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Paul Mercurio

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Not to be confused with Paul Mecurio.

Paul Mercurio
AM MP
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for Hastings
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 November 2022
Preceded byNeale Burgess
Councillor of the Mornington Peninsula Shire
In office
23 October 2020 – 26 November 2022
WardWatson
Personal details
Born
Paul Joseph Mercurio

(1963-03-31) 31 March 1963 (age 61)
Swan Hill, Victoria, Australia
Political partyLabor
Spouse
Andrea Mercurio
​
(m. 1987)​
ChildrenEmily, Elise and Erin
Occupation
  • Actor
  • Dancer
  • Choreographer
  • Television presenter
  • Politician

Paul Joseph Mercurio AM (born 31 March 1963) is an Australian actor, choreographer, dancer, TV presenter and politician. Mercurio is best known for his lead role in the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom and his role as a judge on TV series Dancing with the Stars.

He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2022, representing the electorate of Hastings.[1]

Early life

Mercurio was born in Swan Hill, Victoria in March 1963, his father was character actor Gus Mercurio. Paul began ballet at nine. He later moved to Perth, Western Australia, where he attended John Curtin Senior High School, now known as John Curtin College of the Arts[2] where there is a theatre named after him.[3] He credits his theatre arts teacher for inspiring him to follow his dream.[4] Mercurio focussed on acting during his high school years but after he graduated, he caught the Indian Pacific train from Perth back to Melbourne[5] where he studied at the Australian Ballet School.[6]

By the age of 19 in 1982, he was Principal Dancer with the Sydney Dance Company—a position he held for ten years.[7] During this time, he was commissioned to choreograph six works performed by the company. Mercurio left the Sydney Dance Company in August 1992 to found the Australian Choreographic Ensemble which danced from 1992 to 1995, where he was the director, principal dancer and principal choreographer.

Stage and screen career

Feature films

Mercurio made his film debut in Baz Luhrmann's breakout film Strictly Ballroom, receiving an Australian Film Institute Award nomination in 1993.[8] Mercurio was a choreographer on the film. Flamenco dancer Antonio Vargas, the actor who played Fran's father, also choreographed scenes in the film.[9]

Mercurio's other film credits include: Exit to Eden, Back of Beyond, Così, Red Ribbon Blues, Welcome to Woop Woop, The Dark Planet, The First 9½ Weeks, Kick and Sydney – A Story of a City. He starred, wrote, choreographed, produced and directed the short film Spilt Milk. Most recently, Mercurio has taken roles in independent films, such as Hunting for Shadows and A Silent Agreement with director Davo Hardy.

In 2019, Mercurio appeared in a supporting role as Sal in Promised (2019), a film directed and co-produced by Nick Conidi, and starring Tina Arena, Antoniette Iesue and Daniel Berini.[10] The film was released in Australia on 24 October 2019.[11]

Baz Luhrmann expressed some interest in using Mercurio in Moulin Rouge to Mercurio's agent, but after a series of failed attempts to speak to Luhrmann personally, Mercurio found out that there was no role for him in the movie via the production company.[12] He has not appeared in any other Luhrmann films and only appears briefly in Disc 4 of Red Curtain Trilogy as a pixelated image.

Television roles

Mercurio made his TV debut in a documentary on his life called Life's Burning Desire in 1992. He starred in the lead role of Joseph in the Emmy Award-winning US TV mini-series The Bible: Joseph in 1995. Later, he joined the ensemble cast for the 1998 mini-series drama The Day of the Roses, depicting the 1977 Granville railway disaster. Throughout the 1990s. Mercurio guest starred in Australian TV shows including Blue Heelers, All Saints, Murder Call, Medivac, Heartbreak High, Water Rats and The Day of the Roses. Mercurio was a judge on the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars until August 2008, when he was dropped from the judging panel because he was deemed "too nice" for television.[13] He was also a judge in the New Zealand version.[14] In 2008, he began hosting a series called Mercurio's Menu where he travels Australia, cooking in different locations.

Dance and choreography

Mercurio continues to dance and choreograph professionally. He was a movement consultant on the Will Smith movie I, Robot, and has choreographed an American TV campaign for Coca-Cola, the Harry M. Miller production of Jesus Christ Superstar and Annie Get Your Gun. In January 2004, he appeared on stage in The Full Monty.

Political career

Mercurio was elected as a councilor for Mornington Peninsula Shire in November 2020.[15]

In November 2022, Mercurio was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly, winning the ultra-marginal seat of Hastings for the Australian Labor Party.[1]

Personal life

Mercurio has been married to his wife Andrea since 1987, and together they have three children: Emily, Elise and Erin.

He appeared on the Australian version of the television show Who Do You Think You Are? in 2012 in which he discovered that his grandfather was a member of the Milwaukee division of Cosa Nostra (the Sicilian mafia) in the 1950s.[16] Mercurio has reflected on this legacy in subsequent interviews and spoken about the effect it has had on his father, and his relationship with his father.[17]

In December 2022, he was hospitalised with complications from atrial fibrillation following his election win.[18]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Strictly Ballroom Scott Hastings
1994 Exit to Eden Elliot
1995 Joseph Joseph 2 episodes
1995 Back of Beyond Tom McGregor
1996 Cosi Mental Patient Uncredited
1996 Red Ribbon Blues Troy
1997 Welcome to Woop Woop Midget
1997 Dark Planet Hawke
1998 The First 9½ Weeks Matt Wade
1998 The Day of the Roses Bryan Gordon 2 episodes
1999 Kick David Knight
1999 Sydney – A Story of a City Archaeologist marco Short
2007 Razzle Dazzle: A Journey Into Dance Self
2014 Creative Kids Guest Episode: "How to Be a Dancer"
2016 Hunting for Shadows James Beasley
2017 A Silent Agreement Gareth Donahue
2019 Promised Sal
2019-2020, 2022 Neighbours Grant Hargreaves 8 episodes

Awards

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Paul Mercurio won one award in that time.[19]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
1992 Paul Mercurio Dance Performance of the Year Won

References

  1. ^ a b "Andrews scores factional win as Strictly Ballroom star becomes MP". Australian Financial Review. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Alumni". jc.wa.edu.au. John Curtin College of the Arts. 17 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Media Statements - Government high school awarded heritage listing". mediastatements.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Episode 9, Season 1". The Scary Guy Podcast. 31 August 2020.
  5. ^ see above[citation needed]
  6. ^ "Paul Mercurio". tasdancearchive.com.au. Vault, the Tasdance Archive.
  7. ^ "#11: Cafe, Paul Mercurio (1989)". sydneydancecompany.com. Sydney Dance Company. 18 April 2019.
  8. ^ "Strictly Ballroom wins at the 1992 AFI Awards". nfsa.gov.au. National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. 7 February 2022.
  9. ^ End credits, Strictly Ballroom
  10. ^ "Promised (2019) - the Screen Guide". screenaustralia.gov.au. Screen Australia.
  11. ^ "Promised". IMDb. 24 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Strictly Ball Room - Paul Mercurio Reflects on a Brilliant Work". Time to Talk Podcast. 6 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Paul Mercurio out of Dancing and Ian Dickson's Idol fears". The Daily Telegraph. 12 August 2008. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  14. ^ "New faces for Dancing with the Stars". tvnz.co.nz. TVNZ. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  15. ^ "Strictly Ballroom star Paul Mercurio is back - but he's switching the big screen for something completely unexpected". nowtolove.com.au. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  16. ^ "The darkest, dirtiest celeb family secrets unearthed by Who Do You Think You Are?". sbs.com.au. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  17. ^ Kmaid, Joanne (20 December 2015). "Actor Focus: Paul Mercurio". cinemaaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Beloved Aussie actor opens up about concerning health condition". 7NEWS. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  19. ^ "MO Award Winners". moawards.com.au. Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
Victorian Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member for Hastings
2022–present 		Incumbent
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