Spencer McLaren (born 28 February 1973, Sydney) is an Australian theatre and television actor, best known for his role as Richie Blake on Australian television drama The Secret Life of Us.

Early life McLaren was born in Sydney, one of two sons to a British mother and Australian father, but spent his first five years in Birmingham in the UK, after which time the family moved back to the western suburbs of Sydney.

McLaren's parents divorced when he was eleven, and around the age of 14, he moved to Melbourne, where he attended Werribee Tech and then Blackburn South High School. As a student, he played a lead role in the musical South Pacific. A visit to the US in 1990, as an exchange student saw him join a Glee-style school choir and perform in state competitions.

On his return to Australia, inspired to pursue a performing career, McLaren starred dance training and appeared in amateur musicals, including Show Boat for Nova Music Theatre and Oklahoma! with Whitehorse Musical Theatre.

After working for five years in musical theatre, in professional productions of Cats, Kismet, Aladdin, West Side Story and Beauty and the Beast, McLaren was accepted to study at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), from which he graduated in 1999.

While at NIDA, McLaren performed in student productions of Don's Party, Julius Caesar, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, Glengarry Glen Ross, 12 Angry Men, Cloud 9 and The Libertine. While undertaking his studies, he launched The Looking Glass Theatre Company, with a production of Sunday in the Park, in which he gave a critically acclaimed performance as Georges Seurat.

Career Television and film In 2000, after graduating from NIDA, McLaren was offered a six-week guest role in long-running soap opera Home and Away as Kieran Fletcher, a love interest for Sally Fletcher, played by Kate Ritchie.

McLaren then landed the part for which he is best known – his starring role as Richie Blake on Australian award-winning television drama, The Secret Life of Us. He landed the role when actor Paul Leyden, who was originally cast, was offered a three-year contract on American soap As the World Turns and had to pull out. McLaren played Richie for 66 episodes during the show's first 3 seasons from 2001 to 2003. The series found success with audiences both in Australia and overseas in the UK, Ireland, Canada, NZ, France, Norway, South Africa, Russia and the Netherlands.

In 2003, McLaren relocated to London, with actor Hugh Jackman having directed him towards an agent. He landed a recurring role on British soap opera Family Affairs as gay backpacker Brett Owen in 2005. The same year, he voiced the character of Bronik on the Doctor Who audio adventure Scaredy Cat. He also toured in UK theatre productions, but ultimately decided to return to Australia after about four years.

McLaren also made guest appearances in soap opera Chances, police procedural series Blue Heelers, medical drama All Saints, McLeod's Daughters, American fantasy series The Lost World and miniseries The Damnation of Harvey McHugh.

McLaren played the titular role in 2011 short film Brad in a Bottle. In 2016, he appeared in a TV miniseries adaptation of John Marsden's Tomorrow When The War Began, playing the role of Daniel Maxwell. The series saw him reunited with his former Secret Life costars Deborah Mailman and Sibylla Budd.

In 2023, McLaren featured alongside Justine Clarke in 10-part ABC drama series, Turn Up the Volume. Inspired by the coming-of-age documentary No Time For Quiet. The following year, he had a recurring role in Paramount+ drama thriller miniseries Fake, starring Asher Keddie and David Wenham.

McLaren is set to appear in upcoming Netflix film You, Always, opposite Adrian Grenier and Jessica De Gouw.

Theatre McLaren has appeared in numerous theatre productions. Early credits in professional theatre included Kismet, Cats and West Side Story. From 1995 to 1996, he played the role of the Beast in Beauty and the Beast and understudied Hugh Jackman's Gaston in the same production.

While working on The Secret Life of Us, McLaren used the five-month break in production each year to work in theatre, including Call Me Madam at the Melbourne's State Theatre, and a three-month run of Footloose, playing the lead role of Ren McCormack. After leaving Secret Life, he played the lead role of rock star Conrad Birdie in the musical comedy production Bye Bye Birdie.

McLaren has also toured extensively throughout the US, with performances at the cabaret clubs Eighty Eights in New York City and Manhattan's famous Rainbow Room.

Producing In 2011, McLaren produced the film Surviving Georgia, starring Pia Miranda and Holly Valance. Unable to find distributors to take on the film, he set up his own production company, McLaren House, which has included theatre productions, TV series and both short and feature films.

McLaren produced children's series Dive Club for 10 Shake & Netflix, which was shot during the COVID pandemic in 2020. During this period, he also produced a number of films, including Swimming for Gold (2020), Sit. Stay. Love. (2021), Kidnapped (2021), Love in Bloom (2021), Romance on the Menu (2021), You, Me and the Penguins (2021), and This Little Love of Mine (2021).

McLaren was executive producer on LGBT romance film Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) (2020), supernatural drama film Sweet River (2020) and The Art of Incarceration (2021).

In 2022, McLaren produced thriller The Infernal Machine, starring Guy Pearce, which was sold to Paramount Worldwide and the upcoming romantic drama Everything I Never Did, directed by Jeremy Sims.

McLaren's stage production credits include Strange Bedfellows (2010) at Sydney's Regent Theatre, a regional tour of Hoges: One Night Only! (2014), a stage adaptation of Mother and Son (2014–2015) and a Melbourne production of Midnight – The Cinderella Musical (2023).

Podcast In July 2025, McLaren began hosting a podcast, called McLaren Versus, featuring personal interviews with well-known Australian performers. The second season premiered in January 2026, and reunited the cast of The Secret Life of Us for the 25-year anniversary of the show.

Filmography Film As actor Year Title Role Type 2008 Out of Order Jack Superstar Short film 2010 A Love Story Bartman Short film2011 Surviving Georgia James Feature film Brad in a Bottle Brad Short film 2013 Cliffy Race Official TV movie 2017 Ali's Wedding Tony Feature film 2020 Swimming for Gold Announcer Feature film

As producer Year Title Role Type 2008 Out of Order Producer Short film 2011 Surviving Georgia Producer Feature film 2016 Spirit of the Game Producer Feature film 2017 Riptide Line Producer Feature film 2019 Fragmentary Executive Producer Film2020 Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) Executive Producer Feature film Swimming for Gold Producer Feature film Romance on the Menu Producer Feature film Sweet River Executive Producer Feature film2021 Kidnapped Producer Feature film The Greenhouse Executive Producer Feature film This Little Love of Mine Producer Feature film Sit. Stay. Love. Producer Feature film The Art of Incarceration Executive Producer Feature film2022 Love and Penguins Producer Feature film Love in Bloom Producer Feature film The Infernal Machine Producer Feature film2026 Cruel Hands Co-producer Completed The Room Below Production accountant In production Everything I Never Did Producer In development

Television As actor Year Title Role Type 1992 Chances Glenn Patterson 1 episode1994 Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left Law Enforcer 2 episodes The Damnation of Harvey McHugh Young Matildan Miniseries, 2 episodes2000 Home and Away Kieran Fletcher 7 episodes The Lost World Qinaq's Mate 1 episode 2001–2003 The Secret Life of Us Richie Andrew Blake Seasons 1–3, episodes 1–66 2002 Andrew Lloyd Webber: Masterpiece Self TV special 2005 Family Affairs Brett Owen 29 episodes2006 Green Wing Jonny 1 episode Blue Heelers Gary Harding 1 episode 2007 McLeod's Daughters Sam Nugent 1 episode2008 City Homicide Kevin Stockton 1 episode All Saints Evan 1 episode 2016 Tomorrow When The War Began Daniel Maxwell Miniseries, 6 episodes 2021 Dive Club Hotel Pool Attendant 1 episode 2023 Turn Up The Volume Dad 3 episodes 2024 Fake Tovey Miniseries

As producer Year Title Role Type 2021 Dive Club Producer 12 episodes 2022 La Brea Unit Production Manager / Assistant Unit Production Manager Attachment 4 episodes 2025 Ceebs Production accountant Miniseries

Podcasts Year Title Role Type Ref. 2005 Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures Bronik Podcast series, 1 episode: "Scaredy Cat" 2025– McLaren Versus Host Podcast series

Theatre Source:

As actor Year Title Role Type Ref. Show Boat Nova Music Theatre 1991 Chess Chorus National Theatre, Melbourne with Festival Theatre Company 1992 Oklahoma! Dancer Deakin University, Melbourne with Whitehorse Musical Theatre 1994 Kismet in Concert First Beggar / Bangleman Victorian Arts Centre with VSO Cats Munkustrap Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney with Really Useful Productions 1995 West Side Story Mouthpiece / Tony (understudy) Capitol Theatre, Sydney with Victorian State Opera Aladdin 1995–1996 Beauty and the Beast Ensemble / alternate Beast Princess Theatre, Melbourne with Michael Edgley International 1997 Don's Party Mal NIDA Theatre, Sydney Glengarry Glen Ross Making Noise Quietly Oliver Bell NIDA, Sydney 1998 Being Friends Oliver NIDA Theatre, Sydney A Cry from the City of Virgins UNSW Parade Theatre, Sydney Julius Caesar Brutus NIDA Studio, Sydney A Chaste Maid in Cheapside (or Carry On Chaste Maid) Uncle Touchwood / Servant 1999 Twelve Angry Men Juror # 4 UNSW Parade Theatre, Sydney Cloud Nine Joshua / Edward The Libertine Etherege / Huysmans Sunday in the Park with George Georges Seurat The Looking Glass Theatre Company 2000 Call Me Madam Kenneth Gibson State Theatre, Melbourne, Arts Centre Melbourne with The Production Company 2001 Masterpiece – The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber Shanghai / Beijing tour 2002 Carousel Billy Bigelow Royal Festival Hall, London 2003 Footloose Ren McCormack Capitol Theatre, Sydney with SEL & The Gordon Frost Organisation Songs for a New World Singer Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide for Adelaide Cabaret Festival Spencer McLaren Live at the Chapel Solo show Chapel Off Chapel, Melbourne 2003–2004 Bye Bye Birdie Conrad Birdie State Theatre, Melbourne with The Production Company 2004 The Vegemite Tales Dan Old Red Lion, London with Algernon Productions 2004–2005 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Prince Sheffield Lyceum, Yorkshire 2007 Life's a Circus Chapel Off Chapel, Melbourne Fully Committed Solo show / various characters Melbourne Athenaeum for Melbourne Fringe Festival 2008 Broadway Concert: Musical Melodies in the Park Singer Ardrie Park, Melbourne 2012 8 – The Play Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Sydney Town Hall Secret Bridesmaids' Business Guest groom Arts Centre Melbourne with Kay & McLean Productions 2014 Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays Chapel Off Chapel, Melbourne for Midsumma Festival

As producer / director Year Title Role Type Ref. Sunday in the Park with George Director The Looking Glass Theatre Company 2007 Fully Committed Producer Melbourne Athenaeum for Melbourne Fringe Festival 2010 Strange Bedfellows Producer Regent Theatre, Sydney 2014 Hoges: One Night Only! Producer Australian regional tour 2014–2015 Mother and Son Producer Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Playhouse, Brisbane 2023 Midnight – The Cinderella Musical Producer Comedy Theatre, Melbourne

Awards and nominations Year Work Awards Category Result Ref. 2021 Dive Club AACTA Awards Best children's program

Personal life McLaren is gay. He married his partner of five years, Chris Wright in a commitment ceremony on 15 February 2014 at St Kilda Botanical Gardens, Melbourne.

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