Australian actor Jon Blake has died of pneumonia, aged 52.

The star of The Lighthorseman had his career cut short in 1986 after a car accident left him paralysed and with permanent brain damage. The accident happened near Port Augusta, driving back after shooting the film's final sequence on location in South Australia.

Jon Blake on set in 1981.

Before the accident he had been dubbed "the next Mel Gibson" following his success in movies after cutting his acting teeth on roles in TV soaps including The Restless Years and A Country Practice.

Network Ten reports Blake's mother Mascot Blake looked after her son until she died in 2007.