Michael Laurence (24 November 1935 – 23 March 2015) was an Australian actor, producer, director and screenwriter. He will be best remembered for creating and writing the original TV mini series Return to Eden.
Biography He began his career as a child actor on Sydney radio, before winning a scholarship at 18 to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, before appearing in theatre productions, including everything from Shakespearean roles to musicals.
He created, directed and starred in the Nine Network production The Godfathers, which won the Logie Award for Best Comedy in 1971.
He worked on the popular serial Number 96, and other successful miniseries including the children's series The Lost Islands, a 22-part story on Network Ten, Which Way Home, The Last Frontier and Shadow of the Cobra. His work, including more than 200-hour of commercial television, was sold to numerous countries.
Select credits Homicide (1966) - episode "The Black Book" - actor On the Hop (1967) - TV play Color Me Dead (1969) - actor Squeeze a Flower (1970) - actor The Long Arm (1970) - episode "Only a Wave Away" - actor The Phallic Forest (1970) (short)-actor The Godfathers (1971–72) - TV series - writer (all episodes) The Spoiler (1972) - episode "Bye Bye Baby" - actor Crisis (1972) (TV movie) - writer The People Next Door (1973) - creator, writer The Love Epidemic (1975) - co-writer, actor The Lost Islands (1976) - writer, creator, producer Number 96 - various episodes as writer The Young Doctors - writer People Like Us (1980) - writer, producer Return to Eden (1983) - mini series - writer, co-producer The Last Frontier (1986) - mini series Shadow of the Cobra (1989) - writer Which Way Home (1991) - TV movie - writer
References
External links
Michael Laurence at HLA Obituary at Sydney Morning Herald