Play School presenter Alister Smart dies aged 90
Beloved Play School presenter Alister Smart has died aged 90 at his home in East Gippsland, Victoria.
Australian actor and beloved 27-year Play School presenter Alister Smart has died at his home in East Gippsland, Victoria.
Australian actor and beloved Play School presenter Alister Smart has died aged 90 at his home in East Gippsland, Victoria.
Mr Smart died on September 9, but the news of his death has only recently become public.
Born in Adelaide on November 30, 1935, and raised in part around Nowra, Mr Smart left school and joined his family's piano restoration business.
He soon developed an interest in pianos which prompted him to study at Sydney's Conservatorium of Music.
He later turned to acting.
He started his career in theatre in the early 1950s and appeared in television productions in Australia and the UK from the 1950s until the mid-1990s.
His credits include Number 96, Skippy, The Sullivans, Sons and Daughters, A Country Practice and Neighbours.
Mr Smart featured on the very first episode of ABC's Play School which aired in 1966.
He would continue to appear as a presenter on Play School, now Australia's longest running children's show, for the next 27 years.
Five minutes for you
More from Cuppa
Flydubai co-pilot’s time in Australia under investigation after cockpit incidentAustralian security agencies are investigating the Flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack an Israel-bound flight, after it emerged he spent two years studying in Australia.
China Open: Aryna Sabalenka suffers shock Beijing exit - a day after new world No 1 Elena Rybakina was knocked outBoth top seeds at the China Open in Beijing are out after world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka was beaten in straight sets by Czech teenager Nikola Bartunkova.
WRC: Elfyn Evans becomes world champion after late Oliver Solberg crashWelsh rally driver Elfyn Evans won his first WRC world title after rival Oliver Solberg crashed just metres from the finish line in Sardinia.
US marine arrested in Japan on suspicion of killing woman, police sayA US marine has been arrested in Okinawa, Japan, accused of murdering a 39-year-old Japanese woman at a hotel and stealing her belongings.
‘Hurts so much’: Ponga left shattered, consoled by Holbrook in heartbreaking scenesKalyn Ponga and the Newcastle Knights lost the NRL Grand Final by just one point, with Ponga visibly devastated but vowing the club will return.
Athletes celebrated as curtain falls on eventful Aichi-Nagoya Asian GamesThe Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games wrapped up with a closing ceremony, more than 50 world records set, and China topping the medal tally despite organisational complaints.
Mortality gap narrows for severe mental health, flattens for…An Australian study found the life expectancy gap between people with severe mental illness and the general population has narrowed, but remains as large as 12 years.
Yemen's leader announces counter-offensive as Houthis cut off supply route to besieged cityYemen's Saudi-backed government has launched a major military counter-offensive against the Houthis after the Iran-backed group cut off the city of Taiz.




What readers are saying