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".

Biography

Early life

Spears was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, 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 is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

. He studied law at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, 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".

Later life

Spears died in

Aldinga, South Australia Aldinga is a suburb of Adelaide in South Australia located about south of the Adelaide city centre in the City of Onkaparinga. it is a small suburb (population around 573 in 2016), about a kilometre east of the edge of the larger suburb of ...

, from brain cancer in 2007. He was 56.

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" Rene * '' The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin'' (1976), closely identified with the career of the actor

Gordon Chater Gordon Maitland Chater AM (6 April 1922 – 12 December 1999) was an English Australian comedian and actor, and recipient of the Gold Logie, he appeared in revue, theatre, radio, television and film, with a career spanning almost 50 years. Bio ...

. * ''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).

Acting work

Television

Spears appeared in '' A Country Practice'' (1981), ''

Hey Dad! ''Hey Dad..!'' is 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. His wife, Marga ...

'' (1988), '' G.P.'' (1989), ''

Heartbreak High ''Heartbreak High'' is an Australian television program created by Michael Jenkins and Ben Gannon that ran from 1994 to 1996 on Network Ten and 1997 to 1999 on the ABC, for seven series. It was also partially funded from 1996 by BBC2, with ...

'' (2004).

Film

Among other roles, Spears played the lead in '' Temperament Unsuited'' and "The Mechanic", a wheelchair-using paraplegic, in ''

Mad Max 2 ''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. It is the second installment in the ''Mad Max'' franchise, with Mel Gibson reprising his role a ...

''.

Voice work

Spears also supplied the voice of Lion in the popular children's TV series '' Magic Mountain'' for ABC TV,

Southern Star Entertainment Endemol Australia, formerly known as Southern Star Group, Southern Star Productions, Southern Star/Hanna-Barbera Australia and Taft-Hardie Group Pty Ltd, was Australia's largest independent television production and distribution group. On 26 Jul ...

and China Central Television.

Stage

Spears played "Eddie" and "Doctor Scott" in a 1981 Sydney production of

Jim Sharman James David Sharman (born 12 March 1945) is an Australian director and writer for film and stage with more than 70 productions to his credit. He is renowned in Australia for his work as a theatre director from the 1960s to the present, and is b ...

's ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the ...

''.

Writing

Over his career, Spears wrote prolifically for television. His credits include: *episodes of: :'' A Country Practice'' :'' Hey Dad..!'' :'' All Together Now'' :'' Neighbours'' :'' E Street'' :'' G.P.'' :''

'' :the children's series '' The Genie From Down Under''IMDb filmography for "Steve J. Spears"
accessed 20 March 2011 (including the first episode ''Wishing and Hoping'') for the

Australian Children's Television Foundation The Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) is a national non-profit children's media production and policy hub. The ACTF helps develop children's television policy; distributes and pays for Australian children's television series; ...

, ABC and

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...