... was born in 1929 on the outskirts of Newcastle, New South Wales. He came from a sporting family and was a senior grade footballer, a champion surfer, a decent cricketer and a boxer.
He won the Australian Professional Snooker Championship every year but one from 1964 to 1983. He played in four world billiards championship finals and two world snooker finals, but he is the only player to have been world championship runner–up in both snooker and billiards without winning either title.
He won the BBC's Pot Black – a single frame competition – in 1972, 1973, and 1980, and this gave him a high profile with television audiences. He also recorded the first century break on Pot Black.
Charlton continued to perform at a competitive level; his last major achievement was a 10–9 win over Cliff Thorburn at the 1989 World Championship. His final appearance at the Crucible came in 1992, when he was defeated 10–0 in the first round by defending champion John Parrott. This was, and still is, the only whitewash in the history of the World Championships.
He died in 2004, aged 75.
© Haydn Thompson 2017