We had happy times, but she had her own path to take in life."
He seemed to have followed that same path for some time, next appearing in Hollywood film The Time Guardian (1987), playing the main role opposite Hollywood stars Dean Stockwell and Carrie Fisher.
The year after, he starred in the long awaited sequel to his magnum opus, The Man from Snowy River II, which was acclaimed in the US, UK, and at home.
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Burlinson in Flesh and Blood (1985) (Metro Goldwyn Mayer)Also back at home, Burlinson fostered a love for musicals. His life-long love of Frank Sinatra saw him compose a song for the singer, The Man in the Hat (1990).
This caught the attention of Tina Sinatra, Frank's daughter, who cast him as the voice of the young Sinatra in a miniseries she produced on her father's life, the Golden Globe Award-winning Sinatra.
This opened up a whole new pathway for Burlinson, who auditioned for a number of musicals, including 1992's How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, where he met his eventual wife, Mandy.
They got married in 1996 and have three children, Mia, 24, Guy, 22, and Ricki, 16.
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Burlinson performing Swing That Music in 2021. (Facebook)Burlinson continued his musical path, featuring a number of tributes to Frank Sinatra, including Frank – A Life in Song (2001),The Best of Frank (2006), Swing That Music, and more.
Meanwhile he had also gained recognition for his three-year gig hosting Australia's Got Talent.
Now 68, his most recent work is his latest Sinatra tribute, a revival of Swing That Music, in 2022.
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