Serge Constantine Lazareff (7 August 1944 - 20 August 2021) was an Australian actor and screenwriter/editor, who was born in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, China. He appeared in 54 roles from the late 1960s until 1999, before starting a second career as a writer for TV series.

Acting

Lazareff performed in many Australian television series from the late 1960s to the late 1990s and made numerous appearances in

Crawford Productions Crawford Productions is an Australian media production company, focused on radio and television production. Founded in Melbourne by Hector Crawford and his sister, actress and voice artist Dorothy Crawford, the company, also known as Crawfo ...

police shows including ''

The Sullivans ''The Sullivans'' is an Australian period drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 15 November 1976 until 10 March 1983. The series tells the story of a fictional average middle-cla ...

'', ''

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

'', ''

Division 4 ''Division 4'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 301 episodes. Synopsis The series was one of the first dramas to follow up on the enormous success ...

'', ''

Matlock Police ''Matlock Police'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network (now known as the 10 Network) between 1971 and 1976. The series focused on the police station and crime in the Victorian town o ...

'' and ''

Chopper Squad ''Chopper Squad'' is an Australian television series produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the 0-10 Network (as it was then known).Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 115 The series recounted the work ...

''. He had a featured part in the 1970 ABC-TV drama series '' Dynasty''. Lazareff also appeared in the 1970s historical adventure series '' Cash & Co.''; Lazareff is probably best remembered by Australian audiences for his role in the 1970s TV drama ''

Young Ramsay ''Young Ramsay'' was an Australian television drama series which ran from 1977 to 1980 on the Seven Network. It was produced by Crawford Productions as two series of 13 episodes each. Cast * John Hargreaves as Peter Ramsay * Serge Lazareff as ...

'', in which he starred alongside friend and co-star John Hargreaves. He also appeared in ''

The Young Doctors ''The Young Doctors'' is an Australian early-evening soap opera originally broadcast on the Nine Network and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation, it aired from Monday, 8 November 1976 until Wednesday, 30 March 1983. The series is prima ...

'' (playing fake Dr Ian Parish, really called Jack Trainer), '' Glenview High'', ''

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'' (as teacher David Andrews during episodes aired in 1981), ''

Cop Shop ''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes. The show The show revolved aro ...

'', '' Bellamy'', ''

Carson's Law ''Carson's Law'' is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for the Ten Network between 1982-1984. The series was a period piece set in the 1920s and starred Lorraine Bayly as progressive solicitor Jennifer Carson. The ep ...

'', ''

A Country Practice ''A Country Practice'' is an Australian television soap opera which broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 5 November 1993, airing at 7:30 pm on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Altogether, 14 seasons and 1,058 episodes were p ...

'', '' Special Squad'', '' Sons and Daughters'', '' Richmond Hill'' (as Neil Travers during 1988) and then '' E Street'' (in 1989 as rapist and murderer Sam Bullmer).

Writing

From the late 1980s Lazareff worked primarily as a writer and script editor for TV series including ''

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 s ...

'', '' Water Rats'', '' All Saints'' and '' Home and Away''.

Death

Lazareff died in August 2021. He had apparently been ill for some time. Although there were no mainstream media reports, he was included in the 2022 Logie Awards "In Memoriam" montage.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1944 births 2021 deaths Australian male film actors Australian male soap opera actors Male actors from Shanghai Chinese emigrants to Australia 20th-century Australian male actors Australian male television writers Australian soap opera writers {{Australia-actor-stub