Legendary Australian actor Henri Szeps, 81, dies

An Australian star best known for starring in beloved ABC sitcom Mother and Son, has died following a long health battle.

Szeps revealed during a 2021 television appearance with his son Josh that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Picture: Supplied.

Australian actor Henri Szeps, 81, best known for starring in ABC sitcom Mother and Son, has died.

Szeps played Robert Beare opposite Garry McDonald and Ruth Cracknell from 1984 to 1994 in the beloved comedy series.

The TV star also featured in roles including raunchy soap Number 96; the medical dramas A Country Practice, GP and All Saints.

He also enjoyed some movie roles during his illustrious career, most notably starring in war drama Vietnam, in which he played prime minister Harold Holt opposite a young Nicole Kidman.

Henri Szeps [right], who starred in the original version of classic ABC sitcom Mother and Son, has died.

Trained in The Method at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre – where a green room is now named in his honour – Henri took Australian theatre by storm in the 1968 production of The Boys in the Band.

It was there that he met his wife, the actress Mary Ann Severne, who was by his side when he died. Szeps had been in a residential care unit since 2023 after revealing his Alzhimers diagnosis two-years prior.

He was awarded countless acting prizes, culminating in an Order of Australia Medal in 2001. His decline from Alzheimer’s was largely peaceful, said his family, who said the actor “retained his sense of wonder and joie de vivre until the end”.

Szeps revealed during a 2021 television appearance with his son Josh that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Picture: Supplied.

His showstopping theatre performances ranged from Gandalf in the stage production of The Hobbit; Sigmund Freud in the award-winning Freud’s Last Session; Sam Mendes’ reboot of Cabaret with Tina Arena and Toby Allen for which Szeps won the Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

Despite an invitation to join the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, Szeps resisted the temptation to advance his career abroad for the sake of his family.

The final chapter of his showbiz life was defined by a string of sold-out one-man shows developed at his original stomping ground, The Ensemble Theatre.

By the time Szeps finished the run of his final play, David Williamson’s Cruise Control, at the age of 70, he decided that his memory was no longer able to remember lines well enough and so he chose to retire from acting.

Szeps is survived by his wife and two sons: Amos, a psychologist and master coach, and Josh, a broadcaster and journalist, and four grandchildren.

Originally published as Legendary Australian actor Henri Szeps, 81, dies