Australian producer Bill Hughes died in Doonan, Queensland, in the early hours of 7 April.
The veteran director was just weeks away from celebrating his 80th birthday when he tragically died after decades of work in the entertainment industry.
Bill is survived by his partner Tonia, his first wife Ellen, his brother John, his son Justin, his grandson Max and his stepchildren Kia and Chris from his second marriage.
The filmmaker entered the entertainment industry at a young age with his family being “theater people” who encouraged him to act in puppet shows.
“He came to television at its very beginning and was one of the pioneers who laid the foundations for the industry we all work in today,” said writer Jutta Goetze.
‘His career was long and extensive and should not be forgotten… Bill was innovative, approachable and never afraid to break the rules.’
Bill worked his way up from the ‘flies’ behind the scenes of various theatre shows before becoming a sound engineer on The Graham Kennedy Show at Nine.
He got his big break when Crawford Productions developed their new police series Homicide in the 1960s and hired Bill as music editor.
Australian producer Bill Hughes (pictured) died in Doonan, Queensland, in the early hours of 7 April.
Despite having no experience in the position, Bill learned on the job when the sound engineer offered to teach him the part.
Bill worked in a variety of roles including camera, script writing and editing before eventually becoming a director and later a producer.
He went on to direct Homicide, The Sullivans, Division Four, Cop Shop and The Flying Doctors for Crawford Productions.
The veteran director was just weeks away from celebrating his 80th birthday when he tragically died after decades of work in the entertainment industry.
Bill is survived by his partner Tonia, his first wife Ellen, his brother John, his son Justin, his grandson Max and his stepchildren Kia and Chris from his second marriage.
Eventually, when the Logie Award winner left the studio, he spent up to sixty years directing a number of highly popular television series and miniseries.
Some of her projects include A Country Practice, Home and Away, Winners and Losers, All Saints, Guinevere Jones, McLeod’s Daughters and Packed to the Rafters.
He received countless accolades throughout his long career, including numerous AFI, AACTA and Logie awards.
According to his obituary, Bill is “highly respected throughout the industry and has a reputation as a ‘maverick’ for his high standards and demanding work.”
