Paul Mercurio

Paul Joseph Mercurio (born March 31, 1963 in Swan Hill , Victoria , Australia ) is an Australian film actor and ballet dancer .

Life

Mercurio, the son of well-known actor Gus Mercurio , was born in Swan Hill but spent most of his youth in Perth .

Inspired by Elvis Presley , Mercurio decided to become a dancer at the age of nine . That is why his mother Jean placed him in a ballet school , through which he eventually obtained a scholarship that allowed him to attend the John Curtin College of the Arts . In order to get even closer to his dream job, dancer, Mercurio moved to Melbourne and graduated from the Australian Ballet Academy .

In Melbourne, Mercurio was an outsider and on his own for the first time. His loneliness intensified when he took the opportunity to perform with the Sydney Dance Company (SDC). Once in Sydney, Mercurio had little money, not even enough money to visit his family on vacation.

In a café in Darlinghurst , he met a circle of prostitutes and junkies who would inspire him just a few years later.

In the meantime Mercurio was able to prove himself at the SDC and already created his own choreographies . During this time he met his future wife, Andrea Toy, whom he married in 1987.

In 1992 Mercurio got the lead role from director Baz Luhrmann in his dance film Strictly Ballroom - They offered to dance against all the rules . The part of Scott Hastings is one with which he is still best known today.

Now Mercurio began to establish itself financially. Having an Australian adaptation of Webber - musicals Jesus Christ Superstar choreographed , he had created a separate company: the Australian Choreographic Ensemble (ACE). The idea was not only to encourage young Australian choreographers, but also to encourage prostitutes and drug junkies to start a new life through dancing.

However, Mercurio wasn't always lucky when it came to choosing his film roles. Undercover Cops, an adult comedy from 1994, and Back of Beyond, a thriller , produced in 1995, flopped.

His only success was The Bible - Joseph , in which he took the lead and title role and which was awarded an Emmy in 1995 . In 1998 , after only six years of existence, the ACE was dissolved.

Paul Mercurio never lost his image of Strictly Ballroom - a charming dancer. In 1999 he tried again briefly on stage, but this time as an actor.

Optimistic enough, he moved to Los Angeles with his family , but he didn't get any film offers in Hollywood either.

In Dancing with the Stars , a casting show comparable to the Austrian Dancing Stars , Mercurio was signed up as a juror .

In I, Robot with Will Smith in the lead role, he worked as a movement coach in the field of visual effects .

Award

Paul Mercurio received an AFI Award in 1992 for his performance in Strictly Ballroom .

Web links

• Official website
• Paul Mercurio in the Internet Movie Database (English)