Vizard studied Law and Philosophy at the University of Melbourne ; he practiced as a lawyer and was a partner in a City Law firm ; he has written for and produced various Logie and AFI award winning television show-from Fast Forward to Kangaroo Palace ; he has hosted his own 5 night a week national Tonight Show, Tonight Live With Steve Vizard for which he was three times nominated for and won a Gold Logie in 1991 ; he has interviewed over two thousand major names, from Audrey Hepburn, Oliver Stone, Mel Gibson, Robin Williams, Sir Bob Geldof, Peter Allen, Patrick Swayze, Bob Hope, Sir Peter Ustinov, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Parkinson, Spike Milligan, Edward de Bono, Robert Ludlum, Sir Harry Secombe, and Prime Ministers and politicians ; he founded one of Australia ’ s largest independent Production houses, Artist Services, which was subsequently sold to Granada ; he has been the President of the National Gallery of Victoria and the Chairman of the Victorian Major Events Company, securing events such as the World Cycling Champioships and the World Gymnastics Championships ; he has appeared on the cover of Time and Rolling Stone ; he was an elected representative to the 1999 Constitutional Convention ; he was Father of the Year in 2001 ; he was embroiled in three highly publicised legal proceedings, involving the theft of moneys by his former accountant from the Vizard Companies, and Vizard's civil penalty in 2005 for breaching directors duties ; he has broadcast on the Austereo, Fairfax and Macquarie Radio Networks and in 2011 was nominated for best Talkback Presenter in Australia ; he was Chairman of the World Swimming Championships ; and he has written several books ranging on topics ranging from humour to Australia's population policy.

Vizard remained as Chairman until 2002 when he resigned to spend more time on other business and creative interests.

In delivering his 1999 Andrew Olle Media Lecture, Vizard advocated the need to maintain Australian quotas for all Australian commercial television networks as well as proposing that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the National Broadcaster, should be more fully funded and should commission and broadcast exclusively Australian content.

Presented by Australian lawyer, comedian and writer Steve Vizard, the show's format was an eclectic mix of a traditional Tonight Show, such as the Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson or Jay Leno, In Melbourne Tonight with Graham Kennedy with more off beat, often deconstructionist elements, such as broadcasting a rehearsal of the show, a rained out show, a parallel Tonight show, using the floor manager and cameramen as on air talent, using the studio audience to replace high profile guests and the like.

Vizard, always looking to cause sensation, replayed the Mr Liftos nudity again the following night, and once more in slow motion.

In later years, Tonight Live featured a Friday night guest host, usually Richard Stubbs. Vizard enjoyed taking nights off and more than 100 guest hosts were tried including Agro, Ben Elton, Bob Geldof, Paula Yates, Ronnie Corbett, Glenn Robbins and John Singleton.

The show was produced by Steve Vizard, who was an Executive Producer, writer and performer, and starred Magda Szubanski, Marg Downey, Michael Veitch, Peter Moon, Jane Turner and Gina Riley who went on to star in Kath & Kim, Alan Pentland, Steve Blackburn, Geoff Brookes, Ernie Dingo, the Rubbery Figures satirical puppets and numerous guests and supporting stars, such as Gerry Connolly and Brian Dawe.

Over the shows history, in excess of 2, 000 guests appeared on Tonight Live With Steve Vizard.

Some of the best known guests to appear on Tonight Live With Steve Vizard included Bob Hope, Tim Robbins, Mel Gibson, Chevy Chase, Duran Duran, Cilla Black, Steve Allen, Barry Humphries, Lou Rawls, Tom Jones, Brit Ekland, Cleo Lane, Tiny Tim, Kylie Minogue, Brigette Neilson, Audrey Hepburn, Elle Macpherson, Shirely MacLaine, Alice Cooper, BB King, Rob Lowe, Dionne Warwick, Patrick Swayzee, Jerry Hall, Kirk Douglas, Olivia Newton-John, Phil Collins, Bob Geldof, Peter Allen, Sir Peter Ustinov, David Bellamy, Kim Wilde, Michael Aspel, Sally Field, Charles Dance, Whoopi Goldberg, John Thaw, Quincy Jones, Priscilla Presley, Robert Downey Jnr, Mickey Rooney, Martin Sheen, M C Hammer, Lyn Redgrave, ZZ Top, Leo McKern, Kathy Bates, Jane Seymour, Darryl Hannah, Jeremy Irons, Jeffrey Archer, Edward de Bono, Robert Ludlum, James Wood, Diana Ross, Jackie Collins, Harry Connick Jnr, Sir Harry Secombe, Gloria Estafan, Gerard Depardieu, George Benson, Fred Schepsi, Colleen McCullough, Burt Reynolds, Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Ben Elton, Phyllis Diller, Alexei Sayle, Elliott Gould, Oliver Reed, Oliver Stone, Macauley Culkin, Spinal Tap, Robin Williams and Cindy Crawford and various Prime Ministers and politicians.

Vizard often entertained his guest before the show at a nearby restaurant in Melbourne, Lynches, and often a member of the crew would have to race to the restaurant to retrieve Vizard and his guests so that they wouldn ’ t miss the start of the show.

Agro, a puppet who frequently uses sexual innuendo and adult humour, was one of the most popular guests and guest hosts with both the audience and Vizard himself.

Vizard claimed that his Tonight Show had been rained out too, and using special effects, created the effects of rain in the studio, the crew wandering around in wet weather gear sweeping water from the covers, and guests in the control room looking forward to the rain easing so they could get out there.

They went on to establish the leading Australian Production house, Artist Services, which produced 1400 hours of prime time television including SeaChange, Big Girls Blouse, Tonight Live with Steve Vizard, the Eric Bana show, the Shaun Micallef Pogram ( sic ).

The company was originally founded as Artist Services, a company formed by a group of investors including Steve Vizard, producing many shows such as Fast Forward, Full Frontal and SeaChange.

Between 1976 and 1982, while still studying at Melbourne University, Vizard wrote and performed in over a dozen productions, working at such theatres and cabarets as The Last Laugh and the Flying Trapeze with a variety of local performers including Rod Quantock, Wendy Harmer, Glenn Robbins, Peter Moon and Paul Grabowsky, who would later work with Vizard as the band leader on his Tonight show.

The series, which brought together the talents of some of the country's best performers, including Vizard, Peter Moon, Marg Downey, Jane Turner, Gina Riley and Ernie Dingo, and was Australia's highest rating comedy series.

Vizard hosted many awards nights and concerts including the 1992 Logie Awards, the Bali Bombing Memorial Concert and the 1995 nationally televised 50th Anniversary of the End of World War Two Concert.

During that time Vizard and Knight acted as Executive Producers of over 1400 hours of prime time television shows including several series of Seachange, the ABCs highest rating drama series, and several award winning mini series such as Kangaroo Palace.

During Vizard ’ s chairmanship, the comedy channel produced and broadcast over 80 hours each year of original Australian programming, commissioning emerging writers and performers including This Is Gary Petty ( starring Brian Nankervis, Francis Greenslade, Matt Cameron ); Off Road ( starring Lawrence Mooney ); The Fifty Foot Show ( starring Paul Fennech and Kitty Flanagan ); Home and Hosed ( starring Shane Bourne, Bob Franklin and Ross Daniels ); Small Tales and True ( Roz Hammond and Robyn Butler ).

Together with his Partner Andrew Knight, Vizard developed and was the Executive Producer of several feature films including The Sound Of One Hand Clapping ( based on the award winning novel by Richard Flanagan ) and Dead Letter Office ( starring Miranda and Barry Otto ).

In addition to writing for theatre, television and film, Vizard has written and edited several books, including a 2008 biography of Graham Kennedy, Graham Kennedy Treasures: Friends Remember the King ( Melbourne University Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-0-522-85545-6 ) which he co-wrote with veteran writer, Mike McColl-Jones.

In 2010, the Vizard Foundation sold the work for an Australian record of $ 5. 4 million and committed the proceeds for charitable purposes, including indigenous scholarships.

Vizard has appeared as a regular on various television shows including Tens Talkin ' ' Bout Your Generation, Nine ’ s Today Show and A Current Affair.

Vizard's younger brother, Andrew Vizard, is Professor of Veterinary Science at the University of Melbourne and an expert on animal health having served on numerous boards including Animal Health Australia Ltd, The Zoological Parks and Gardens of Victoria, and the Australian Wool Corporation.

The show won the late night ratings around Australia and won several awards including Variety Club Awards, Television Society Awards and Logie Awards, including in 1991 a Gold Logie for Steve Vizard as Most Popular Person on Australian Television and nominations on three other occasions.

Growing out of Melbourne University and The D-Generation came The Late Show ( 1991 – 1993 ), starring the influential talents Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy, Tony Martin, Mick Molloy and Rob Sitch ( who later formed Working Dog Productions ); and during the 1980s and 1990s Fast Forward ( Steve Vizard, Magda Szubanski, Marg Downey, Michael Veitch, Peter Moon and others ) and its successor Full Frontal, which launched the career of Eric Bana and featured Shaun Micallef.

• Steve Vizard and Peter Moons ; Advertising executives, Brent Smythe and Barry ; Indian Rug Fakari salesmen ;

In 1987 he was the head writer and a key performer on a television sketch comedy show, The Eleventh Hour, which kickstarted the television careers of Vizard, Maryanne Fahey, Mark Mitchell, Glenn Robbins, Ian McFadyen and Peter Moon.

In 1987, Vizard performed in the first Melbourne International Comedy Festival, launched by Peter Cook ; and was one of the hosts of the Comedy Festival Gala in 1991.

Steve Vizard is best known for playing character roles on Fast Forward, as advertising guru Brent Smyth ( with Peter Moon ), Darryl ( the gay airline Stewards, with Michael Veitch ), ' Fakari ' rug salesman Roger Ramshett ( with Peter Moon ), and Newsreaders Dirk Hartog.

Hilliard was represented by controversial barrister Peter Hayes QC who made the allegations against Vizard reported in the media.

In a 1991 episode, Vizard, actor Gerard Depardieu and film director Peter Weir were dining at Lynch ’ s before the show.

Hilliard alleged that Vizard had insider traded while a director of Telstra.

One of the key issues in the case was that the trades in question had not been made by Vizard, but instead by a company called CTI, of which Vizard's accountant Gregory Lay was the sole shareholder and director.

Vizard and ASIC settled the civil proceedings in 2005 on the basis that Vizard would not contest them, that ASIC made no allegations of dishonesty against Vizard, that a fine of $ 390, 000 be imposed and Vizard agree to be disqualified from acting as a company director for between 3 and 5 years.

That settlement took the form of an " agreed statement of facts " jointly presented to the Federal Court by Vizard's and ASIC's lawyers, and Vizard agreeing the court should impose penalties for a breach of his duties as a director.

Other books include Best Australian Humorous Writing ( with Andrew O ' Keefe, MUP, 2008 ), Australia's Population Challenge ( with Hugh J. Martin and Tim Watts, Penguin, 2003, ISBN 0-14-300113-2 ); Two Weeks in Lilliput ( Penguin, 1998 ), an account of Vizard's experiences attending the 1998 Australian Constitutional Convention ; Fast forward, the book: the complete guide to 3000 years of television ( ISBN014013400 ); and The Top seven lists from ' Tonight live with Steven Vizard ' ( ISBN1863301623 ).

A detail from " The Trial of Queen Caroline 1820 " by Sir George Hayter — left to right: Stephen Lushington ( judge ) | Stephen Lushington ( in wig with back to painter ); Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux | Henry Brougham ( in wig handing sheet of paper downwards ); William Vizard, the Queen's solicitor ( on floor beneath Brougham ); Lord Chancellor John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon | Lord Eldon ( seated in centre background facing front ); Caroline of Brunswick | Queen Caroline ; Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey | Lord Grey ( with extended arm ).

As President of the Screen Producers Association of Australia from 1995 to 1997, Vizard was an advocate for the establishment by the Australian Government of the Australian Commercial Television Production Fund to produce high quality Australian television drama telemovies and series.

From 1998 to 2005, Vizard was the President of the Council of Trustees of the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia's oldest and most richly endowed Art Museum, founded in 1858.

Another show was hosted by Vizard on the back of a motorcycle being ridden through the city by World Motorcycle champion Mick Doohan.