John Hargreaves was the quintessential Australian man. An actor of sparkling, biting wit, he once said he would easily give up his remarkable career if it ever bored him, in favor of metallurgy because it was something that always interested him. Despite his lengthy list of credits in his home country, he never really achieved international "stardom" because of his essentially Australian nature. He felt that overseas work offers would or should come - without the benefit of seeming to chase after it. Although he enjoyed the success of his films internationally, he abhorred the "hoopla" of film festivals and what he deemed "the cocktail party circuit." Which left his chief competitors, Bryan Brown, Mel Gibson and New Zealander Sam Neill in the enviable position of being the top "Australian" names overseas. John worked constantly, shifting gears easily between film, television and theater. He died of AIDS in 1996.