Australian soap opera legend Ian Smithbest known as NeighborsHarold Bishop has revealed that he has terminal cancer.
Smith, 85, has played soap music favorite Harold for more than five decades since joining the Amazon Freevee soap in 1987.
On Monday, December 2, an interview with Australia’s 10 news first, the actor said he had already shot his last scenes after being diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer.
“A few months ago I found out I had cancer. I have a very aggressive, incurable cancer. They expect me to die,” said Smith, who was diagnosed with pleomorphic carcinoma of the lung.
Several social media personalities have confirmed their own deaths with published posthumous statements and recorded messages. Bella Bradford, for her part, recorded a video for her TikTok page before her death in October 2024. “I have terminal cancer and unfortunately so far my life has come to an end and I have passed away,” Bradford, who was (…)
“This is not just my last day Neighborsthis is my last day of work,” Smith said in an interview taped on his last day on the set of the long-running soap.
In the footage, the actor told his co-stars and crew that he lived “the most privileged life” and “met the most beautiful people” during his time on the show.
In a sit-down interview with 10 news firstis Angela Bishopthe actor said he underwent chemotherapy and immunotherapy, explaining that he was happy to be a “guinea pig” for new treatments.
“I don’t want to die,” he said. “I want to live a quality life as long as I can. If they can do that, I’m very happy. But every morning I wake up hoping there is no pain because I know this is the beginning of the bad part.
Smith also shared that the loss of his wife of 50 years Gailto cancer in 2019 affected him deeply over the past five years.
“That really … I think if that hadn’t happened, I’d be a lot worse off right now,” he said. “Then my life was over.”
The actor said he still talks to his wife. “She was the most wonderful, beautiful person,” he said.
Smith also shared his thoughts on his eventual death. “We all die, but when you know exactly when you’re going to die, you become a very different person,” he said. “I have seen so many deaths. At 85, you see so much. I’ve seen some good, I’ve seen some bad. There are few bad ones. I will soon be one of the few who die of pleomorphism (and) hopefully I will take it the right way.”
“Harold waves goodbye on Ramsay Street. We share the sad news that Ian Smith will soon be stepping down from the beloved role of Harold Bishop. Ian first played Harold in 1987. and it has been a huge privilege to welcome him back to the show over the years,” the official said Neighbors X monday shared account.
Executive producer Jason Herbison said in a statement: “The way the people of Ramsay Street feel about Harold is how we all feel about Ian – we couldn’t love him more. Despite the challenges he faced with his health, he wanted to send Harold off properly. It was a very emotional moment on set as we paid tribute to him and the incredible contribution he made to the show.”
