Henri Szeps () (2 October 1943 – 23 July 2025), also spelt Henry Szeps, was an Australian character actor of theatre and television. He also featured in films and worked in voice roles, and worked in productions in the United Kingdom. He was best known for his role as "Robert the Dentist" in the original version of ABC sitcom Mother and Son, and in theatre for his performances in many plays by David Williamson. In 2003 he won a Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, for his performance in Cabaret, and earned other awards and honours for his acting.
Early life and education Henri Szeps was born on 2 October 1943 in a refugee camp in Lausanne, Switzerland, to Polish parents who were Holocaust survivors. Prior to the German invasion of Poland during World War II, his parents fled to France in 1938. His father left the family to join the French Resistance. In 1943, his mother Rose and three-year-old sister Maria made their way to a refugee camp in Lausanne, where Henri was born. In September 1944, having watched babies in the camp become ill, Henri's mother had him fostered out to a German-speaking Swiss couple in Blumenstein at 1 months old. In 1946, his mother who had relocated to Paris, reclaimed him when he was three years old, but he returned to the Swiss couple in 1948 when he was 4, as he could not speak Polish or French and found it hard to communicate with his mother. He was reclaimed by his mother again in 1949, but due to her illness, at the age of six was placed at the Rothschild Orphanage, St Denis, outside Paris.
Szeps came to Sydney, Australia, at the age of eight in 1951 or 1952 with his mother and sister. From 1952, his stepfather Maurice joined then from Paris. His mother worked as a tailor and his stepfather as a presser. They later bought a grocery shop in Surry Hills.
Szeps started attending Greenwich Primary School, where he appeared in numerous school plays. Starting in 1956, he attended North Sydney Technical High School for 9 months, followed by Randwick Boys High School. From 1959 to 1960 he performed in school productions of The Teahouse of the August Moon. He later said that although some of the children laughed at his "foreign ways", he received recognition from his performances, which made him realise that he wanted to act.
In 1962 Szeps studied acting at the Ensemble Theatre during weekends, while gaining science and electrical engineering degrees at Sydney University. His training at Ensemble included training in the Stanislavski technique ("the Method") – under founding artistic director Hayes Gordon. He began working as a research assistant after graduating, and was offered a postgraduate scholarship at the age of 23 to continue his studies, but he declined it in favour of continuing his acting career.
Career In 1963, while still undergoing his studies, Szeps appeared every night at the Ensemble Theatre, in a play called The Physicists, which ran for six months. He also performed in George Bernard Shaw's The Apple Cart, and Woody Allen's Don't Drink The Water.
His early screen credits include police procedural drama series Homicide, children's series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and adventure series Riptide as well as the film You Can't See 'Round Corners. In 1968, he starred in a successful stage production of Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band, where, during the Sydney season, he met his wife-to-be, NIDA graduate and actress Mary Ann Severne, who had come to watch fellow NIDA friends performing in the play.
Disillusioned by the Australian acting scene, Szeps relocated to England in 1971 together with Severne, to hone his acting skills. He initially performed in a production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure by director Peter Cheeseman, before starring in I, Claudius opposite David Warner, one of the most influential actors at the time. He then toured the UK, the Middle East and the Mediterranean in a Prospect Theatre Company tour of several plays, alongside Derek Jacobi. He also had guest roles in several British television series, including The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Spyder's Web, Spy Trap, The Strauss Family, Colditz, Crown Court, and Dixon of Dock Green.
Szeps returned to Australia in 1974. He played the recurring role of Phillip Chambers in Number 96 in 1976. He then appeared in the TV movies Say You Want Me (1977), Ride on Stranger (1979), The Plumber (1979), A Toast to Melba (1980) and A Step in the Right Direction (1981). Guest roles followed in series such as Chopper Squad, Cop Shop, Kingswood Country, and A Country Practice, City West and Carson's Law. He also performed voiceover work in a number of animated children's classics, including Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear, Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet, and A Tale of Two Cities.
From 1984 to 1994, Szeps played his best known role of selfish dentist Robert Beare, the older son, in the classic Australian television comedy series Mother and Son, with Garry McDonald, Ruth Cracknell, and Judy Morris. Another prominent role was in ABC Television's 10-part series Palace of Dreams in 1985. He then played ill-fated prime minister Harold Holt in the 1987 miniseries Vietnam, alongside Nicole Kidman. He was also selected by Barry Humphries' to play down-on-his-luck scientist, Charles Herpes, in Humphries' 1987 film Les Patterson Saves the World.
He had a guest role in the 1988 American series Mission: Impossible, and further guest roles in the drama series Rafferty's Rules, medical series G.P., All Saints, period adventure drama Snowy River: The McGregor Saga, and police procedural series Stingers.
Szeps also continued to work extensively in theatre, and collaborated for years with playwright David Williamson. He had roles in many of Williamson's plays, including Celluloid Heroes, Dead White Males and Heretic. He played the doctor in the world première of Williamson's Travelling North, and was asked to reprise the role in the 1987 film version with Leo McKern and Graham Kennedy.
He performed in five one-man shows, produced by the Ensemble Theatre: two written for him by John Misto (The Double Bass (1990) and Sky (1992)), and three that he wrote himself: I'm Not a Dentist (1997), Why Kids (2003), and Wish I'd Said That (2010).
In 2002 he played Herr Schultz in a production of Cabaret, which earned him a Helpmann Award.
His final acting role was in the 2015 biographical television miniseries Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door, playing Dee Anthony.
Book Szeps also wrote a book on acting, All in Good Timing: A Personal Account of What an Actor Does (1996), which is used as a reference by drama schools.
Personal life and death Szeps met fellow actress Mary Ann Severne while touring in the Sydney run of the play The Boys in the Band. They married on 28 June 1969, and had two sons together, Amos Szeps and podcaster Josh Szeps.
Szeps spoke three languages fluently.
In 2021, he openly discussed his struggles with early onset dementia on the ABC TV series Just Between Us, alongside son Josh. He moved into a care facility in 2023.
Szeps died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on 23 July 2025, at the age of 81.
Honours and awards Szeps was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2001 Australia Day Honours, "For service to the arts, and to the community through the Australia Day Council and the National Centre for Childhood Grief"
Acting awards and honours include: Year Association Award Work Results 1985 Penguin Award Best Actor in a mini-series Palace of Dreams 1997 Norman Kessell Award Outstanding Performance I'm Not a Dentist 2003 Helpmann Award Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical Cabaret 2014 Ensemble Theatre The Henri Szeps Green Room 2015 Glugs Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleType 1969 You Can't See 'round Corners Peter Feature film 1976 God Knows Why, But It Works Dr. Archie Kalokerinos Film 1980 Fatty Finn Mr. Zilch Feature film 1981 Run Rebecca, Run Manuel Cortes Feature film 1982 The Best of Friends Lilo Feature film 1982 The Mystery at Castle House Mr. Wilberforce Feature film 1983 The Return of Captain Invincible Chief Security Officer Feature film 1983 Now and Forever Barry York Feature film 1983 Platypus Cove Winston Bell Feature film 1985 Warming Up Sergeant Peter Sullivan Feature film 1987 Les Patterson Saves the World Dr. Charles Herpes / Desiree Herpes Feature film 1987 Travelling North Saul Feature film 1987 The Edge of Power Steve Traynor Feature film 1992 Seeing Red Louie Leeds Feature film 2001 Elixir Bob Sommerville Feature film 2009 No Junk Mail Short film 2010 The Bris Dobinski Short film 2012 Bathing Franky Rodney Feature film 2013 McLean's Money Edward McLean Film
Television YearTitleRoleType 1967; 1969 Homicide Peter Scott / Alan Shaw / David Yates 3 episodes 1969 Skippy the Bush Kangaroo Bob 1 episode 1969 Riptide Des Dawkins 1 episode 1969–1975 Division 4 Jeff Taylor / Brian Martin / Jimmy Dunn 3 episodes 1971 Misleading Cases Pierre 1 episode 1971 Spyforce Dingo 1 episode 1971 The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes Laval 1 episode 1972 Spyder's Web Policeman 1 episode 1972 Spy Trap The Frenchman 1 episode 1972 The Strauss Family Edi's Dresser Miniseries, 1 episode 1973; 1974 Colditz De Crossait / Captain Henry LeVevre 2 episodes 1974 Barlow Corsican 1 episode 1974 Crown Court Dr. Herman Abel 2 episodes 1974 Armchair Cinema Episode 6: "Tully" 1975 Dixon of Dock Green Onion Man 1 episode 1976 Number 96 Phillip Chambers 21 episodes 1976 Do I Have to Kill My Child? Doctor TV movie 1977 The Dick Emery Show in Australia Various characters 1977 Say You Want Me Jim Morton TV movie 1978 Chopper Squad Falconio 1 episode 1978–1981 Cop Shop Steven Halliday / Vincent Morelli 5 episodes 1979 The Plumber David Medavoy TV movie 1979 Ride on Stranger Vincent Sladder 4 episodes 1980 A Toast to Melba Thomas Beecham / Buffalo Bill / Mayor of Brisbane TV movie 1980; 1984 Kingswood Country Mr O'Grady / Eric the Postman 2 episodes 1981 A Step in the Right Direction TV movie 1981 Daily at Dawn Joe Parker TV series 1982 Wilde's Domain Shenko TV movie 1982 Home Sweet Home Franco 1 episode 1982 MPSIB Tran Van 1982–1983 A Country Practice Perc Hobbs / Ralph Bianchi 6 episodes 1983 Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear Voice Animated TV movie 1983 Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet Voice Animated TV movie 1984 The Girl From Moonooloo Bert TV movie 1984 A Tale of Two Cities Voice Animated TV movie 1984 City West Dr. Mikus Kuskis 7 episodes 1984 Carson's Law Wally Martin 2 episodes 1984–1994 Mother and Son Robert Beare 38 episodes 1985 Pickwick Papers Voice Animated TV movie 1985 Palace of Dreams Mick Mendel Miniseries, 10 episodes 1987 Vietnam Harold Holt Miniseries, 3 episodes 1988 Rafferty's Rules Uncle Aniello 2 episodes 1989 Hannay Police Inspector 1 episode 1990 Mission: Impossible Esteban Magdalena 1 episode 1991 Hampton Court Mr. Verstak 1 episode 1991; 1995 G.P. Charlie Cassidy / Ibram Hanaf 2 episodes 1992 The Adventures of Skippy Frank 1 episode 1996 Snowy River: The McGregor Saga Jacob Verkovic 1 episode 1999; 2009 All Saints George Bresnic / Victor McGregor 3 episodes 2000 Stingers Norman Sagar 1 episode 2001 Flat Chat Cardinal Del Gardia 1 episode 2001 South Pacific Benoit TV movie 2001 Escape of the Artful Dodger Dr. Hartman 3 episodes 2015 Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door Dee Anthony Miniseries, 2 episodes
Stage Szeps' numerous appearances on stage and behind the scenes include: As actor