Bruce Spence
Bruce Spence (born 17 September 1945) is a New Zealand-Australian actor. Spence has "amassed over 100 film and television credits" and has also acted in theater.[1]
Bruce Spence | |
|---|---|
 Spence in 2010 | |
| Born | 17 September 1945 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealander Australian |
| Occupation | Actor, voice artist |
Biography
Spence won an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1971 comedy Stork.[1]
Spence's "best known film role is as the gyro pilot" in Mad Max 2 (1981).[1][2] He also "played the lead in Werner Herzog's Where the Green Ants Dream (1984)"[1] and portrayed Jedediah the pilot in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).[2]
In the 21st century, Spence played the Mouth of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003),[3] the Trainman in The Matrix Revolutions (2003),[4] and Baxter in Disney's Inspector Gadget 2 (2003),[5] and voiced the character Chum in Finding Nemo (2003).[6] He also portrayed Tion Medon in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)[7] and played Lord Rhoop in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010).[7]
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.
Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Certain Women | Julius 'Big Julie' | |
| 1977 | Barnaby and Me | Tall Baddie | |
| 1981 | And Here Comes Bucknuckle | ||
| 1982 | Deadline | Towie | |
| Kingswood Country | Dentist | ||
| 1987 | Great Expectations: The Untold Story | Joe Gargery | |
| 1988 | The Dirtwater Dynasty | Lonely Logan | |
| 1989 | Zucker | ||
| Tanamera – Lion of Singapore | Hammond | ||
| 1989–1992 | Dearest Enemy | Lenny | |
| 1992 | Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left | The Chief | |
| 1994–1995 | Over the Hill | Tall Bob | |
| 1997 | Return to Jupiter | Ed Unit | |
| Halifax f.p.: Isn't It Romantic | Eric Washburn | ||
| Bullpitt! | Darcy | ||
| 1998 | Moby Dick | Elijah | |
| 1999 | BeastMaster | Annubis | |
| 2002 | Farscape | Prefect Falaak | |
| 2004 | The Brush Off | Philip Veale | |
| 2006 | RAN (Remote Area Nurse) | Vince | |
| Nightmares & Dreamscapes | Hans Morris | ||
| Equal Opportunity | Death | ||
| 2008 | Double the Fist | Mayor McCarthy | |
| 2008–2010 | Legend of the Seeker | Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander | |
| 2009 | All Saints | Barry Goldsworthy | |
| 2014 | Rake | George Corella | |
| 2021 | Back to the Rafters | Charles Whiteman | 7 episodes |
Video games
- Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! - Scav Gyro, Sir Dennis, Toby Van Adobe, Tony Slows, Taunting Scav #2[8]
- Enter the Matrix - Trainman[9]
References
- "Oral History: Actors". www.nfsa.gov.au. 25 March 2015.
- Australia, National Film and Sound Archive of (7 September 2020). "Bruce Spence on Mad Max 2: 'An Absolute Joy'". www.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". EOnline.com. 31 May 2018.
- "Bruce Spence (Tion Medon)". 29 December 2016.
- 2K Australia, Gearbox Software. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!. 2K Games. Scene: Closing credits, 3:39 minutes in.
- Shiny Entertainment. Enter the Matrix. Atari Games.
