Steven John Peter Spears (22 January 1951 – 16 October 2007) was an Australian playwright, actor, writer and singer. His most famous work was '' The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin'' (1976). He was cited as "one of Australia's most celebrated playwrights".

Biography

Early life

Spears was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, South Australia in 1951 and, after his parents separated when he was very young, grew up with relatives in the suburb of

Mile End Mile End is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in East London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is east of Charing Cross. Situated on the part of the London-to-Colchester road ...

. He studied law at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

, but through writing and performing student revues, was distracted into a career in the theatre. Spears moved to Sydney in the 1970s. In his own words, he was a "born-again Sydney-sider".

Death

Spears died in

Aldinga, South Australia Aldinga is a suburb of Adelaide in South Australia located about south of the Adelaide city centre in the City of Onkaparinga. It is a small suburb (population around 573 in 2016), about a kilometre east of the edge of the larger suburb of ...

, from brain cancer in 2007. He was 56.

Writing

Plays

Television

Books

Acting work

Television

Film

Stage

References

External links

* * Penelope Debelle, Obituary, ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'', 22 October 2007, p. 11
Picture of Spears in his University of Adelaide years
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spears, Steve J. 1951 births 2007 deaths Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Australian male voice actors Australian male dramatists and playwrights Australian television writers Australian male television writers Deaths from lung cancer in Australia People from Adelaide Deaths from cancer in South Australia 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Australian male writers 20th-century Australian screenwriters