Daniel MacPherson
 |
Daniel MacPherson | |
|---|---|
 MacPherson at the Sydney premiere of The Cup in 2011 | |
| Born | Daniel Donald MacPherson April 25, 1980 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, television presenter |
| Years active | 1998–present |
Daniel Donald MacPherson (born 25 April 1980) is an Australian actor and television presenter, best known for his roles as; Joel Samuels on Neighbours, PC Cameron Tait on British police drama The Bill, and Detective Senior Constable Simon Joyner in City Homicide. He is the currently co-host of Dancing with the Stars alongside Edwina Bartholomew and starred as Jack Keenan in Wild Boys (2011).
Early and personal life
MacPherson grew up in Sydney's beachside suburb of Cronulla where he lists swimming, fishing, golf and watching the Cronulla Sharks, a rugby league football team, as his favorite pastimes. MacPherson went on to live in Melbourne for many years before relocating to Sunshine Beach, Queensland before returning to Sydney for work in 2010.
He was accepted into MENSA at the age of 10 and went on to attend the academically selective school Sydney Boys High School.[1][2] An avid fitness advocate, MacPherson regularly competes in triathlons and marathons.
Career
MacPherson was discovered while competing in the Kurnell triathlon in southern Sydney when he was 17. He soon landed the role of Joel Samuels in the soap opera Neighbours, starting in 1998.[3] Bearing a similarity to his real life, the blond-haired actor's character was also a budding athlete.
After leaving the soap in 2002, MacPherson travelled to the United Kingdom to star in a British production of the musical Godspell in which he alternated the lead roles of Jesus and Judas with English entertainer Jonathan Wilkes.[4] During this time MacPherson resided in Notting Hill with close friend Robbie Williams. After completing the show, MacPherson was offered the role of PC Cameron Tait in the British drama The Bill, which he played from 2003 until late 2004.[5]
Upon leaving The Bill, he took a role playing Jesus opposite Edward Woodward as God in The Mysteries. This was a drama based on a medieval mystery play cycle in which every scene moved to a different part of Canterbury Cathedral.
In 2005, MacPherson returned to Australia to present the Australian version of The X Factor.[6] MacPherson received positive feedback, despite the series attracting low ratings. After the season had finished, reports stated that before one of the live shows MacPherson was accidentally knocked unconscious by a plank of wood. After regaining consciousness several minutes later, MacPherson went on to do the show despite being heavily concussed. He says he "remembers nothing at all" from that night's broadcast. This was undetected by the public.[citation needed]
The following year, MacPherson hosted a three-part series called Killer Sharks on Australia's Network Ten in February 2006. In late 2006, he appeared in a British/Australian production entitled Tripping Over. The show appeared on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom and Network Ten in Australia. Tripping Over featured MacPherson's ex-Neighbours co-star Brooke Satchwell. Tripping Over received numerous positive reviews and the show was a hit with Australian critics; however due to funding issues it was not picked up for a second season.
In October 2007, MacPherson left Network Ten after taking a role on Channel 7's City Homicide. The show became the number one Australian Drama between 2007 and 2008. MacPherson left City Homicide during the fourth season.[7]
On 3 August 2008, Channel 7 announced that MacPherson would be taking over the hosting role on Dancing with the Stars, after former host Daryl Somers resigned at the end of 2007. This was his first live hosting gig since The X Factor in 2005.
On 17 May 2010, MacPherson guest co-hosted The Morning Show alongside Kylie Gillies, while regular male presenter Larry Emdur was on holidays.
Macpherson hosted the Seven Network series, Beat the Star, a local version of the British and German television series for one season before the show was cancelled.[8]
In 2011, MacPherson returned to hosting Season 11 of Dancing with the Stars in the first half of the year, before filming a new "Australian Western" style show, called Wild Boys based around Bushrangers.[7] MacPherson plays the lead role and the shows protagonist, Jack Keenan and stars alongside Zoe Ventoura.[7] Wild Boys premiered to strong ratings of 1.67 million viewers.[9] This was not to last, and in November 2011, the Seven Network chose not to make a second season of the show.
Other projects
MacPherson starred in two pantomimes at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury alongside Paul Hendy and Leila Birch. It drew audience members from all over the world, including Bob Geldof and his daughters, and Emma Bunton.
In 2006, MacPherson co-hosted the Sydney New Year's Eve 2006-07 telecast alongside Big Brother host Gretel Killeen. The telecast caused much controversy after former Big Brother 2004 housemates Ryan Fitzgerald and Bree Amer appeared to be drunk throughout their segments of the evening. Notably, MacPherson received much praise for being a "complete professional" and left with his reputation unscathed.
MacPherson competes in World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) and Ironman 70.3. He competed in Ironman Australia at Port Macquarie where he missed out on qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii by only one spot. His swim time of 49:30 in Ironman New Zealand 2008 was the fastest in his age group.
In April 2009, MacPherson completed the China Ironman in Haikou. He completed the race in 11 hours and one minute, after a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike ride and 42 km run in 45C heat. He came first in his 25–29 age group, qualifying him for the Hawaiian Ironman in October.
Triathlon Results
| Series | Race | Overall Position |
Gender Position |
Category Position |
Category | Time | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WTC Ironman 2008 | Ironman New Zealand 2008[10] | 143 | 133 | 25 | M25-29 | 10:10:55 |
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role[11] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–2002 | Neighbours | Joel Samuels | Role specifically written for him |
| 2003–2004 | The Bill | PC Cameron Tait | |
| 2006 | Blackjack | Craig | |
| Tripping Over | Ned | British/Australian six-part drama series | |
| 2007–2010 | City Homicide | Simon Joyner | |
| 2011 | Wild Boys | Jack Keenan |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role[11] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Jack & The Beanstalk | Jack | Victoria Theatre, Halifax, UK |
| 2000 | Cinderella | Prince | Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, UK |
| 2001 | Aladdin | Aladdin | Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, UK |
| 2002 | Godspell | Jesus/Judas | 16 week, #1 venue tour, United Kingdom |
| 2004 | The Mysteries | Jesus | Canterbury Cathedral, UK,
with Edward Woodward, Thomas James Longley and Joseph McManners |
| 2005 | Love Letters | Andrew | NIDA/Parade Theatre, Sydney |
Host
| Year | Title | Role[11] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The X Factor | Host | Network Ten |
| Good Morning Australia (GMA) | Fill in Host | Network Ten | |
| Killer Shark | Documentary Host | Network Ten | |
| 2006 | NYE Live Broadcast | Co-Host | Network Ten |
| 2006/2007 | National Geographic Presents | Host | Foxtel |
| 2008– | Dancing with the Stars | Host | Seven |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result[11] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Logie Awards | Most Popular New Talent – Male | Won |
| 2001 | Logie Awards | Most Popular Actor | Nominated |
| 2003 | British National Television Awards | Best Newcomer | Nominated |
Notes
- ^ http://www.sydneyboyshigh.com/pj-day-scholarship-endorsement
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534205/bio
- ^ Daniel MacPherson, Dancing With The Stars, Yahoo!7.
- ^ Godspell stars talk to BBC Norfolk, BBC Radio Norfolk, 25 October 2002.
- ^ Aussie Actor Bares Bottom On "The Bill", ABC Radio and Regional Content, 16 September 2003.
- ^ Enker, Debi: Stars in their eyes, The Age, 20 November 2004.
- ^ a b c "Ventoura and MacPherson go Wild". Media Spy. 20 February 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ "Dan MacPherson for Beat the Star". TV Tonight. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
- ^ "Viewers go Wild for drama on the box". Herald Sun. The Herald and Weekly Times. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ "Daniel MacPherson – Ironman Results & Photos". ironzip.com. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
- ^ a b c d "The Official Daniel MacPherson Website". Retrieved 20 November 2009.
External links
- Daniel MacPherson at IMDb
- Daniel's Official website danielmacpherson.com