Biography
Frank Thring (Francis William Thring IV) was an Australian character actor and theatre director. Born in Melbourne in 1926, he began his career in radio at station 3XY before moving to stage work. He established the Arrow Theatre in Melbourne in 1951, directing and starring in numerous productions, and later performed in London, including with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company.
Thring appeared in several Hollywood epics of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He played Pontius Pilate in Ben-Hur (1959), Aella in The Vikings (1958), Al Kadir in El Cid (1961) and Herod Antipas in King of Kings (1961). Later roles included appearances in Age of Consent (1969), Mad Dog Morgan (1976) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). He was the son of Australian film entrepreneur F. W. Thring.
