Stage, screen and TV actor Henri Szeps, 81, died on July 24. Born in a Swiss refugee camp (his parents were Polish), Szeps moved to Australia as a child, with his mother. His career took place mostly in Australia and the UK, starting with theater (he appeared in such shows as The Apple Cart, Don’t Drink the Water, The Good Doctor, Traveling North, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Double Bass, Sky, and The Boys in the Band—where he met his wife, actress Mary Ann Severne, much to her surprise). From 1967 till he had to step away due to dementia in 2015, Szeps appeared in more than 70 TV series and movies. He was best known for costarring in Mother and Son (1984-94), and also had supporting roles in Daily at Dawn, A Country Practice, Palace of Dreams, Vietnam, and his swan song, Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door. He also appeared in a handful of films. Szeps is survived by his widow and two sons (one of whom is TV host Josh Szeps). “There are roles I wouldn’t play,” Szeps said. “If I feel the vehicle pollutes, damages, it sends out bad stuff – stuff that desensitizes an audience – I have a real problem. Silence of The Lambs is a pollutant, it’s an evil piece of work. I’m being moralistic now, I know, but it is impossible for that role to not be glamorous, and the role is truly evil.”
