Brian Rooney (born 2 November 1972) is a Northern Irish-born Australian actor with film, television and stage credits. He is best known for his childhood television performances, in particular the part of Michael Winters in '' G.P.''. He appeared in the children's television productions of ''

The Ferals ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' as Leonard, and '' Spellbinder'' as Alex Katsonis.Brian Rooney profile
imdb.com; retrieved 10 August 2010.

Career

Rooney first appeared on Australian Television on Network Channel 10 in

Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

on the

Grundy Television Reg Grundy Organisation (founded as Reg Grundy Enterprises, later known as both Reg Grundy Productions and Grundy Television and known informally as Grundy's) was an Australian-based multinational mass media company, primarily involved in tele ...

show, ''Pot Luck''. He sang ''

Take My Breath Away "Take My Breath Away" is a song written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock for the 1986 film ''Top Gun'', performed by American new wave band Berlin. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best ...

'', but lost to Roy Handley, who performed the

Acker Bilk Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, (28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014) was a British clarinetist and vocalist known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistc ...

song, '' Stranger on the Shore''. Both Handley and Rooney were told by the show's celebrity judge,

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

based TV and radio personality

Anne Wills Anne Shirley Wills (born 3 October 1944) is an Australian television and radio personality based in Adelaide. Wills holds the record for the most number of Logies won by a person in the history of the awards, winning 19 Most Popular State Perso ...

, that they should try acting as they had the "face for television". Consequently, Rooney auditioned with the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

for a role on '' G.P.''. Rooney began his career playing the street-wise urchin

Gavroche Gavroche () is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. He is a boy who lives on the streets of Paris. His name has become a synonym for an urchin or street child. Gavroche plays a short yet significant role i ...

in the Australian stage production of

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

. Soon after, he went on to play the character Tommy Franco, alongside

Dolph Lundgren Hans Lundgren (, ; born 3 November 1957), better known as Dolph Lundgren, is a Swedish actor, filmmaker and martial artist. His breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in ''Rocky IV'' as the imposing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, Lu ...

and

Louis Gossett Jr. Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (born May 27, 1936) is an American actor. Born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, He had his stage debut at the age of 17, in a school production of '' You Can't Take It with You.'' Shortly after he successfully ...

, in the 1989 feature film ''

The Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...

''. As a child actor, Rooney became best known on Australian television during the early 1990s for his long-running role of Michael Winters in the ABC-TV series ''G.P.'', and as Brendan Maloney in the 1991 miniseries ''

Brides of Christ ''Brides of Christ'' is an Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1991.Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 94 The series takes place behind the walls of a Sydne ...

''. He has appeared in a number of television films including ''The Rogue Stallion'' (1990), ''The Phantom Horseman'' (1991), and ''Pirates Island'' (1991). More recently Rooney played the role of Cedric in the 2001 children's television series ''

Escape of the Artful Dodger ''Escape of the Artful Dodger'' is an Australian children's television series first screened on the Nine Network in 2001. ''Escape of the Artful Dodger'' is the story of Jack Dawkins, who was introduced in the classic Charles Dickens novel ''O ...

''. In 2010, he guest starred as the character Jones in '' Rescue: Special Ops'' (Season 2, Episode 12).Brian Rooney profile
, www3.showcast.com.au; retrieved 10 August 2010.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rooney, Brian 1972 births Australian male child actors Australian male film actors Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Living people Male child actors from Northern Ireland Male film actors from Northern Ireland Male stage actors from Northern Ireland Male television actors from Northern Ireland