Steve J. Spears
Steven John Peter Spears (22 January 1951 – 16 October 2007) 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".[1]
Steve J. Spears | |
|---|---|
| Born | Steven John Peter Spears 22 January 1951 Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Died | 16 October 2007 (aged 56) Aldinga, South Australia, Australia |
| Occupation |
|
Biography
Early life
Spears was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1951 and, after his parents separated when he was very young,[2] grew up with relatives in the suburb of Mile End.[3] He studied law at the University of Adelaide, but through writing and performing student revues, was distracted into a career in the theatre.[2][3] Spears moved to Sydney in the 1970s. In his own words, he was a "born-again Sydney-sider".[4]
Death
Spears died in Aldinga, South Australia, from brain cancer in 2007. He was 56.[5]
Writing
Plays
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1974 | Africa: A Savage Musical |
| 1975 | People Keep Giving Me Things |
| 1975 | Roaring Boy |
| 1975 | There Were Giants in Those Days |
| 1975 | Young Mo (or The Resuscitation of the Little Prince Who Couldn't Laugh as Performed by Young Mo at the Height of the Great Depression of 1929). About Australian comedian Roy "Mo" Rene |
| 1976 | The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin |
| 1976 | When They Send Me Three and Fourpence |
| 1978 | The Death of George Reeves |
| 1978 | King Richard |
| 1980 | The Time of the Bodgie |
| 1983 | Froggie |
| 1988 | Glory |
| 1992 | Namatjira Park |
| 1995 | A Little Theatre |
| 1995 | The Dance Angelic |
Television
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| A Country Practice | |
| Hey Dad..! | |
| 1991-93 | All Together Now |
| Neighbours | |
| E Street | |
| G.P. | |
| Heartbreak High | |
| 1996-98 | The Genie From Down Under[7] (including the first episode Wishing and Hoping) |
| The Greatest Tune on Earth | |
| 2001-02 | Fairy Tale Police Department |
| Gloria's House | |
| 1995 | Sky Trackers |
Books
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Big Wish | Co-written with John Hepworth. Published by Puffin (1990) ISBN 0140144625 |
| 1989 | In Search of the Bodgie | An "anti-memoir"[4] |
| 2004 | Murder at the Fortnight | Detective novel planned as the first of a 13 part series, The Pentangeli Papers, but only one more, Innocent Murders (2006) was published before Spears' death.[8] |
Acting work
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | A Country Practice | TV series | |
| 1988 | Hey Dad! | TV series | |
| 1989 | G.P. | TV series | |
| 1997-98 | Magic Mountain | Lion (voice) | TV series |
| 2004 | Heartbreak High | TV series[2][9] |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Temperament Unsuited | Mark | Short film |
| 1981 | Mad Max 2 | The Mechanic | Feature film[4][9] |
| 1983 | Going Down | Trendy at party | Feature film |
| 1985 | The Empty Beach | Manny | Feature film |
| 1997 | Those Dear Departed | Dangerman | Feature film |
| 1988 | Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train | Singer | Feature film |
| 1989 | Afraid to Dance | Garage Man | Feature film |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Rocky Horror Show | Eddie / Dr Scott | [4][10] |
References
- Hornery, Andrew; Ben Wyld (24 November 2002). "Theatre yarn starts to unravel". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- George, Rob (28 November 2008). "Steve J Spears 1951–2007 An Excellent Obit". Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- "AustLit Agent". austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- Spears, Steve (1989). In Search of the Bodgie. Sydney: Imprint (Collins Publishers Australia). p. 162. ISBN 0-7322-2524-8.
- Morgan, Clare (17 October 2007). "Playwright loses his cancer struggle". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- "STEVE J SPEARS". Doollee.com, The Playwrights Database. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
- IMDb filmography for "Steve J. Spears" accessed 20 March 2011
- "Books by Steve J. Spears". biblio.com. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- "Steve J. Spears". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- "The Rocky Horror Show (Australian Cast) (1981)". rockymusic.org. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
External links
- Steve J. Spears at IMDb
- Penelope Debelle, Obituary, The Age, 22 October 2007, p. 11
- Picture of Spears in his University of Adelaide years
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