George Bernard Spartels (born 25 April 1954) is an Australian actor, presenter, director, playwright and children's musician of Greek descent on his father's ancestry, and English and Irish on his mother's. He remains best known for his role on the television soap opera Neighbours.[1]

George Spartels
Born
George Bernard Spartels

(1954-04-25) 25 April 1954 (age 70)
Australia
Occupations
  • Actor
  • children's presenter
  • director
  • playwright
  • musician
Years active1971-present
Known forNeighbours (TV series) as Benito Alessi

Career

edit

Spartels has guest starred in many Australian television series from the 1970s to the present, most notably, Prisoner and Bellbird and in Neighbours playing family patriarch Benito Alessi. He has also appeared in a number of episodes of medical drama series All Saints and serial Packed to the Rafters as Carbo's father.

Other roles included Cop Shop, Punishment and The Bluestone Boys, as well as Blackfinger in the movie Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome in 1985, alongside Mel Gibson and Tina Turner.

Spartels was also a children's television presenter, having had a long tenure on ABC's Play School, over a period of 14 years between 1985 and 1999.[2][3][4][5]

In 2014, Spartels toured Canada, LA and Australia in "The Last Confession" with David Suchet.[6]

Depiction in Art

edit

Spartels' photoportrait, by Ivan Gaal, is in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery.[7]

Personal life

edit

Spartels was previously married to Sue Spartels, followed by actress Elizabeth Alexander; married, in April 2013, to Mary Spartels and resided in Sydney, Australia. Divorced from Mary in 2017, he returned to Melbourne and commutes.

Filmography

edit

Film

edit
Year Title Role Type
1978 Blue Fin Con Feature film
1985 Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome Blackfinger Feature film
1988 Computer Ghosts Pi Wratich TV movie
1989 Action Replay TV movie
1992 Seeing Red Mark Feature film
1999 Kick Jack Grant Feature film
2023 The Adventures of Wolfdogg and Redridinghood Narrator Short film

Television

edit
Year Title Role Type
1971-75 Matlock Police Danny Porter, Willie Bennett, Walters, Frank Clark, Bob TV series, 5 episodes
1972-75 Division 4 Harry, Terry Hughes, Gino Napoli, Youth1 TV series, 4 episodes
1971-76 Homicide John Smith, Russell Knight, Simon Littlewood, Nick Pappas, Peter Fletcher, Anton Palades, Mechanic TV series, 7 episodes
1974 This Love Affair TV series, 1 episode
1976 Solo One Harry Thomas TV series, 1 episode
Bellbird TV series
1976 The Bluestone Boys TV series
1976-77 Bluey Steve Berry, Wilson TV series, 2 episodes
1977 Bobby Dazzler George TV series, 3 episodes
1977 Hotel Story TV series
1978 Father, Dear Father in Australia George TV series, 1 episode
1978-89 Cop Shop Claudio Gustino, Chris Murray, Fergus TV series, 3 episodes
1979 Chopper Squad Man in hang glider TV series, 1 episode
1979-80 Prisoner Herbie TV series, 5 episodes
1981 Punishment David ‘Robbo’ Roberts TV series
1984 Sweet and Sour Nick Poulopolous TV series, 18 episodes
1985-99 Play School Presenter TV series
1986 The Great Bookie Robbery Jaffa Davis TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1990 Rafferty's Rules Stefan Bosnjack TV series, 1 episode
1991 All Together Now Georgie Leonard TV series, 1 episode
1992-93 Neighbours Benito Alessi TV series, 47 episodes
1997 Fallen Angels Dan Playhard TV series, 1 episode
2002-06 All Saints The Professor, Craig Watts, Peter Talbot TV series, 3 episodes
2009 City Homicide Frank Scarsdale TV series, 1 episode
2009-12 Packed to the Rafters Theo Karandonis, Carbo's father TV series, 4 episodes

Theatre

edit
Year Title Role Type
1971 Godspell Playbox Theatre
1981-82 Chicago Amos Hart Sydney Opera House's Drama Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, Theatre Royal, Comedy Theatre, Festival Theatre, Hong Kong Arts Festival
1989 Greek Tragedy Company B, Belvoir Street Theatre

Awards

edit
Year Nominated work Award Result
1993 George from Play School Best Children's Album Nominated
1998 Let's Go Out Nominated
2001 George Meets The Orchestra Nominated

References

edit
  1. ^ Michelle Arrow, Jeannine Baker and Clare Monagle; Michelle Arrow, Jeannine Baker and Clare Monagle. "Monash University EPress". books.publishing.monash.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Play School: the early years". ABC Radio National. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Don't tell the children". The Age. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Play School is 'rife with double entendres'". NewsComAu. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Through the windows". The Monthly. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  6. ^ "'The Last Confession': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  7. ^ "George Spartels, early 1970's". National Portrait Gallery collection. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
edit