Alister Smart
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (July 2023) |
Alister Smart | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1934 (aged 88-89)[1] Australia |
| Other names | Alastair Smart |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active |
|
| Known for | Play School as host 1966–1991 (27 years) |
| Notable work |
|
Alister Smart (born 1934),[1][2] also credited as Alastair Smart,[3] is a retired TV presenter, actor, television director and screenwriter from Australia. A staple of the small screen, he appeared in telefilms and soap opera/serials with numerous credits from the late 1950s until the mid-1990s
Smart is best known for his long tenure as a presenter on TV children's series Play School. He is also known for his appearances with fellow members of Play School, including Don Spencer[1] on tie-in records released for ABC Music, as well as in audiobooks.[1][4][5]
As a television director, he has worked on numerous programs. Most notably, he directed 88 episodes of the soap opera Sons and Daughters, and briefly 4 episodes of police procedural series Blue Heelers.
Career
Actor
Smart started his career in local theatre in 1957, and continued working in stage drama throughout his life. His theatre roles include Shakespeare's Macbeth and King Henry V and a tour of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? [6]
He began his television career in England in the early 1960s, appearing in televised plays. He performed in anthology series including ITV Play of the Week and Comedy Playhouse, as well as serials like Emergency Ward 10. In the latter part of the 60s, he returned to Australia, [1] where he appeared in guest roles in soap operas and made-for-television movies, including You Can't See 'round Corners, Homicide. Division 4, The Sullivans and Cop Shop. Although not a staple of the regular Number 96 television series, Smart had a prominent role as journalist Duncan Hunter in the film version.[7]
Television director
Smart pursued a directing career in both movies and TV series from the early 1970s until he retired in 1994. His directorial work includes Scattergood: Friend of All, Sons and Daughters, Richmond Hill, Prisoner and Blue Heelers.[8][9][10]
Television presenter
Smart is recognized as a former presenter on the long-running children's TV program Play School, the Australian version of which was adapted from the original British version of the same title. Smart's first appearance was in the first episode in 1966, and he remained in that role for 27 years until retiring in 1993. He hosted alongside other original cast including Diane Dorgan (1966), Donald Mcdonald, Kerry Francis, Anne Haddy (1966-1969) and Lorraine Bayly (1966-1978).[5]
Personal life
Smart grew up in Nowra, New South Wales. He currently resides in East Gippsland, Victoria.[citation needed]
Filmography
Actor
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Theatre 70 (TV series) | Building Worker |
| 1961 | Three Live Wires (TV series) | |
| 1961 | ITV Play of the Week (TV series) | Checker |
| 1961 | The Seven Faces of Jim (TV series) | 3 roles -Kenneth Kendall -Digger -Newspaper reporter |
| 1962 | Comedy Playhouse (TV series) | |
| 1962 | Drama 61-67 (TV series) | Dr. Jefferson |
| 1962 | Six More Faces of Jim (TV series) | |
| 1963 | Emergency Ward 10 (TV series) | Mr. Riley |
| 1963 | The Right Thing (TV movie) | Jose Gomez (billed as Alastair Smart) |
| 1964 | Ring Out, Wild Bells (TV movie) | John Lambert |
| 1965 | Arabesque for Atoms (TV movie) | |
| 1966 | Twelfth Night (TV movie) | Curio (billed here as Alastair Smart) |
| 1967 | You Can't See 'round Corners (TV series) | |
| 1967 | Contrabandits (TV series) | 2 roles -Greer -Cox |
| 1968-69 | Skippy the Bush Kangaroo (TV series) | 2 roles -Alf -Sergeant |
| 1969 | Riptide'' (TV series) | 3 roles -Adam Brockenhurst -Les Duggan -Ted |
| 1969 | It Take's All Kinds | Ray |
| 1970 | The Rovers] (TV series) | Gary |
| 1970 | Delta (TV series) | Paul Falstone-Green |
| 1970 | Dynasty (TV series) | Ambassador |
| 1965-71 | Homicide (TV series) | 7 roles -Doctor Perini (1965) -John Whelan (1965) -Geoff Woods (1965) -Alan Watson (1967) -George Allen (1969) -Lucio Leurini- -John Meadows |
| 1971 | Spyforce (TV series) | Carlos |
| 1972 | Barrier Reef (TV series) | Lynch |
| 1971-73 | Matlock Police | 2 roles -Ricco (1971) -Barney White (1973) |
| 1973 | Ryan (TV series) | Colin Brown |
| 1973 | Serpent in the Rainbow (TV miniseries) | Adam Quigg (billed as Alastair Smart) |
| 1974 | Number 96 (Film version) | Duncan Hunter |
| 1974 | Behind the Legend (TV series) | Frank Gardiner (billed as Alastair Smart) |
| 1974 | Silence Number (TV series) | Dr. Fisher |
| 1969-1975 | Division 4 (TV series) | 7 roles -Dennis (1969) -Downey (1969) -Kenney Kent -Alf Clarke (1970) -Stan Hassett (1970) -Don Jenkins (1970) -Taylor (1975) |
| 1975 | Ben Hall (TV series) | Jack Taylor |
| 1975 | Wollongong the Brave (TV series) | |
| 1976 | The Emigrants (TV series) | Migrant reception officer |
| 1976 | The Sullivans (TV series) | Paul Hayward |
| 1976 | Number 96 (TV series) | Frank Hobson |
| 1976 | The Outsiders(TV series) | Li Norton |
| 1977 | Moynihan (TV series) | (billed as Alastair Smart) |
| 1977 | Harness Fever (TV movie) | Sergeant Meeker |
| 1977 | Young Ramsay (TV series) | Ken Murray |
| 1977 | Roses Bloom Twice (TV movie) | |
| 1978 | Plunge Into Darkness (TV movie) | |
| 1977-79 | Glenview High (TV series) | Kazim |
| 1979 | The Magical World of Disney | Sergeant Meeker |
| 1979 | Skyways (TV series) | Hal Bailey |
| 1978-1980 | Cop Shop (TV series) | 2 roles -Phillip Cooper -Sharkey |
| 1980 | People Like Us (TV movie) | Detective Rogers |
| 1984 | Carson's Law (TV series) | David Mockridge |
| 1985 | Special Squad (TV series) | |
| 1988 | Rafferty's Rules (TV series) | Robson (billed as Alastair Smart) |
| 1992 | The Girl Who Came Late | Ron |
Presenter
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1966-93 | Play School | Presenter[11] |
Director
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | The Spoiler (TV series) | Director 1 episode -"The Price" |
| 1972 | The Godfathers (TV series) | Director 5 episodes -"There's a Tortoise in My Bath" "The Lift" "Too Many Cakes" "The Prize" -Double Trouble |
| 1974 | One Man in the Company (TV series) | 1 episode "Two in One" (also served as producer on 5 eps.) |
| 1974 | Scattergood: Friend of All | |
| 1977 | Cop Shop (TV series) | 6 episodes |
| 1979 | Skyways (TV series) | |
| 1982 | A Country Practice | Director - 14 episodes |
| 1983 | Waterloo Station (TV series) | |
| 1986 | Prisoner | Director - 7 episodes |
| 1982-87 | Sons and Daughters (TV series) | Director 88 episodes |
| 1989 | Richmond Hill (TV series) | |
| 1989-90 | Rafferty's Rules | 4 episodes -Out of Line" -"One for Us" -"Free of Passion" -"In Custody" |
| 1989-90 | E Street | Director - 6 episodes |
| 1991 | Neighbours | Director - 6 episodes |
| 1991 | The Time Game | |
| 1993 | You and Me and Uncle Bob | |
| 1994 | Blue Heelers | 4 episodes "Waiting for Apples" -"Family Lies" -Good Cop, Bad Cop -"Crazy Like a Fox" |
References
- ^ a b c d e "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Australian Showbiz page 224".
- ^ GILES, NIGEL "Number 96: Australia's Most Notorious Address"
- ^ "AlisterSmart".
- ^ "Jottings". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 July 1987.
- ^ a b "Play School (1966-present)".
- ^ "Alister Smart". AusStage.
- ^ "NUMBER 96 movie's 40th birthday bash".
- ^ "Alister Smart". Screen Australia. Australian Government. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ "Alister Smart". BFI Film Forever. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ "Alister Smart". Osobnosti (in Czech). Tiscali Media. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ "Playschool legend visits city". Barrier Daily Truth. Barrier Daily Truth. 23 October 2018.
External links
| International | |
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| Artists | |
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