Ian Smith (actor)

Ian Smith (born 19 June 1938) is a retired Australian actor, television producer and screenwriter. Smith appeared in roles for Crawford Productions, before taking a regular role in rural series Bellbird, and then working as a producer, screenwriter and actor on the cult series Prisoner. He starred in the soap opera Neighbours as Harold Bishop from 1987 until 1991, when the series was taken over by Network Ten. He returned to the role in 1996 and continued as a series regular until 2009, with subsequent guest appearances in 2011, 2015 and 2022. In 2023, Smith said he was pleased to have been invited to make guest appearances on Neighbours, but wished to retire eventually. On 2 December 2024, it was announced that he would depart Neighbours again after he revealed that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.