Henri Szeps, Australian actor best known for sitcom Mother and Son, dies at the age of 81

Australian actor Henri Szeps has died, aged 81, following a battle with Alzheimer's.

He was best known for his role in sitcom Mother and Son alongside Ruth Cracknell and Garry McDonald, playing philandering dentist Robert Beare for a decade from 1984-1994.

His family confirmed the news of his death on Thursday evening, which comes two years after he moved into a residential care facility.

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"His decline from Alzheimer's was largely peaceful, and Henri retained his sense of wonder and joie de vivre until the end," the family said in a statement.

Szeps revealed his Alzheimer's diagnosis during a TV appearance in 2021, alongside his TV presenter son Josh Szeps.

The illness forced the actor of stage and screen to retire at the age of 70, saying his memory was "no longer up to the task".

Szeps was born in a refugee camp in Switzerland in 1943 to two Polish Holocaust survivors.

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The family moved to Paris before arriving in Australia when Szeps was eight years old.

He went on to study electrical engineering at Sydney University before training in acting at the Ensemble Theatre in Sydney, where a green room has been named in his honour.

Szeps got rave reviews for his work in 1968 production of The Boy in the Band, which was when he met his wife, New Zealand-born Australia actress Mary Ann Severne.

They married in June 1969 and went on two have two children - Josh and Amos - and four grandchildren.

Following a stint in London in his 20s, Szeps returned to Australia in his 30s and finished out his career back on-stage.

But in between, the actor starred TV police drama Homicide, kids show Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, A Country Practice, Stingers, G.P. and All Saints.

He also starred in war drama series Vietnam alongside a young Nicole Kidman in 1987.

On the international stage, Szeps played the villain in TV show Mission Impossible, and starred in the 2001 film South Pacific with Glenn Close and Harry Connick Jr.

He won a slew of awards including a Helpmann Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work alongside Tina Arena and Toby Allen in Sam Mendes' reboot of Cabaret.

He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for Services to the Arts and the Community in the 2001 Australia Day honours.

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