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Bruce Spence | |
|---|---|
 Spence in 2010 | |
| Born | Bruce Robert Spence 17 September 1945 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealander Australian |
| 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]
Spence won an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1971 comedy Stork . [3]
Spence gained in prominence when he played 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]
| 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 | 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 | George Corella | 1 episode | [11] |
| 2015 | Let's Talk About | Man in Toilet | 1 episode | |
| 2016 | The Wizards of Aus | Regimand | 3 episodes | [12] |
| Black Comedy | Guest Cast | 1 episode | ||
| 2018 | True Story with Hamish & Andy | The Oracle | 1 episode | [13] |
| 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 | |
| 2025 | The Twelve | Goran Popovich | 1 episodes |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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