Steve J. Spears
BornSteven John Peter Spears
(1951-01-22)22 January 1951
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Died16 October 2007(2007-10-16) (aged 56)
Aldinga, South Australia, Australia
Occupation
  • Playwright
  • writer
  • actor
  • singer

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]

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
1974Africa: A Savage Musical
1975People Keep Giving Me Things
1975Roaring Boy
1975There Were Giants in Those Days
1975Young 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
1976The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin
1976When They Send Me Three and Fourpence
1978The Death of George Reeves
1978King Richard
1980The Time of the Bodgie
1983Froggie
1988Glory
1992Namatjira Park
1995A Little Theatre
1995The Dance Angelic

[6]

Television

Year Title
A Country Practice
Hey Dad..!
1991-93All Together Now
Neighbours
E Street
G.P.
Heartbreak High
1996-98The Genie From Down Under[7] (including the first episode Wishing and Hoping)
The Greatest Tune on Earth
2001-02Fairy Tale Police Department
Gloria's House
1995Sky Trackers

Books

Year Title Notes
1990The Big WishCo-written with John Hepworth. Published by Puffin (1990) ISBN 0140144625
1989In Search of the BodgieAn "anti-memoir"[4]
2004Murder at the FortnightDetective 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
1981A Country PracticeTV series
1988Hey Dad!TV series
1989G.P.TV series
1997-98Magic MountainLion (voice)TV series
2004Heartbreak HighTV series[2][9]

Film

Year Title Role Type
1979Temperament UnsuitedMarkShort film
1981Mad Max 2The MechanicFeature film[4][9]
1983Going DownTrendy at partyFeature film
1985The Empty BeachMannyFeature film
1997Those Dear DepartedDangermanFeature film
1988Warm Nights on a Slow Moving TrainSingerFeature film
1989Afraid to DanceGarage ManFeature film

Stage

Year Title Role Ref
1981The Rocky Horror ShowEddie / Dr Scott[4][10]

References

  1. ↑ Hornery, Andrew; Ben Wyld (24 November 2002). "Theatre yarn starts to unravel". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 George, Rob (28 November 2008). "Steve J Spears 1951–2007 An Excellent Obit". Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  3. 1 2 "AustLit Agent". austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Spears, Steve (1989). In Search of the Bodgie. Sydney: Imprint (Collins Publishers Australia). p. 162. ISBN 0-7322-2524-8.
  5. ↑ Morgan, Clare (17 October 2007). "Playwright loses his cancer struggle". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  6. ↑ "STEVE J SPEARS". Doollee.com, The Playwrights Database. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
  7. ↑ IMDb filmography for "Steve J. Spears" accessed 20 March 2011
  8. ↑ "Books by Steve J. Spears". biblio.com. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  9. 1 2 "Steve J. Spears". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  10. ↑ "The Rocky Horror Show (Australian Cast) (1981)". rockymusic.org. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
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