Alister Smart
Alister Smart (born 1932)[1][2] also credited as Alastair Smart, is an Australian retired TV presenter, actor and television director, mainly of soap opera/serials and telemovies.
Alister Smart | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1932 (aged 89-90) [1] Australia |
| Other names | Alastair Smart |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1961–1994 |
| Known for | Play School as host 1966–1994) |
Notable work | Number 96 (film version) Sons and Daughters as director |
Early life
Smart was born in 1932 and grew up in Nowra, New South Wales and currently resides at East Gippsland, Victoria.[1]
Career
Presenter, actor and director
When the British-based children's series Play School started its run in Australia in 1966, Smart was an original presenter.[3] He was the longest-serving original, remaining for 25 years, until he left in 1990. As one of six original presenters, he shared the role with fellow presenters Lorraine Bayly, Anne Haddy, Diane Dorgan, Donald McDonald, and Kerrie Francis.[4]
He has appeared in guest roles in soap opera and made for TV movies from the early 1960s onwards You Can't See 'round Corners, Homicide. Division 4, The Sullivans and Cop Shop.
Smart, although not a staple of the regular Number 96 television series, had a prominent role as journalist Duncan Hunter in the film version. The storyline sees him married to Sonia Vansard (Lynn Rainbow) who has returned to live at the building and questioning her new found sanity after having departed from the series with a mental illness.[5]
His directing work, encompassing TV movies and TV series from the early 1970s until retiring in 1994, includes the series Scattergood: Friend of All, Sons and Daughters, Richmond Hill, Prisoner and Blue Heelers.[6][7][8]
Filmography
Actor
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 1967 | You Can't See Round Corners (TV series) | |
| 1967 | Contrabandits (TV series) | 2 roles -Greer -Cox |
| 1968-1969 | Skippy the Bush Kangaroo (TV series) | 2 roles -Alf -Sergeant |
| 1969 | Riptide (TV series) | 3 roles -Adam Brockenhurst -Les Duggan -Ted |
| 1969 | It Takes All Kinds | Ray |
| 1970 | The Rovers (TV series) | Gary |
| 1970 | Delta (TV series) | Paul Falstone-Green |
| 1970 | Dynasty (TV series) | Ambassador |
| 1965-1971 | 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 |
| 1971-1973 | Matlock Police | 2 roles -Ricco (1971) -Barney White (1973) |
| 1973 | Ryan (TV series) | Colin Brown |
| 1974 | Number 96 (Film version) | Duncan Hunter |
| 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 Sullivans (TV series) | Paul Hayward |
| 1976 | Number 96 (TV series) | Frank Hobson |
| 1976 | The Outsiders(TV series) | Li Norton |
| 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) | |
| 1977-1979 | Glenview High (TV series) | Kazim |
| 1979 | Disneyland | Sergeant Meeker |
| 1979 | Skyways (TV series) | Hal Bailey |
| 1978-1979 | Cop Shop (TV series) | 2 roles -Phillip Cooper -Sharkey |
| 1985 | Special Squad (TV series) | |
| 1988 | Rafferty's Rules (TV series) | Robson |
| | The Lady Came Late |
Presenter
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1966-1990 | Play School | Presenter[9] |
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" |
| 1974 | Scattergood : Friends of All | |
| 1977 | Cop Shop (TV series) | |
| 1979 | Skyways (TV series) | |
| 1982 | A Country Practice | Director 14 episodes |
| 1983 | Waterloo Station (TV series) | |
| 1986 | Prisoner | 7 episodes |
| 1982-1987 | Sons and Daughters (TV series) | Director 88 episodes |
| 1989 | Richmond Hill (TV series) | |
| 1989-1990 | Rafferty's Rules | 4 episodes -Out of Line" -"One for Us" -"Free of Passion -"In Custody" |
| 1991 | Neighbours | Director 1 episode - #1.1551 |
| 1992 | The Time Game (1992) | |
| 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
- "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Australian Showbiz".
- GILES, NIGEL "Number 96: Australia's Most Notorious Address"
- "Jottings". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 July 1987.
- "Play School (1966-present)".
- "NUMBER 96 movie's 40th birthday bash".
- "Alister Smart". Screen Australia. Australian Government. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- "Alister Smart". BFI Film Forever. 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.