Paul O'Brien
| Paul O' Brien | |
|---|---|
| Born |
14 April 1978 South Africa |
| Occupation | Actor |
Paul O'Brien (born 14 April 1978) is a South African-born Australian actor.
Early life
Paul O'Brien was born in South Africa, and grew up in Australia. As a child he suffered from a stutter and blinking problem and was picked on for his thick South African accent. His nickname as a child was "toughie" as he was often getting into fights. He spent several years on the Gold Coast, with his family. He attended his first school, St Kevin's, in Benowa, and later attended Somerset and Marymount colleges.
Career
O'Brien has a fan base in 56 territories around the world from his four years on Home and Away, where he played police officer Jack Holden. Since then he went on to appear on Underbelly, neighbours, but avoided many roles as he wanted to reinvent himself and not be typecast as the 'pin-up boy' or the 'nice cop'. In these years, he created other roles for himself and pursued a film career. He is known as 'the chameleon' among his acting colleagues. He played a bearded ex-assassin in Message Man. He appeared in the first of three Underbelly Files movies 'Tell them Lucifer was here' playing a Melbourne detective who was gunned down whilst on patrol.[1]
O'Brien was named the runner-up, behind comedian Andy Lee in the 2006 Cleo Bachelor of the Year competition.[2] In 2008, O'Brien took part in the third series of It Takes Two, an Australian reality show in which celebrities compete against each other by singing. O'Brien was partnered with pop singer Jade MacRae. They finished in fourth position.[3]
O'Brien appeared in the movie John Doe and is filming Message Man in Jakarta. In October 2013, it was announced that he had joined the cast of Neighbours in the guest role of Eric Edwards.[4]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Program | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | TV Week Logie | Most Popular New Male Talent | Winner |
| TV Week | Cleo Bachelor Of The Year | Runner-up | |
| TV Week | Voted hottest male | Winner | |
| 2007 | TV Week Logie | Logie Award for Most Popular Actor | Nominated |
| 2008 | TV Week Logie | Logie Award for Most Popular Actor | Nominated |
References
- ↑ Home and Away's Paul O'Brien and Todd Lasance in Underbelly TV movie
- ↑ Andy Lee bachelor of the year, news.com.au; accessed 27 March 2015.
- ↑ Paul O'Brien departs from It Takes Two on a high
- ↑ Dainty, Sophie (2 October 2013). "Former 'Home and Away' star joins cast of 'Neighbours' in guest role". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 10 October 2013.