Joel McIlroy (born 8 August 1973 in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

) is an Australian actor, known for being the second actor to take on the role of

Flynn Saunders Flynn Saunders is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Joel McIlroy. The character was originally played by Martin Dingle-Wall from 2001 until 2002. He made his first appearance during the episode broa ...

, a character of the popular soap opera ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...

''. McIlroy took over the role of Flynn in 2003 after

Martin Dingle-Wall Martin Dingle-Wall is an Australian actor, producer and screenwriter. He originated the role of Flynn Saunders on the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'' in 2001. He departed the show in 2002. Dingle-Wall has appeared in '' Satisfaction'', ...

left the role in 2002.

Early years

Joel McIlroy grew up in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney. McIlroy first appeared in various productions with the Forest Youth Theatre Company, acting in musicals from the age of 16 to 18. After starring in a Year 11 musical production with his high school, McIlroy decided that he wanted to become an actor. While still at school McIlroy went to the USA and studied in Los Angeles for six months. He later travelled around Europe before returning to Sydney to study acting. At 20, McIlroy enrolled in the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) and after completing four years' study has had acting roles in theatre and television ever since. McIlroy appeared in the plays, ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'', ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

'' (both by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

) and ''

The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other ''The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other'' (german: Die Stunde, da wir nichts voneinander wußten) is a one-act play without words written by Peter Handke. The play has 450 characters and focuses on a day in the life of an unspecified town squa ...

''. He worked at student jobs to support himself during those years.

Career

Many years later, he is still connected with the "Theatre for Young People." After appearing in the short film, ''The Beat Manifesto'', for the Australian Film and Television School (North Ryde, Sydney), McIlroy was nominated for an AFI Award. He also won the Lend Lease Scholarship from the "Australian Theatre for Young People." McIlroy enrolled in a director's course with the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). His acting career spanned various plays and guest roles in television: ''Water Rats'' (1996), ''All Saints'' (1998), as Brent Duffy for four episodes of the ABC TV drama ''Love Is a Four-Letter Word'' (2001), also as Bertie Jenkins in the ABC mini series ''Changi'' (2001) and as Chook in the feature film, ''Angst'' (2000). He also directed two Sam Shepherd plays, ''Action'' and ''Fool for Love''. McIlroy's acting career really took off when he joined ''Home and Away'' to replace Martin Dingle-Wall as 'Flynn Saunders'. In 2006 he was nominated for a Silver Logie Award for the most popular actor on Australian television. After becoming the husband of Sally Fletcher (

Kate Ritchie Katherine Leigh Ritchie is an Australian actress, radio presenter and children's author, she remains best known for her long-running role as original character Sally Fletcher on the television soap opera '' Home and Away'', for which she won tw ...

), Flynn Saunders died of skin cancer, after stopping

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...

so he could die peacefully at home. In 2007, he appeared in "Lion Pig Lion" at the Dunstan Playhouse in

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 ...

with actress Carmel Johnson.

Filmography

Arrest

On 23 October 2019, McIlroy appeared in court after allegedly assaulting a female police officer in an unprovoked attack. In a statement, NSW Police said the 29-year-old senior constable was left with injuries to her face, neck and shoulder after she was allegedly punched repeatedly by McIlroy.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McIlroy, Joel 1973 births Australian male television actors Living people Male actors from Sydney