Steve J. Spears
Encyclopedia
Steve J. Spears was an Australian playwright, actor, writer and singer. His most famous work was The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin
(1976). He was cited as "one of Australia's most celebrated playwrights".
, South Australia in 1951 and, after his parents separated when he was very young, grew up with relatives in the suburb of Mile End
.
He studied Law at the University of Adelaide
, but through writing and performing student revues, was distracted into a career in the theatre.
His final theatre work was The Dance Angelic (1995).
(1981), Hey Dad! (1988), G. P.
(1989), Heartbreak High
(2004).
for ABC TV
, Southern Star Entertainment and China Central Television
.
's The Rocky Horror Show
.
, Hey Dad..!
, All Together Now (TV series)
, Neighbours
, G.P., Heartbreak High
and the children's series The Genie From Down Under
(including the first episode Wishing and Hoping).
Spears wrote an "anti-memoir" "In Search of the Bodgie", published in 1989.
In 2004, Spears' detective novel "Murder at the Fortnight" was published. It was planned as the first of a thirteen part series, "The Pentangeli Papers", but only the second, "Innocent Murders" (2006) was published before his death.
The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin
The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin is a "one-hander" play by Australian playwright, author and singer Steve J. Spears . It premiered at the Nimrod Theatre in Sydney, Australia in 1976, and has been cited as a high point of the career of highly respected Australian actor Gordon Chater.-The play:A...
(1976). He was cited as "one of Australia's most celebrated playwrights".
Early life
Spears was born in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia in 1951 and, after his parents separated when he was very young, grew up with relatives in the suburb of Mile End
Mile End, South Australia
Mile End is an inner western suburb of Adelaide, located in the City of West Torrens, around 2 kilometres from the Adelaide city centre. It has a census area population of 3,918 people...
.
He studied Law at the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
, but through writing and performing student revues, was distracted into a career in the theatre.
Sydney
Spears moved to Sydney in the 1970s. In his own words, he was a "born-again Sydney-sider".Plays
Spears' theatrical works include:- Africa: A Savage Musical (1974)
- People Keep Giving Me Things (1975)
- Roaring Boy (1975)
- There Were Giants In Those Days (1975)
- Young Mo (full title "The Resuscitation of the Little Prince Who Couldn't Laugh as Performed by Young Mo at the Height of the Great Depression of 1929") (1975), about the Australian comedian Roy "Mo" ReneRoy ReneRoy Rene , born Harry van der Sluys, was an Australian comedian and vaudevillian. As the bawdy character Mo McCackie, Rene was one of the most well-known and successful Australian comedians of the 20th century. Roy Rene was born in Adelaide in the 15 of February 1892 with the name Harry van der...
- The Elocution of Benjamin FranklinThe Elocution of Benjamin FranklinThe Elocution of Benjamin Franklin is a "one-hander" play by Australian playwright, author and singer Steve J. Spears . It premiered at the Nimrod Theatre in Sydney, Australia in 1976, and has been cited as a high point of the career of highly respected Australian actor Gordon Chater.-The play:A...
(1976), closely identified with the career of the actor Gordon ChaterGordon ChaterGordon Chater was a comedian and actor.Chater attended Cambridge University to study to become a doctor but did not finish his degree. While at Cambridge he took part in many student revues.He arrived in Australia following World War II...
. - When They Send Me Three and Fourpence (1976)
- The Death of George Reeves (1978)
- King Richard (1978)
- The Time of the Bodgie (1980)
- Froggie (1983)
- Glory (1988)
- Namatjira Park (1992)
- A Little Theatre (1995)
His final theatre work was The Dance Angelic (1995).
Television
Spears appeared in A Country PracticeA Country Practice
A Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...
(1981), Hey Dad! (1988), G. P.
G. P.
G.P. was an Australian television series produced by Roadshow, Coote & Carroll for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 1989 and 1996.The series was set around a general medical practice in an inner-city suburb...
(1989), Heartbreak High
Heartbreak High
Heartbreak High is an Australian television series that ran for seven years from 1994 to 1999. The series dealt with the students of Hartley High, a tough high school in a multi-racial area of Sydney, and proved to be a more gritty and fast-paced show than many of its contemporaries...
(2004).
Film
Amongst other roles, Spears played "The Mechanic", a wheelchair-using paraplegic in Mad Max 2Voice work
Spears also supplied the voice of Lion in the popular children's TV series Magic MountainMagic Mountain (television series)
Magic Mountain is an Australian children’s television programme broadcast on the ABC from 1997 to 1999. It was released on video, but there has been no DVD release yet. The series was last repeated on ABC1 in January and February 2004...
for ABC TV
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
, Southern Star Entertainment and China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
.
Stage
Spears played "Eddie" and "Doctor Scott" in a 1981 Sydney production of Jim SharmanJim Sharman
James "Jim" Sharman , the son of boxing tent entrepreneur Jimmy Sharman, is a director and writer for film and stage with over 70 productions to his credit...
's The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
.
Writing
Over his career, Spears wrote prolifically for television. His credits include episodes of A Country PracticeA Country Practice
A Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...
, Hey Dad..!
Hey Dad..!
Hey Dad..! was an Australian sitcom produced by Gary Reilly Productions, originally airing from 1987 to 1994 on the Seven Network.-Synopsis:Architect Martin Kelly singlehandedly raises his children Simon, Debbie and Jenny...
, All Together Now (TV series)
All Together Now (TV series)
All Together Now was an Australian sitcom that was broadcast on Nine Network between 1991 and 1993. The premise involved an ageing rocker trying to maintain his music career while living with his son and daughter...
, Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, G.P., Heartbreak High
Heartbreak High
Heartbreak High is an Australian television series that ran for seven years from 1994 to 1999. The series dealt with the students of Hartley High, a tough high school in a multi-racial area of Sydney, and proved to be a more gritty and fast-paced show than many of its contemporaries...
and the children's series The Genie From Down Under
The Genie From Down Under
The Genie From Down Under is an Australian children's comedy television series. It was a co-production between the ACTF, the BBC and the ABC from 1996 to 1998...
(including the first episode Wishing and Hoping).
Spears wrote an "anti-memoir" "In Search of the Bodgie", published in 1989.
In 2004, Spears' detective novel "Murder at the Fortnight" was published. It was planned as the first of a thirteen part series, "The Pentangeli Papers", but only the second, "Innocent Murders" (2006) was published before his death.
External links
- Penelope Debelle, Obituary, The AgeThe AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, 22 October 2007, p. 11 - Picture of Spears in his University of Adelaide years
