AceShowbiz - "Strictly Ballroom" star Paul Mercurio has led tributes to his actor father Gus who died on Tuesday, December 7. The 82 year old passed away in Melbourne, Australia after suffering complications during an operation to treat a chest aneurysm.

Mercurio confirmed the sad news and remembered his father in a statement, which reads, "He was a larger-than-life bloke. He was passionate. He was driven. He had a great, a wonderful confidence... he was a pain in the a**e quite often because of that and yet he lived with such fervor that he was magnetic."

American-born Gus Mercurio rose to fame after moving Down Under and swapping his job as a professional boxer for a role on camera. He starred in many Australian TV shows and a number of movies throughout his long-running career, including "Crocodile Dundee II" and "Lightning Jack" with Paul Hogan.

Mercurio is survived by his partner and six children.