Henri Szeps was born the son of Polish parents in a refugee camp in Lausanne, Switzerland and fostered out to a Swiss family until the age of three, when he was reunited with his mother in Paris in 1946. Over the next few years, Szeps lived between his Swiss foster family, his mother and in Rothchild's orphanage outside Paris.
After arriving in Australia with his mother and sister, Szeps was educated at Greenwich Primary School, North Sydney Tech for 9 months, then Randwick Boys High, where he began his acting career. He continued his education at The University of Sydney, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1964, followed by a Bachelor of Economics in 1966. During his time at university he also studied drama with Hayes Gordon at the Ensemble Theatre.
Since that time he has enjoyed a very successful acting career on stage, in radio drama, film and television productions, and is also the author of All in Good Timing : A Personal Account of What an Actor Does (1996).
Further Reading: Professor Anne Pender's essay on Henri Szeps.
