Alister Smart

Alister Smart (28 July 1935 – 9 September 2026) also credited as Alastair Smart, was an Australian actor, television presenter and television director and screenwriter. He started his career in theatre in the early 1950s, and also appeared in television productions in Australia and the UK from the 1950s until the mid-1990s.

Smart was best known for his role as an original presenter on ABC's version of children's series Play School, from 1966 to 1989 (guest episodes 1991, repeated episodes featuring Smart appeared until 1993) and for directing numerous episodes of series Sons and Daughters and briefly Blue Heelers (4 episodes).

Despite his friendly persona as a Play School presenter, Smart acknowledged that he more often than not played villainous roles.

Smart was born in Adelaide, Australia on 28 July 1935. Initially after leaving school, he joined his family business of building, restoring and tuning pianos, which sparked an interest in becoming a professional pianist and he studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Smart started in amateur dramatics, after appearing in a production of Dragon's Mouth he travelled to England and started his career there in 1953, in French playwright Jean Cocteau's L'Aigle à deux têtes (The Eagle with Two Heads), at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham. He also appeared in productions like Winter's Journey and Three Sisters.

After returning to Australia he appeared in a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Jean Anouilh's The Lark.

In 1960, Smart returned to the United Kingdom and appeared in theatre roles in Filumena Marturano at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and the James Bridie written Mr. Bolfrey, performing and touring with England's only theatre on wheels, the Century Theatre Company based in Leicester, whilst he expanded his career to television in England, where he appeared in televised plays and series, including comedy The Seven Faces of Jim and featuring in anthology teleplay series including ITV Play of the Week and Comedy Playhouse and dramas like Emergency Ward 10.

An early television role for Smart when returning to Australia was the 1963 teleplay The Right Thing, the ABC's first TV drama co-production with an international company, in which he played the role of visiting Spaniard, Jose.

He returned to Australia in 1963 and featured in a theatre production of King Henry VI in 1964 and toured in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 1965 and recreated his role in Henrik Ibsen's Three Sisters in 1966.

Smart appeared in guest roles in soap operas and made for-television movies, including 1966's The House for anthology serial Australian Playhouse, playing the role of an abusive husband, opposite Nancye Stewart. In 1969, he appeared in the film It Takes All Kinds, playing the role of Ray.

He had a prominent role as a new character, in the film version of series Number 96 as newspaper journalist Duncan Hunter, the new husband of Sonia (Lynn Rainbow), whom with Diana Moore is trying to send her insane in order to gain her late husband's inheritance. He later appeared in the series the film was based on, playing Frank Hobson, a married man who has an affair with Jane Chester (Suzanne Church) in 1976.

The following year, he had a role in the TV movie Roses Bloom Twice and in 1978, he played the role of Stewart in Plunge Into Darkness.

His other Australian television credits included Riptide, Skippy, The Sullivans, Glenview High, Barrier Reef, Cop Shop and Rafferty's Rules.

Smart pursued a career in directing both movies and television series from the early 1970s until his retirement in 1994. His directorial work included notable projects such as the 1975 ABC series sitcom Scattergood: Friend of All, and drama series A Country Practice. He also directed the 1992 made-for-TV family films The Time Game and You and Me and Uncle Bob.

He is best known however for directing the popular 1980s drama series Sons and Daughters, over some 88 episodes.^{[citation needed]}

Other later directing credits included episodes of Richmond Hill, Prisoner, Cop Shop, Rafferty's Rules, E Street, Neighbours and Blue Heelers.

Smart is known for his role as a presenter on the long-running children's TV program Play School, the Australian adaptation of the original British version of the same title. He made his first appearance in the debut episode in July 1966, and continued in this role for 22 years appearing in over 200 editions and was on air in repeats until he retired in 1993. It was one of the longest stints on television in Australia. During his tenure, he co-hosted alongside Anne Haddy (1966–1969), Lorraine Bayly (1966–1978), Benita Collings, Don Spencer, Jan Kingsbury, John Hamblin, Noni Hazlehurst, John Waters, Philip Quast and during the first year, Diane Dorgan.

He was also recognised for his appearances with fellow Play School hosts, including Don Spencer on tie-in records released for ABC Music, as well as in audiobooks.

Smart grew up in Nowra, New South Wales^{[citation needed]} and was married to British actress Margery Milne,^{[citation needed]} whom he met during the early 1960s when they appeared together in a play in Leicester.^{[citation needed]}

In his later years, he resided in East Gippsland, Victoria.

Smart died on 9 September 2026, in Bairnsdale, Victoria, at the age of 91.