Paul Joseph MercurioAM (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 filmStrictly Ballroom and his role as a judge on TV seriesDancing with the Stars.

He has been anAustralian Labor Party member of theVictorian Legislative Assembly since 2022, representing the electorate ofHastings.^[1]

Mercurio was born inSwan Hill,Victoria in March 1963, his father was American character actor and boxerGus Mercurio. Paul beganballet at nine. When his parents separated in 1969, he moved to Perth, Western Australia with his mother, where he grew up in housing commissions and attended John Curtin Senior High School, now known asJohn 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 focused on acting during his high school years but after he graduated, he caught theIndian Pacific train from Perth back to Melbourne^[5] where he studied at theAustralian Ballet School.^[6]

By the age of 19 in 1982, he was Principal Dancer with theSydney 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 made his film debut inBaz Luhrmann's breakout filmStrictly Ballroom, receiving anAustralian 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 andSydney – A Story of a City. He starred, wrote, choreographed, produced and directed the short filmSpilt Milk. Most recently, Mercurio has taken roles in independent films, such asHunting for Shadows andA Silent Agreement with directorDavo Hardy.

In 2019, Mercurio appeared in a supporting role as Sal inPromised (2019), a film directed and co-produced by Nick Conidi, and starringTina 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 inMoulin 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 ofRed Curtain Trilogy as a pixelated image.

Concerned about being typecast early on in his film career, Mercurio turned down the role of Adam Whitely (which instead went toGuy Pearce), in the 1994 film,The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.^[13]

Mercurio made his TV debut in a documentary on his life calledLife's Burning Desire in 1992. He starred in the lead role ofJoseph in theEmmy Award-winning US TV mini-seriesThe Bible: Joseph in 1995. Later, he joined the ensemble cast for the 1998 mini-series dramaThe Day of the Roses, depicting the 1977Granville railway disaster, for which he received aLogie nomination. Throughout the 1990s, Mercurio guest starred in Australian TV shows includingBlue Heelers,All Saints,Murder Call,Medivac,Heartbreak High andWater Rats.

Mercurio was a judge on theAustralian version ofDancing with the Stars until August 2008, when he was dropped from the judging panel because he was deemed "too nice" for television.^[14] He was also a judge on theNew Zealand version.^[15] From 2008 to 2010 he hosted a series calledMercurio's Menu where he travelled Australia, cooking in different locations.

From 1982 until 1992 Mercurio toured withSydney Dance Company both nationally and internationally, performing as a principal dancer and choreographing. After leaving theSydney Dance Company, Mercurio founded theAustralian Choreographic Ensemble in 1992, where he was the Director, Principal Dancer and Principal Choreographer until 1998.^[16]

Mercurio continues to dance and choreograph professionally. He has worked as a choreographer on five films, includingStrictly Ballroom and theWill Smith movieI, Robot. He has choreographed an American TV campaign forCoca-Cola, theHarry M. Miller production ofJesus Christ Superstar andAnnie Get Your Gun as well as numerous other stage productions. In January 2004, he appeared on stage inThe Full Monty.^[16]

He received aMo Award for Dance Performer of the Year 1992, and was nominated in 2004 for aHelpmann Award for his choreography for the musicalAnnie Get Your Gun.^[16]

Mercurio began brewing his own beer in 1988. He then hosted three cooking television series –Tasmania's Food Trail (from 2006, for two seasons),Mercurio's Menu (from 2008 to 2010. for three seasons) andNew Zealand on a Plate (2011). Following this, he appeared on the cooking segments of numerous live daytime TV shows, including a featured chef spot on Channel Nine'sThe Morning Show in 2013.^[17]

In 2009 Mercurio released a cook book calledMercurio's Menu, based on his TV series, as well as “Cooking with Beer”, which were both best-sellers. In 2015, he released a third cook book “Kitchen Mojo”.^[17]

In 2005 Mercurio released his own beer in Victoria, and since then has held beer dinners and beer cooking demos and been a judge for international beer competitions. In 2016 he brewed Australia's first Aphrodisiac Beer "Ye Ole Horney Ale", together withBentSpoke Brewery. He then opened his own beer café in 2014, produced a range of meat rubs and condiments and formed his own company "Beerlicious". He has since cooked in restaurants and at markets and festivals.^[17]

Mercurio was elected as a councillor forMornington Peninsula Shire in November 2020.^[18]

In November 2022, Mercurio was elected to theVictorian Legislative Assembly, winning the ultra-marginal seat ofHastings for theAustralian Labor Party.^[1]

Mercurio has been married to his wife Andrea (who was a ballerina withThe Australian Ballet andSydney Dance Company) since 1987, and together they have three children: Emily, Elise and Erin. The oldest is a stage manager, the middle is a musical theatre actor and writer, and the youngest is a vet nurse and performs as a pop singer.^[19]

He appeared on the Australian version of the television showWho Do You Think You Are? in 2012 in which he discovered that his grandfather was a member of theMilwaukee division ofCosa Nostra (the Sicilian mafia) in the 1950s.^[20] 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.^[21]

In 2000, Mercurio's brother Michael took his own life in his early 30s.^[22]

In December 2022, Mercurio was hospitalised with complications fromatrial fibrillation following his election win.^[23]

^[28]

• Paul Mercurio atIMDb
• Paul Mercurio biography^[usurped] at AustraliaDancing (archived)

• 1963 births
• 21st-century Australian politicians
• Australian people of American descent
• Australian people of Italian descent
• Australian male dancers
• Australian male film actors
• Australian male television actors
• Australian television chefs
• People educated at John Curtin College of the Arts
• People from Swan Hill
• Living people
• Members of the Order of Australia
• Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
• Musical theatre choreographers
• Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria
• Labor Left politicians

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