Who was Lex Marinos? Australian actor-director dies aged 75

Well-known actor Lex Marinos passed away on September 13, 2024, at the age of 75. He struggled with cancer for around 20 years, which was eventually the cause of his demise. He gained recognition for portraying different roles in shows such as Embassy and Live and Sweaty. He also directed several popular films.

Lex's family confirmed the news of his death through a social media post, which is currently unavailable. The post stated:

"He died at home, at a moment of his choosing, surrounded by family and the sounds of Bob Dylan accompanying our vigil. There was so much love in the room."

Lex Marinos' colleagues also took to different platforms to express their grief over his demise. Actress Sheree da Costa wrote in a Facebook post that she knew Lex for many years and that he was a mentor to her later son Joey. She addressed the same by saying:

"Lex truly 'got' Joey & totally understood how to extract the best of Joe's talents. I cannot thank Lex enough for being Joe's idol, his inspiration & one of the main reasons why Joe didn't give up his acting diploma aspirations mid-semester whilst studying at AFTT."

Netizens additionally recalled Lex's flawless work in different projects over the years alongside the other activities he was involved in outside the entertainment industry.

---

Lex Marinos helmed a few films alongside playing important roles

Also known as Alexander Francis Marinos, he served as a board member of the Multicultural Advisory Committee for SOCOG and was the former Deputy Chairman of the Australia Council alongside the Community Cultural Development Fund.

Before his successful career in acting, Lex Marinos was active on radio where he presented shows for various networks. He wrote articles for publications such as The Weekend Australian.

Lex's parents, Fotios Marinopoulos and Anne Karofilis, owned a café. Marinos obtained his BA with Honours in Drama at the University of NSW.

Although he made his debut with a show titled The Rovers, he became a popular face for portraying Bruno Bertolucci in a sitcom, Kingswood Country.

In an interview with Noes Cosmos in 2021, Marinos recalled the time when the show was being prepared, and said:

"When we started to read the script, this kind of chill descended on the room. The writers' expectation was I would do this with an accent. My contention was, Look, we've been talking here for half an hour. You know me – this is my accent – the character was born in Australia. There are heaps of kids like me born here that don't have accents."

Lex Marinos stated that his role left a different kind of impact in his life and he was cast in various other projects in the next few years.

Kingswood Country premiered on Seven Network in January 1980 and continued for five more seasons for the next four years.

The Wagga Wagga, New South Wales native also portrayed himself in the sports TV show, Live and Sweaty. In between all these, he directed some films and TV series, starting with the 1984 miniseries, Bodyline.

He eventually became famous as the director of Remember Me, An Indecent Obsession, Perhaps Love, Hard Knuckle, and more.

Lex Marinos' acting career continued until 2017, appearing on TV shows like Water Rats, Pizza, The Slap, and Rake. His last project was the supernatural drama series, Glitch.