Serge Lazareff

Lazareff performed in many Australian television series from the late 1960s to the late 1990s. He featured in The Sullivans and made numerous appearances in Crawford Productions police procedural shows including Homicide, Division 4, Matlock Police and Chopper Squad.^[1] He had a featured part in the 1970 ABC-TV drama series Dynasty as John and Kathy’s university student son, Christopher.^[2] He also starred in Cash and Company, a 1970s historical adventure series, as titular bushranger Sam Cash,^[3] and in cult soap opera Prisoner as David Andrews.^[4]

Lazareff is probably best remembered by Australian audiences for his role as Ray Turner in the 1970s TV drama Young Ramsay, in which he starred alongside friend and co-star John Hargreaves.^[5]

In 1976, Lazareff starred in six-part ABC sitcom The Rise and Fall of Wellington Boots as Alexander 'Boots' Wellington, a latter-day Huckleberry Finn.^[6] He also appeared in The Young Doctors, playing fake Dr Ian Parish (whose real name was revealed to be Jack Trainer).^[7]

Further television credits included Spyforce,^[8] Boney^[9] Glenview High, Cop Shop,^[10] Bellamy, Carson's Law, A Country Practice,^[11] Special Squad,^[12] and Sons and Daughters. In 1988, he starred as Neil Travers in short-lived soap opera Richmond Hill, and in 1989 E Street he played rapist and murderer Sam Bullmer.^[13]

His film credits include biographical bushranger film Ned Kelly (1970) alongside Mick Jagger, western comedy The True Story of Eskimo Nell (1975) and World War I film The Lighthorsemen (1987).^[14]

From the late 1980s, Lazareff worked primarily as a writer and script editor for TV series including Heartbreak High,^[15] A Country Practice, Water Rats, All Saints, Home and Away, Neighbours, Mission Top Secret and Head Start.^[16][17]

Lazareff died in August 2021, after apparently having been ill for some time. Although there were no mainstream media reports, he was included in the 2022 Logie Awards "In Memoriam" montage, alongside Bert Newton, Shane Warne, Jeanne Little and Dieter Brummer, while Tim Minchin performed an accompanying musical tribute.^[18]

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