Artist page

Franciscus Henri, born Franciscus Henricus Antheunis on August 7, 1947, in The Hague, The Netherlands, is an Australian musician and children's entertainer. His family migrated to Australia in 1956, where he completed his education and became a qualified secondary arts and craft teacher. Henri gained national prominence in 1970 after competing as a folk musician on the TV talent quest New Faces, which led to a recording contract with Fable Records. He recorded several singles and an album, and continued to work with smaller labels, alternating between folk music with a Christian influence and children's albums. In 1972, Henri toured with English poet Sydney Carter and left teaching in 1973 to join the Monash University Theatre company as a set designer, actor, and musician, remaining involved in theatre until 1979. From 1979 to October 1980, he was part of the original cast of Shirl's Neighbourhood, a children's television show, where he presented segments as himself and as his early alter-ego, Professor Henri. Around 1982, he began performing children's concerts and also wrote and presented programs for the Victorian Christian Television Association. In 1997, he started performing as Mister Whiskers, releasing his first album under this character. Henri went into semi-retirement in 2017 and is also an exhibiting painter.

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