Bruce Spence
Template:Short description Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:BLP sources Template:Infobox person Bruce Robert Spence<ref>Spence's middle name from 'Actors swear not to swear' Melbourne Age 16 January 1970 p. 2</ref> (born 17 September 1945) is a New Zealand-born Australian actor.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Spence has amassed over 100 film and television credits and has also acted in theatre.<ref name="auto2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CareerEdit
Spence won an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1971 comedy Stork.<ref name="auto2"/>
Spence's best known film role is as the gyrocopter pilot in Mad Max 2 (1981).<ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also played the lead role in Werner Herzog's Where the Green Ants Dream (1984)<ref name="auto2"/> and portrayed Jedediah the pilot in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).<ref name="auto1"/>
In the 21st century, Spence played the Mouth of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Trainman in The Matrix Revolutions (2003),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Baxter in Disney's Inspector Gadget 2 (2003),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and voiced the character Chum in Finding Nemo (2003).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also portrayed Tion Medon in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)<ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and played Lord Rhoop in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010).<ref name="auto"/>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
FilmographyEdit
FilmEdit
TelevisionEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Note | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Template:Ill | 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 | George Corella | 1 episode | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 2015 | Let's Talk About | Man in Toilet | 1 episode | ||
| 2016 | The Wizards of Aus | Regimand | 3 episodes | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Black Comedy | Guest Cast | 1 episode | |||
| 2018 | True Story with Hamish & Andy | The Oracle | 1 episode | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 2021 | Back to the Rafters | Charles Whiteman | 4 episodes | ||
| 2023 | Ten Pound Poms | Father | 1 episode | ||
| Faraway Downs | Dr Barker | 6 episodes | |||
| 2024 | Nautilus | CBIO President | 2 episodes |
Video gamesEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Enter the Matrix | Trainman | <ref>Template:Cite video game</ref> |
| 2014 | Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! | Scav Gyro, Sir Dennis, Toby Van Adobe, Tony Slows, Taunting Scav #2 | <ref>Template:Cite video game</ref> |
| 202? | Edge of Twilight | Horace |
TheatreEdit
| 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 |
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0817748
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Template:Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role 1972-1979 Template:Authority control