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Henri Szeps

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Henri Szeps
Born (1943-10-02) October 2, 1943 (age 81)
Lausanne, Switzerland
NationalityAustralian
EducationUniversity of Sydney
Occupations
  • Actor
  • composer
  • playwright
  • performer
  • advisor
  • translator
Years active1963−present
OrganizationEnsemble Theatre
Known forMother And Son, I'm Not A Dentist (theatre)
TelevisionPalace of Drams
SpouseMary Ann Severne
ChildrenJosh Szeps
Awards

Henri Szeps OAM (/hɛnri zɛps/) (born October 2, 1943[1]), also spelled Henry Szeps, is a Swiss-born Australian character actor of theatre and television. He has also featured in films and worked in voice roles, and has worked in productions in the United Kingdom.

Early life

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Henri Szeps was born in 1943 in Lausanne, Switzerland, to Polish parents. Prior to the German invasion of Poland during World War II, his parents fled to France in 1938. His father left the family to join the French Resistance. In 1943, his mother and three-year-old sister made their way to a refugee camp in Lausanne, where Henri was born. At 112 months he was fostered to a Swiss couple in Blumenstein. His mother reclaimed him when he was three years old, and returned to the Swiss couple when he was 412. He was reclaimed by his mother to Paris, and due to her illness, at the age of six was placed at the Rothschild Orphanage. He came to Sydney, Australia, at the age of eight in 1951 or 1952 with his mother and sister.[2][3]

Career

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Szeps studied acting at the Ensemble Theatre during weekends, under the direction of Hayes Gordon, while gaining science and electrical engineering degrees at Sydney University. In 1963, while studying for a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and physics during the day, he appeared every night at the Ensemble Theatre, in a play called The Physicists, which ran for six months.

Szeps is best known for his role as selfish dentist Robert Beare in the classic Australian television comedy series Mother and Son (1984–1994), with Garry McDonald, Ruth Cracknell and Judy Morris. Another prominent role was in Palace of Dreams for which he received a Penguin Award. He played the doctor in the world première of David Williamson's play, Travelling North, and was asked to reprise the performance in the 1987 film with Leo McKern and Graham Kennedy.

He appeared in the 1981 TV movie A Step in the Right Direction.

Szeps won the Penguin Award for best actor for his role in ABC's 10 part series Palace of Dreams.

He has performed in five one-man shows produced by the Ensemble Theatre, the last three self-penned: The Double Bass (1990), Sky (1992) (written for him by John Misto), I'm Not a Dentist (1997), Why Kids (2003) and Wish I'd Said That (2010).

He has written a book on acting, All in Good Timing (1996), which is used by drama schools.[citation needed]

Honours and awards

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Association Year Award Work Results
Penguin Award Best Actor in a mini-series Palace of Dreams Won
Norman Kessell Award 1997 Outstanding Performance I'm Not a Dentist[4] Won
Australian Government 2001 Medal of the Order of Australia "For service to the arts, and to the community through the Australia Day Council and the National Centre for Childhood Grief"[5] Honoured
Helpmann Award 2003 Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical Cabaret Won
Ensemble Theatre 2014 The Henri Szeps Green Room Honoured
Glugs Awards 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award Honoured

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1969 You Can't See 'round Corners Peter Feature film
1977 Say You Want Me Jim Morton TV movie
1979 The Plumber David Medavoy TV movie
1980 A Toast to Melba Thomas Beecham
Buffalo Bill
Mayor of Brisbane
TV movie
1980 Fatty Finn Mr. Zilch Feature film
1981 A Step in the Right Direction TV movie
1981 Run Rebecca, Run Manuel Cortes Film
1982 Wilde's Domain Shenko TV movie
1982 Mystery at Castle House Mr. Wilberforce TV movie
1983 Now and Forever Barry York Feature film
1983 The Return of Captain Invincible Chief Security Officer Feature film
1983 Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear Voice Animated TV movie
1983 Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet Voice Animated TV movie
1983 Platypus Cove Winston Bell TV movie
1984 A Tale of Two Cities Voice TV movie
1985 Warming Up Sergeant Peter Sullivan Feature film
1985 The Pickwick Papers Voice Animated TV movie
1987 The Edge of Power Steve Traynor Film
1987 Les Patterson Saves the World Dr. Charles Herpes
Desiree Herpes
Feature film
1987 Travelling North Saul Feature film
2001 South Pacific Benoit TV movie
2001 Elixir Bob Sommerville
2009 No Junk Mail Short film
2010 The Bris Dobinski Short film
2012 Bathing Franky Rodney Feature film
2013 McLean's Money Edward McLean

Television

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Year Title Role Type
1969 Skippy the Bush Kangaroo Bob TV series
1969 Riptide Des Dawkins TV series
1967-69 Homicide Peter Scott (1967)
Alan Shaw (1969)-
David Yates (1969)
TV series
1971 Misleading Cases Pierre TV series
1971 Spyforce Dingo TV series
1971 The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes Laval TV series
1972 Spyder's Web Policeman TV series
1972 Spy Trap The Frenchmen TV series
1972 The Strauss Family Edi's Dresser TV miniseries
1974 Barlow Corsican TV series
1973–74 Colditz De Crossait
Captain Henry LeVevre
TV series
1974 Crown Court Dr. Herman Abel TV series
1975 Dixon of Dock Green Onion Man TV series
1969–75 Division 4 Jeff Taylor (1969)
Brian Martin (1971)
Jimmy Dunn (1975)
TV series
1974 Armchair Cinema TV series
1976 Number 96 Phillip Chambers TV series
1976 God Knows Why, But It Works Dr. Archie Kalokerinos TV series
1977 The Dick Emery Show in Australia Various characters TV series
1978 Chopper Squad Falconio TV series
1977–78 Cop Shop Steven Halliday (1977)
Vincent Morelli (1978)
TV series
1979 Ride on Stranger Vincent Sladder TV series
1981 Daily at Dawn Joe Parker TV series
1982 The Best of Friends Lilo
1982 M.P.S.I.B Tran Van TV series
1982–83 A Country Practice Perc Hobbs
Ralph Bianchi
TV series
1980–84 Kingswood Country Mr O'Grady
Eric the Postman
TV series
1984 City West Dr. Mikus Kuskis TV series
1985 Palace of Dreams Mick Mendel TV miniseries
1987 Vietnam Harold Holt TV miniseries
1988 Rafferty's Rules Uncle Aniello TV series
1989 Hannay Police Inspector TV series
1990 Mission: Impossible Esteban Magdalena TV series
1991 Hampton Court Mr. Verstak TV series
1992 The Adventures of Skippy Frank TV series
1992 Seeing Red Louie Leeds
1984–94 Mother and Son Robert Beare TV series
1991–95 G.P. Charlie Cassidy
-Ibram Hanaf
TV series
1996 Snowy River: The McGregor Saga Jacob Verkovic TV series
1999–09 All Saints George Bresnic (1999)
-Victor McGregor (2009)
TV series
2000 Stingers Norman Sagar TV series
2001 Flat Chat Cardinal Del Gardia TV series
2001 Escape of the Artful Dodger Dr. Hartman TV series
2015 Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door Dee Anthony TV miniseries

References

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  1. ^ Mr. Henri Szeps. A.B.C.. Retrieved 14 Sep 2024.
  2. ^ "Henri's story". Refugee Council of Australia. April 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  3. ^ Wright, Tony (6 September 1988). "Szeps's life would make a good script itself". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). p. 1. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Awards". Glugs. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Mr Henri Szeps". Australian Honours Search Facility. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia). Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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