Bruce Spence
 |
Bruce Spence | |
|---|---|
 Spence in 2010 | |
| Born | Bruce Robert Spence 17 September 1945 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, voice artist |
| Years active | 1970–present |
Bruce Robert Spence[1] (born 17 September 1945) is a New Zealand-born Australian actor.[2] Spence has amassed over 100 film and television credits and has also acted in theatre.[3]
Biography[edit]
Spence won an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1971 comedy Stork.[3]
Spence's best known film role is as the gyrocopter pilot in Mad Max 2 (1981).[3][4] He also played the lead role in Werner Herzog's Where the Green Ants Dream (1984)[3] and portrayed Jedediah the pilot in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).[4]
In the 21st century, Spence played the Mouth of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003),[5] the Trainman in The Matrix Revolutions (2003),[6] and Baxter in Disney's Inspector Gadget 2 (2003),[7] and voiced the character Chum in Finding Nemo (2003).[8] He also portrayed Tion Medon in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)[9] and played Lord Rhoop in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010).[9]
Spence portrayed the palaeontologist (Huxley) in the Australian performance of BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs: The Live Experience. In his role, Spence narrated the activities of life-sized mechanical dinosaurs operated by teams of puppeteers and drivers.
In 2008, Spence joined the television series Legend of the Seeker, which was based on the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. He played the role of Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, co-starring with Craig Horner and Bridget Regan. The show ran for two seasons.
In 2014, Spence played prison inmate George Corella in episode 3.1 of Rake.
In 2024, Spence was named as the recipient for the Equity Lifetime Achievement award.[10]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-73 | Division 4 | Various | 2 episodes |
| 1973 | Boney | Sawyer's Ron | 1 episode |
| 1973-75 | Certain Women | Julius 'Big Julie' | 19 episodes |
| 1974 | Ryan | Wally Scott | 1 episode |
| 1974-75 | Matlock Police | Johnny / Maxie | 2 episodes |
| 1978 | Case for the Defence | Alfred | 2 episodes |
| 1979 | Barnaby and Me | Tall Baddie | TV movie |
| 1979 | Shirl's Neighbourhood | Bruce the gardener | |
| 1979 | Skyways | David Howard | 1 episode |
| 1979 | Cop Shop | Student Counsellor | 1 episode |
| 1981 | And Here Comes Bucknuckle | Series | |
| 1982 | Deadline | Towie | TV movie |
| 1981-82 | Kingswood Country | Dentist / Samson | 2 episodes |
| 1984 | Special Squad | Professor | 1 episode |
| 1984 | Carson's Law | Vernon | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Zoo Family | George | 1 episode |
| 1987 | Great Expectations: The Untold Story | Joe Gargery | TV movie |
| 1988 | The Dirtwater Dynasty | Lonely Logan | 5 episodes |
| 1988 | Australians | Cecil Cook | 1 episode |
| 1987-89 | Rafferty's Rules | Triggs | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | Sugar | Robert Flemming | TV movie |
| Tanamera – Lion of Singapore | Hammond | 7 episodes | |
| 1989–92 | Dearest Enemy | Lenny | 14 episodes |
| 1992 | Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left | The Chief | 18 episodes |
| 1994–95 | Over the Hill | Tall Bob | |
| 1996 | After the Beep | 7 episodes | |
| 1997 | Return to Jupiter | Ed Unit | 13 episodes |
| Bullpitt! | Darcy Kelso | 26 episodes | |
| Twisted Tales | Colin | 1 episode | |
| Good Guys, Bad Guys | Squirt Man | 1 episode | |
| 1998 | Moby Dick | Elijah | 1 episode |
| Halifax f.p.: Isn't It Romantic | Eric Washburn | 1 episode | |
| 1999 | Chuck Finn | Heinz | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Tales of the South Seas | Naari | 1 episode |
| 2001 | Beastmaster | Annubis | 1 episode |
| 2002 | Farscape | Prefect Falaak | 1 episode |
| 2002 | Short Cuts | Mr Coxon | 5 episodes |
| 2001-03 | Always Greener | Rev Millburn | 3 episodes |
| 2004 | The Brush Off | Philip Veale | TV movie |
| 2005 | Grange | TV movie | |
| 2006 | RAN (Remote Area Nurse) | Vince | 6 episodes |
| Nightmares & Dreamscapes | Hans Morris | 1 episode | |
| Equal Opportunity | Death | ||
| 2008 | Double the Fist | Mayor McCarthy | 1 episode |
| 2008 | City Homicide | Maurice | 1 episode |
| 2008–10 | Legend of the Seeker | Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander | 44 episodes |
| 2009 | All Saints | Barry Goldsworthy | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Cloudstreet | Pig | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Rake [11] | George Corella | 1 episode |
| 2015 | Let's Talk About | Man in Toilet | 1 episode |
| 2016 | The Wizards of Oz [12] | Regimand | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Black Comedy | Guest Cast | 1 episode |
| 2018 | True Story with Hamish & Andy[13] | The Oracle | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Back to the Rafters | Charles Whiteman | 4 episodes |
| 2023 | Ten Pound Poms | Father | 1 episode |
Video games[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Enter the Matrix | Trainman | [14] |
| 2014 | Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! | Scav Gyro, Sir Dennis, Toby Van Adobe, Tony Slows, Taunting Scav #2 | [15] |
| 202? | Edge of Twilight | Horace |
Theatre[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Dimboola | Morrie McAdam | La Mama Theatre |
| 1970 | The Coming of Stork | Graham 'Stork' Wallace | La Mama Theatre |
| 1985 | A Stretch of the Imagination | Nimrod Theatre Company | |
| 2005 | The Marvellous Boy | Victor/Bain Cipolla | WB Stables by Griffin Theatre Company |
| 2013 | The Secret River | Loveday | Sydney Theatre |
References[edit]
- ^ Spence's middle name from 'Actors swear not to swear' Melbourne Age 16 January 1970 p. 2
- ^ "Bruce Spence(I)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Oral History: Actors". nfsa.gov.au. 25 March 2015.
- ^ a b Australia, National Film and Sound Archive of (7 September 2020). "Bruce Spence on Mad Max 2: 'An Absolute Joy'". nfsa.gov.au.
- ^ "Lord of the Rings Rewind: 49 Things You Didn't Know About The Return of the King". Gamespot.com. 4 September 2020.
- ^ "Reloaded Weapons: The 20 Most Powerful Characters in the Matrix, Officially Ranked". CBR. 15 November 2018.
- ^ Leydon, Joe (25 March 2003). "Inspector Gadget 2".
- ^ "15 Things You Never Knew About Pixar's Finding Nemo". E!. 31 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Bruce Spence (Tion Medon)". 29 December 2016.
- ^ Knox, David (18 March 2024). "Bruce Spence receives 2024 Equity Lifetime Achievement Award | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Cameras roll on Rake's third season | TV Tonight". 30 July 2013.
- ^ "Airdate: The Wizards of aus | TV Tonight".
- ^ "True Story with Hamish & Andy: Sept 25 | TV Tonight".
- ^ Shiny Entertainment. Enter the Matrix. Atari Games.
- ^ 2K Australia, Gearbox Software. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!. 2K Games. Scene: Closing credits, 3:39 minutes in.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
External links[edit]
- Bruce Spence at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- Best Actor AACTA Award winners
- Living people
- New Zealand male film actors
- New Zealand male television actors
- New Zealand male video game actors
- New Zealand male voice actors
- People educated at Henderson High School, Auckland
- Australian male film actors
- Australian male comedians
- Australian male television actors
- Comedians from Auckland
- 1945 births