New Zealand actor Bruce Spence gained worldwide fame after his role in the action movie Mad Max 2: Warrior of the Road. His track record of shooting films and TV shows is predominantly Australian production.
Biography: early years
Bruce Spence was born on September 17, 1945 in Auckland, New Zealand. There is not much information about his childhood. It is only known that Bruce began to dream about acting from an early age. He attended Henderson High School. During his studies, Spence took an active part in various productions dedicated to the holidays. Even then, those around them drew attention to Bruce's extraordinary abilities.
After leaving school, Spence entered acting courses at one of the universities in Auckland. His film debut took place in 1970. Bruce landed a role in The Division, which aired with success on Australian television from 1969 to 1973.
In the same year, Spence starred in the film It's Easy to Die. There he had a small role.
Career
In 1971, Bruce auditioned for a role in the comedy film The Stork. It was directed by Tim Burstall. The film was based on David Williamson's The Coming of the Stork. The role in this film brought success to Spence. This was his first feature film work.
The debut turned out to be very confident. Film critics have praised Bruce's work. His efforts were recognized by the Australian Film Institute for Best Performance. Spence shared this award with the actress, who was also involved in the film, Jackie Weaver. For her, filming in "Aist" also became a debut in full-length. By the way, this film brought the first commercial success to Australian cinema.
He brought success and recognition to Bruce Spence. From this film, an actor with an extraordinary colorful appearance, his career took off sharply. In the period from 1971 to 1973, he was actively filming. True, in the series. But even this for a novice actor, who had not been invited to much before, was for happiness.
In 1974, Bruce got a role in the film "The Machines That Ate Paris …". It was a horror movie interspersed with black humor. The picture was a success at the box office. In this picture, Spence had a secondary role.
Two years later, another successful full-length film featuring Bruce, Mad Dog Morgan, was released on the big screens. It was based on the book Morgan by Margaret Carnegie.
From 1976 to 1981, Spence starred in low-budget Australian films and TV series, including:
- "Release the balloon";
- "Oz";
- "Kinofront";
- Eliza Fraser.
In 1981, Bruce starred in the sequel to the acclaimed post-apocalyptic action movie Mad Max - Mad Max 2: Warrior of the Road. The film was directed by George Miller. Mel Gibson played the main role in it. Spence also had one of the leading supporting roles in this film. He played the captain of the gyroplane.
The film received predominantly positive reviews from critics and viewers. "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" has repeatedly been recognized as one of the best films of 1981. And Bruce Spence was named the best supporting actor. Thanks to this action movie, the New Zealand actor has many fans around the world.
The picture was a great success, so the producers decided to consolidate it by removing the next sequel. So, in 1985, "Mad Max 3: Under the Dome of Thunder" was released. Spence again took part in the filming of the sequel. The film was a great success at the box office and collected many different awards.
In the 90s, Bruce was invited to play roles in American films. So, he starred in such popular films of that time as:
- Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls;
- "The Bridegroom from the Underworld";
- "Hercules Returns".
In the 2000s, Bruce Spencer also did not sit without roles. He starred in the following films:
- Inspector Gadget 2;
- "The Matrix: Revolution";
- "Peter Pan";
- "Queen of the Damned".
In 2003, Spence took part in the filming of the final part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. True, Bruce can only be seen in the so-called director's cut of this film. At the worldwide box office, the picture has collected more than $ 1, 1 billion. Thanks to this, it became the second film in the history of cinema after Titanic, which surpassed the billion-dollar box office.
In 2005, Bruce starred in the third part of Star Wars. It was directed by George Lucas.
In 2010, the actor got a role in the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. In it, he played Lord Roop.
In 2017, Bruce was invited to play the role of Mayor Dix in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. She was filmed in Australia.
The actor has about 90 movie roles. Spence is still filming. The actor also gets roles in rating films.
Bruce Spence takes an active part in various television shows. He has appeared as a protagonist or guest on all popular Australian television programs. The shows with his participation always have high ratings.
Personal life
Bruce Spence is married. He got married in 1973, when he was not yet so famous. His wife's name is Jenny. Two children were born in the marriage. They are adults for a long time and live their own lives.
It is known that the actor lives in Australia. Together with his wife, he settled in McMasters Beach, which is near Sydney. The actor has his own house there.
Bruce is very active in social media, despite his age. He has accounts in several social networks at once, as well as a personal website.
