Bruce Spence

Kiwi actor Bruce Spence spent most of his career working in Australia, though he still managed to carve out a distinctive Hollywood career, with memorable turns in major franchises. Standing at over six feet and six inches tall, Spence's height has made him an original leading man. As awkward Graham "Stork" Wallace in the 1971 comedy "Stork," the actor garnered an Australian Film Institute award nod along with a healthy amount of early attention. This recognition landed Spence the part of the autogyro captain in the hit "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" in 1981, and four years later he returned to the franchise as Jedediah the Pilot in "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome."

Throughout the 1990s, Spence appeared in a number of Aussie TV programs, including a starring role in the hit soap opera miniseries "The Dirtwater Dynasty" and the part of The Chief on the beloved children's sci-fi show "Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left." Spence then began dabbling in more Hollywood fare; he had the notable distinction of appearing in the third installments of "The Matrix" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogies, along with the third of the "Star Wars" prequels. In 2003, he voiced the shark Chum in Pixar's underwater adventure "Finding Nemo" and since found steady work. In 2008 alone, he landed a role in Baz Luhrmann's down-under epic "Australia" and a recurring part on the fantasy series "Legend of the Seeker."