Hard man's writing side a revelation
Tough guys don't dance, as Norman Mailer famously wrote, but if Australian hard man Steve Bisley is any guide, they do write memoirs and serious fiction and become film festival patrons.
"People see me as the tough dude and the action guy so they're surprised that I can write," laughed Bisley, whose autobiography Stillways had strong reviews and sold well.
"But I have a background in theatre and my mother was a writer and a poet so it was not as big a stretch as it might seem."
Bisley was a guest at the weekend's Perth Writers Festival at the University of WA.
The veteran Australian actor and star of classics such as Mad Max, Water Rats and Frontline is also now the permanent patron of the Revelation Perth International Film Festival.
"Revelation is a wonderful event that does so much for film culture in this State so I am honoured to be asked," he said.
Bisley has been associated with the WA-based independent cinema festival for a decade, helping with its travelling side.
"It's a really exciting time for Australian cinema," he said.
Revelation has also announced that local arts patron and producer Sally Burton will join the Revelation board.
Burton, the widow of Sir Richard Burton, spent much of her career in film and television in Britain and will be valuable to the festival, which runs from July 4-14.
