A Fortunate Life (1986)
At eight years old, an impoverished Bert Facey was forced to start the backbreaking, dawn-to-dusk life of a farm labourer. Unschooled, his father dead, abandoned by his mother, by the age of twenty he had survived the rigours of pioneering the harsh Australian bush and the slaughter of the bloody WWI campaign at Gallipoli.
A Fortunate Life: Season 1 - 4 Episode s
1x1 - Starting Out (1897-1905)
April 27, 1986
Bert Facey's tormented early years through his father's death and harsh economic depression
1x2 - Bush Schooling (1905-1908)
Bert goes to work for the Phillips, a childless couple who treat him as one of the family.
1x3 - Journey (1908-1914)
April 29, 1986
Reunited with his mother after 12 years, Bert soon moves north to seek work.
1x4 - Providence (1914-1916)
April 30, 1986
A champion prize fighter, Bert enlists when WWI breaks out, surviving the nightmare of Gallipoli.
A Fortunate Life: 1 Season
Actors in A Fortunate Life
Dorothy Allison
Grandma Carr
Dale Randall
Roy Facey
John Ley
Eric Facey
Anthony Richards
Bert (9 Years)
Benedict Sweeney
Bert (14 Years)
Dominic Sweeney
Bert
Pat Bishop
Alice McCall
Paul Sonkkila
Archie McCall
Jeffrey Rhoe
Jock McKay
Maurie Ogden
Cop
Leslie Wright
Jack Lander
Raelene Hughes
Young Alice McCall
Val Lehman
Bert's Mother
Ray Meagher
Bad Bob
Bill Hunter
Charlie Bibby
Bill Kerr
Narrator (voice)
Tags for A Fortunate Life
Shows like A Fortunate Life
The Pacific
10 Episode s . Track the intertwined real-life stories of three U.S. Marines – Robert Leckie, John Basilone, and Eugene Sledge – across the vast canvas of the Pacific Theater during World War II. A companion piece to the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers.
The Pacific
10 Episode s . Track the intertwined real-life stories of three U.S. Marines – Robert Leckie, John Basilone, and Eugene Sledge – across the vast canvas of the Pacific Theater during World War II. A companion piece to the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers.
Roots
4 Episode s . An adaptation of Alex Haley's "Roots", chronicling the history of an African slave, Kunta Kinte sold to America and his descendants.
Roots
4 Episode s . An adaptation of Alex Haley's "Roots", chronicling the history of an African slave, Kunta Kinte sold to America and his descendants.
Rebellion
5 Episode s . A group of young men and women in Dublin in 1916 are embroiled in a fight for independence during the Easter Rising. The story begins with the outbreak of World War I. As expectations of a short and glorious campaign are dashed, social stability is eroded and Irish nationalism comes to the fore. The tumultuous events that follow are seen through the eyes of a group of friends from Dublin, Belfast and London as they play vital and conflicting roles in the narrative of Ireland's independence.
Rebellion
5 Episode s . A group of young men and women in Dublin in 1916 are embroiled in a fight for independence during the Easter Rising. The story begins with the outbreak of World War I. As expectations of a short and glorious campaign are dashed, social stability is eroded and Irish nationalism comes to the fore. The tumultuous events that follow are seen through the eyes of a group of friends from Dublin, Belfast and London as they play vital and conflicting roles in the narrative of Ireland's independence.
The Book of Negroes
6 Episode s . Kidnapped in Africa and subsequently enslaved in South Carolina, Aminata must navigate a revolution in New York, isolation in Nova Scotia and treacherous jungles of Sierra Leone, in an attempt to secure her freedom in the 19th century.
The Book of Negroes
6 Episode s . Kidnapped in Africa and subsequently enslaved in South Carolina, Aminata must navigate a revolution in New York, isolation in Nova Scotia and treacherous jungles of Sierra Leone, in an attempt to secure her freedom in the 19th century.
Birdsong
2 Episode s . As an English soldier fights in the horrific trenches of northern France, he is haunted by the memories of his forbidden love affair with a French woman.
Birdsong
2 Episode s . As an English soldier fights in the horrific trenches of northern France, he is haunted by the memories of his forbidden love affair with a French woman.
Gallipoli
7 Episode s . As dawn breaks on April 25, 1915, ANZAC troops go into battle on the beaches of the Gallipoli peninsula. Landing in the dark chaos, Tolly, Bevan and their mates struggle to establish a tenuous foothold on the treacherous slopes and deep ravines. They endure the next eight months on the peninsula learning lessons of survival. By the time of the final evacuation they have also learned the skills of combat and what it means to be a young man in war.
Gallipoli
7 Episode s . As dawn breaks on April 25, 1915, ANZAC troops go into battle on the beaches of the Gallipoli peninsula. Landing in the dark chaos, Tolly, Bevan and their mates struggle to establish a tenuous foothold on the treacherous slopes and deep ravines. They endure the next eight months on the peninsula learning lessons of survival. By the time of the final evacuation they have also learned the skills of combat and what it means to be a young man in war.
Shaka Zulu
10 Episode s . South Africa, 1823. The Zulu Empire, headed by King Shaka, a brilliant but ruthless military strategist, begin to encroach on the British colony of Cape Town. A volunteer cadre of explorers, mercenaries and professional soldiers are sent to Zululand to try to make contact with Shaka and assess the real threat of his army.
Shaka Zulu
10 Episode s . South Africa, 1823. The Zulu Empire, headed by King Shaka, a brilliant but ruthless military strategist, begin to encroach on the British colony of Cape Town. A volunteer cadre of explorers, mercenaries and professional soldiers are sent to Zululand to try to make contact with Shaka and assess the real threat of his army.
Krupp: A Family Between War and Peace
3 Episode s . The Krupps were one of Germany's most powerful and controversial families until their downfall.
Krupp: A Family Between War and Peace
3 Episode s . The Krupps were one of Germany's most powerful and controversial families until their downfall.
Anzacs
6 Episode s . Anzacs was a 1985 5-part Australian miniseries set in World War I. The series follows the lives of a group of young Australian men who enlist in the 8th Battalion of the First Australian Imperial Force in 1914, fighting first at Gallipoli in 1915, and then on the Western Front for the remainder of the war.
Anzacs
6 Episode s . Anzacs was a 1985 5-part Australian miniseries set in World War I. The series follows the lives of a group of young Australian men who enlist in the 8th Battalion of the First Australian Imperial Force in 1914, fighting first at Gallipoli in 1915, and then on the Western Front for the remainder of the war.
Longitude
2 Episode s . The fascinating story of John Harrison who, in the 18th century, believed he could make a clock that would work on board a ship—and so solve the problem of finding longitude at sea.
Longitude
2 Episode s . The fascinating story of John Harrison who, in the 18th century, believed he could make a clock that would work on board a ship—and so solve the problem of finding longitude at sea.