Where are they now ... actor Russell Smith aka Count Homogenised | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

It was not sunlight or a stake through the heart that killed off Count Homogenised ? it was TVNZ. Former Christchurch actor and entertainer Russell Smith still smarts at the demise of the late 1970s children's television character who loomed on our screens once a week at 5pm.

Smith says the count was a victim of a change of administration and the withdrawal of locally-made television.

"Television New Zealand decided they didn't want him anymore. That was it . . . he was just killed off," Smith says.

There were two series made featuring Count Homogenised, in 1978-79 A Haunting We Will Go and in 1982-83 It is, Count Homogenised.

Smith is still recognised as the friendly count from Deardsley's Dairy, who would do just about anything for a bottle of milk.

At the Martinborough Wine and Food Festival last month a fan bounded up to him declaring that Count Homogenised was one of her most favourite people in the world.

Smith says he loved playing the count.

"It was a hell of a lot of fun to do. It was almost as though I was given free range to be as zany and wacky as I could dream up."

The count made very few public appearances because of his awkward costume. He was a regular at Telethon, the annual 24-hour TV fundraising event, and made an appearance at the Star City to Surf fundraising jog in 1982.

Smith says the count's costume was layered and heavy and featured a large stuffy wig. The only part of him showing was his face, which was covered in thick white makeup.

"I was very heavily made up and if you went out in the sun it started to leak everywhere and it just looked tacky."

Smith, 53, moved to Wellington nearly two years ago with his partner and daughter. He is a stay-at-home Dad to four-year-old Ruby and works part-time doing voice-overs, mostly for radio.

He has continued to work in television and theatre, starring in early 1990s police drama Shark in the Park, and working behind the scenes in shows McPhail and Gadsby and Letter to Blanchy. He appeared on Play School for six years, (which was a total of three months work) and recently directed the children's television show Bumble.