Australian screen and stage veteran Henri Szeps dies aged 81
Australia is mourning the loss of Henri Szeps, the Swiss born actor whose warm wit and meticulous craft enlivened television, film and theatre for more than six decades. Szeps passed away earlier this week at the age of 81. He had been living with Alzheimer’s disease since 2021 and spent his final years in care, surrounded by close family.
From refugee camp to household name
Born in a refugee camp in Lausanne in 1943 to Polish Holocaust survivors, Szeps migrated to Sydney with his mother and sister when he was eight. The family settled in Surry Hills where his parents ran a grocery store. School plays in Greenwich sparked a love of performance that soon eclipsed his electrical‑engineering studies at the University of Sydney. Weekends were devoted to method‑acting classes at the Ensemble Theatre, the company that would remain his creative home across seven decades.
Television stardom and film highlights
Szeps broke through on television in the late 1960s with guest roles in Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and A Country Practice. National fame came with the ABC hit Mother and Son from 1984 to 1994, where he portrayed the self absorbed dentist Robert Beare opposite Garry McDonald and Ruth Cracknell. The series became a cornerstone of Australian comedy and cemented Szeps as a master of prickle soft humour.
On the big screen he tackled a wide range of characters, notably Prime Minister Harold Holt in the mini series Vietnam, a production that also launched Nicole Kidman’s early career. Other credits included Peter Weir’s cult thriller The Plumberand Barry Humphries’ satire Les Patterson Saves the World.
A lifelong commitment to the stage
Despite lucrative screen work, Szeps never strayed far from live theatre. He shared the Ensemble Theatre stage with future wife Mary Ann Severne in The Boys in the Band in 1968, beginning a fifty six year partnership that blended family life with artistic collaboration. His versatility shone in roles such as Gandalf in The Hobbit, Sigmund Freud in Freud’s Last Session and Harold in The Boys in the Band. He also wrote and directed several solo shows, including the autobiographical hit I Am Not A Dentist, which toured nationally in the 1990s.
The Royal Shakespeare Company invited him to London in the 1970s, but he chose to stay in Australia to raise his young family, reinforcing his belief that an international career need not come at the expense of home.
Honours and later years
Szeps received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2001 for services to the performing arts and, two years later, the Helpmann Award for his supporting performance in Cabaret alongside Tina Arena. He continued appearing in one man shows until memory lapses prompted retirement at seventy. A final series of sold out performances at the Ensemble Theatre allowed him to bid farewell in the space where his journey began.
Family and legacy
Henri Szeps is survived by his wife Mary Ann, sons Amos and broadcaster Josh, and four grandchildren. Colleagues remember him as an artist of relentless curiosity who believed storytelling could illuminate the best in human nature. His path from refugee child to beloved cultural figure stands as a testament to perseverance, imagination and the welcoming possibilities of Australian arts.
