Bruce Spence facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bruce Spence
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Spence in 2010
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Bruce Robert Spence
17 September 1945 Auckland, New Zealand
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| Nationality | New Zealander Australian |
| Occupation | Actor, voice artist |
| Years active | 1970–present |
Bruce Robert Spence was born on September 17, 1945, in Auckland, New Zealand. He is a talented actor from New Zealand and Australia. Bruce Spence has been in over 100 movies and TV shows. He has also performed in many plays on stage.
Contents
Bruce Spence's Acting Career
Bruce Spence started his acting journey in the 1970s. He quickly became known for his unique look and voice.
Early Successes
In 1971, Bruce won an AFI Award for Best Actor. This was for his role in the comedy movie Stork. This award showed how good he was at acting.
Famous Movie Roles
Many people know Bruce Spence from the Mad Max movies. He played the gyrocopter pilot in Mad Max 2 (1981). A gyrocopter is like a small helicopter. He also returned as Jedediah the pilot in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).
Bruce also starred in Werner Herzog's movie Where the Green Ants Dream (1984).
Roles in the 2000s
In the 2000s, Bruce Spence appeared in many popular movies. He was the Mouth of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). He also played the Trainman in The Matrix Revolutions (2003).
Kids might remember him as Baxter in Disney's Inspector Gadget 2 (2003). He also lent his voice to the character Chum in the animated movie Finding Nemo (2003). Bruce also appeared as Tion Medon in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). Later, he played Lord Rhoop in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010).
Live Shows and TV Series
Bruce Spence also acted in the live show Walking with Dinosaurs: The Live Experience. In this show, he played a palaeontologist (a scientist who studies dinosaurs). He told the story while huge, lifelike dinosaur puppets moved around.
From 2008 to 2010, Bruce joined the TV series Legend of the Seeker. This show was based on the Sword of Truth books. He played the important role of Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander. The show was very popular and ran for two seasons.
In 2014, he played George Corella, a prison inmate, in the TV series Rake.
In 2024, Bruce Spence received the Equity Lifetime Achievement award. This special award celebrates his long and amazing career in acting.
Movies Bruce Spence Has Been In
Film Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Stork | Graham 'Stork' Wallace | |
| 1974 | Moving On | Road Worker | |
| The Cars That Ate Paris | Charlie | ||
| 1975 | The Firm Man | Messenger | |
| The Great Macarthy | Bill Dean | ||
| 1976 | Let the Balloon Go | Chief Gifford | |
| Oz | Bass player/Blondie the Surfie | ||
| Mad Dog Morgan | Heriot | ||
| Eliza Fraser | Bruce McIver | ||
| 1978 | Newsfront | Redex trial driver | |
| 1979 | Dimboola | Morrie McAdam | |
| 1981 | Mad Max 2 | The Gyro Captain | |
| 1983 | Double Deal | Doug Mitchell | |
| The Return of Captain Invincible | Midnight's Doctor | ||
| Midnite Spares | Wimpy | ||
| Buddies | Ted | ||
| 1984 | Pallet on the Floor | Basil Beaumont-Foster | |
| Where the Green Ants Dream (aka Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen) | Lance Hackett | ||
| 1985 | Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome | Jedediah the Pilot | |
| 1987 | Bullseye | Purdy | |
| The Year My Voice Broke | Jonah | ||
| 1988 | Bachelor Girl | Alistair Dredge Jr | TV movie |
| Rikky and Pete | Ben | ||
| 1990 | Wendy Cracked a Walnut (aka ...Almost) | Ronnie | |
| The Shrimp on the Barbie | Wayne | ||
| 1991 | Sweet Talker | Norman Foster | |
| 1993 | Hercules Returns | Sprocket | |
| 1995 | Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | Gahjii | |
| 1996 | The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas | Mr. Gateman | TV movie |
| 1998 | Dark City | Mr. Wall | |
| 2002 | Queen of the Damned | Khayman | |
| 2003 | Inspector Gadget 2 | Professor Baxter | |
| Finding Nemo | Chum (voice) | ||
| The Matrix Revolutions | Trainman | ||
| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Mouth of Sauron (Extended edition only) | ||
| Peter Pan | Cookson | ||
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | Tion Medon | |
| 2006 | Aquamarine | Leonard | |
| Solo | Kennedy | ||
| 2008 | Australia | Dr. Barker | |
| 2010 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | Lord Rhoop | |
| 2013 | Mystery Road | Jim the Coroner | |
| 2014 | I, Frankenstein | Molokai | |
| 2015 | Backtrack | Felix | |
| 2016 | Gods of Egypt | Head Judge | |
| Blue World Order | Whippett | ||
| 2017 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | Mayor Dix | |
| 2018 | Winchester | Augustine | |
| Occupation | Alien Leader | ||
| 2020 | Love and Monsters | Old Pete | |
| Children of the Corn | Pastor Penny | ||
| The Dry | Gerry Hadler | ||
| 2021 | The Drover's Wife | Father McGuiness | |
| 2023 | Cold Water | Murray | Short film |
TV Shows Bruce Spence Has Been In
Television Roles
| 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 | |
| 2015 | Let's Talk About | Man in Toilet | 1 episode | |
| 2016 | The Wizards of Aus | Regimand | 3 episodes | |
| Black Comedy | Guest Cast | 1 episode | ||
| 2018 | True Story with Hamish & Andy | The Oracle | 1 episode | |
| 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 Games Bruce Spence Has Voiced
Video Game Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Enter the Matrix | Trainman | |
| 2014 | Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! | Scav Gyro, Sir Dennis, Toby Van Adobe, Tony Slows, Taunting Scav #2 | |
| 202? | Edge of Twilight | Horace |
Plays Bruce Spence Has Performed In
Theatre Roles
| 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 |
See also
In Spanish: Bruce Spence para niños
