Early in his career, he decided (partly in response to a recognised tendency for successful Australian actors to end up in England or the US) that he would only appear in Australian productions.
After a different John Howard was elected Prime Minister of Australia in 1996, jokes about the coincidence entered Australian comedy - notably in an episode of the satirical television series The Games in which the organisers of the Sydney Olympics hired the actor (played by himself) to stand in for the Prime Minister, figuring that the foreign dignitaries wouldn't know the difference.
This piece became almost legendary overnight. John Howard the actor, playing himself but identifying himself only as "John Howard", said "Sorry" to the Australian aborigines for their treatment at the hands of the English settlers and their descendants, through to the present day. This was a direct comment on the stubborn (and notorious) repeated refusal by John Howard the Prime Minister to make such an apology on behalf of the Government of Australia.
John Howard (April 14 1913 - February 19 1995) was an American actor, best known for his role in Lost Horizon.
Born John Cox in Cleveland, Ohio.
Served in World War II, earning the Navy Cross and the Croix de Guerre.
Died of heart failure in Santa Rosa, California.
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