Andrew Patrick O'Keefe AM (born 1 October 1971) is an Australian former television presenter and lawyer. He is best known for being the host of the game shows ''

Deal or No Deal ''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch ''Miljoenenjacht (Netherlands), Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this f ...

'' and ''

The Chase Australia ''The Chase Australia'' is an Australian television quiz show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be part ...

''. He was also the co-host of ''

Weekend Sunrise ''Weekend Sunrise'' is an Australian breakfast television program, broadcast on the Seven Network and currently hosted by Monique Wright and Matt Doran. History In 2005 the Seven Network replaced its struggling Sunday morning program ''Sunday ...

'' from 2005 to 2017.

Legal career

O'Keefe worked as an intellectual property lawyer with law firm

Allens Arthur Robinson Allens is an international commercial law firm that operates in the Asia-Pacific region. The firm is one of the largest in the Asia-Pacific region and has many high-profile political, judicial and corporate alumni. Operations Allens has 149 ...

Television career

O'Keefe first started his television career in 2003 in Channel Seven's show ''

Big Bite ''Big Bite'' was an Australian sketch comedy television series which ran on the Seven Network from 8 May 2003 to 4 March 2004 in a prime time timeslot on Thursdays. Since the end of the series, episodes have been repeated on the Foxtel cable ch ...

''. Later the same year he began hosting ''

''. In 2005, O'Keefe co-hosted the tri-network tsunami appeal ''Reach Out'' for relief efforts around Asia. In the same year, he hosted the short-lived ''

Dragons Den ''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is k ...

'' and co-hosted the 47th ''

TV Week Logie Awards The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

''. From 2005 to 2017, O'Keefe co-hosted ''

'' on Saturday and Sunday mornings with journalist

Monique Wright Monique Wright (born 18 May 1973) is an Australian journalist and television presenter. Wright is currently co-host of ''Weekend Sunrise''.

. He also regularly substituted for

David Koch David Hamilton Koch ( ; May 3, 1940 – August 23, 2019) was an American businessman, political activist, philanthropist, and chemical engineer. In 1970, he joined the family business: Koch Industries, the second largest privately held c ...

on ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

''. He presented the program for two weeks whilst Koch was on holidays during the summer period of 2013 alongside his former ''Weekend Sunrise'' co-host

Samantha Armytage Samantha Armytage (born 4 September 1976) is an Australian journalist and television presenter. Armytage was previously co-host of the Seven Network's breakfast television program ''Sunrise'' from 2013 to 2021 alongside David Koch. She also pr ...

. From 2007 to 2009, O'Keefe hosted the quiz show '' The Rich List''. On 31 May 2013, O'Keefe commenced playing the role of King Herod in the Australian tour of the ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

'' arena show. However, on 14 June 2013, he was admitted to hospital with a neck injury requiring surgery and was forced to relinquish the role for the rest of the tour. O'Keefe believed the injury was aggravated during a performance of the show.Andrew O'Keefe pulls out of Jesus Christ Superstar with serious neck injury , News Ltd 14 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013
/ref> In 2015, O'Keefe began presenting Seven's new game show, ''

''. In December 2017, O'Keefe announced his resignation as co-host of ''Weekend Sunrise'' after 12 years with the show. O'Keefe's contract with the Seven Network expired at the end of 2020 and he was replaced by

Larry Emdur Larry Emdur (born 9 December 1964) is an Australian television personality. Emdur is currently co-host of ''The Morning Show (TV program), The Morning Show'' alongside Kylie Gillies, and host of ''The Chase Australia''. The duo also hosted the ...

for ''The Chase Australia''.

Honours

In January 2017 he was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AM) for his television and charity work.

Personal life

O'Keefe is one of five children.Chris Beck talks to Andrew O'Keefe , The Age 12 January 2006. Retrieved 15 June 2013
/ref> His father was

Barry O'Keefe Barry Stanley John O’Keefe , (20 May 1933 24 April 2014) was an Australian judge and lawyer who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1993 to 2004 and the Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corrupti ...

, a judge of the

Supreme Court of New South Wales The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Court ...

. He is a nephew of the Australian

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

singer

Johnny O'Keefe John Michael O'Keefe (19 January 1935 – 6 October 1978) was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the 1950s. Some of his hits include " Wild One" (1958), " Shout!" and "She's My Baby". In his twenty-year career, O'Keefe rel ...

.Changing Channels: Andrew O'Keefe on Allens to showbiz , Lawyers Weekly 11 August 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2013
/ref> He attended

Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview Saint Ignatius' College Riverview is an Australian independent single-sex primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys, conducted in the Jesuit tradition, located in Riverview, a small suburb located on the Lane Cove River on the ...

, and then studied arts and law at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

. O'Keefe was married and has three children. In 2017 the couple separated and in 2019 they divorced.

Community and charity work

O'Keefe is a former chairman of the

White Ribbon Australia The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) is a global movement of men and boys working to end male violence against women and girls. It was formed by a group of pro- feminist men in London, Ontario in November 1991 as a response to the École Polytechn ...

, an organisation dedicated to the prevention of violence against women. He was one of the founding members of the campaign in Australia and was an ambassador from 2004, prior to the organisation's dissolution in 2019. As a result of his work with the White Ribbon Australia, O'Keefe was appointed to the inaugural National Council for the Prevention of Violence Against Women in May 2008, which drafted the report ''Time for Action: Australia's National Plan for Reducing Violence Against Women and their Children'' on behalf of the federal government.

Arrests and criminal charges

In January 2021, O'Keefe was arrested and charged with

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

and

common assault Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

against his partner. An interim

apprehended violence order An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in par ...

was sought against O'Keefe by

NSW Police The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...

on behalf of his partner. In June 2021, O'Keefe had the charges dismissed as the community magistrate found that he was in a hypomanic bipolar state when the offending occurred. He was ordered to complete an intensive mental health treatment program. In September 2021, O'Keefe was arrested by police for domestic violence related offences, including contravening an apprehended violence order and assault. On 27 January 2022, O'Keefe was arrested after he allegedly grabbed a woman by the throat, pushed her to the ground, and punched and kicked her at his unit in Sydney. He was later refused bail a week after his arrest. On 11 February 2022, he pleaded guilty to possession of 1.5 grams of marijuana. On 4 May 2022, O'Keefe was denied bail. The magistrate said “There will be a contempt citation unless he retracts and apologises for his behaviour.” On 23 May, O'Keefe appeared in the

and was granted bail, with strict conditions that he be sent to a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Swan Bay, north of Sydney, for up to a year. Justice Hulme said O'Keefe had long struggled with mental health issues and that rehabilitation was a "good opportunity" for him. He is scheduled to appear before the Downing Centre Local Court in June 2022 for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to one charge of possessing 1.6 grams of cannabis. On 24 November 2022, after months on bail, O’Keefe was arrested again at his Vaucluse home for allegedly breaching his bail conditions.

References

External links

''Sunrise'' profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okeefe, Andrew 1971 births Living people Australian game show hosts Members of the Order of Australia 20th-century Australian lawyers People from Sydney Sydney Law School alumni People educated at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview