King Billy Cokebottle

Louis Beers (23 July 1949 - 26 September 2019) was an Australian comedian who performed under the stage name King Billy Cokebottle. He attracted controversy at his performances by wearing blackface to impersonate an Aboriginal Australian. Born in Holland, Beers migrated to Australia with his family when he was three years old and grew up in the Perth suburb of Riverton in Western Australia. He began performing as King Billy on Perth radio in the 1970s and moved to Townsville, Queensland in the early 1990s. In 2002, the Crown Casino cancelled a scheduled performance after complaints from Aboriginal and other community groups, and Aboriginal activist John Kelly-Country later brought proceedings against him claiming his act breached Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. Beers successfully represented himself, with the case ending in 2004 in a determination that, while offensive, his performance was exempted as an artistic work under Section 18D of the Act.