Michael Galvin (born 27 March 1967) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

actor, singer and playwright, well known for his role as

Chris Warner Christopher Alexander Warner is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'' who has been portrayed by Michael Galvin since the show's first episode, making him the longest running original character. Galvin quit the ...

on the soap opera

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously ...

, a character he has played almost since the show's debut in 1992 until 1996 and again from 2000 to present, and remains as of 2020, the only original cast member. He is the longest serving television soap opera actor in New Zealand.

Early life

Galvin attended and graduated both Victoria University and Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. He graduated from Toi Whakaari in 1989 with a Diploma in Acting.

Career

Shortland Street

In 1992 Galvin, a theatre actor at the time, auditioned for a role as

in the upcoming

Television New Zealand , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the Solom ...

soap opera, ''

'' alongside his flatmate

Marton Csokas Marton Paul Csokas (, hu, Csókás Márton Pál; born 30 June 1966) is a Hungarian-New Zealand actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the Toi Whakaari drama school, he has worked extensively in Australia and Hollywood, along with ...

. Galvin won the role, with Csokas later going on to play

Leonard Dodds The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the New Zealand soap opera '' Shortland Street'' in 1993, by order of first appearance. Rachel McKenna Rachel McKenna was the spoilt teenage daughter of CEO - Michael (Paul Gittins) a ...

. Galvin predicted the show would only last 12 months. Galvin portrayed Chris for four years, with the character picking up the nickname "Dr. Love" for the numerous love affairs he participated in. Galvin soon grew sick of portraying Chris, being quoted as saying "after four years on Shortland Street there was so much of me in Dr Warner I wasn't sure where he ended and I began." He quit and went travelling to seek further job opportunities.

Overseas and return to Shortland Street

During this time, he had roles in the television productions Highwater and Coverstory, and feature film The Climb, which starred

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

. Galvin was asked to return to Shortland Street in 2000 following a revamp of the show. He returned in the season final much to the delight of his fans. Since returning, Galvin has written many plays including the successful "Station to Station" and in 2007 Galvin was recognised as an outstanding emerging playwright, winning New Zealand's most significant national theatre award, the

Bruce Mason Playwriting Award The Bruce Mason Playwriting Award is an annual award that recognises the work of an outstanding emerging New Zealand playwright. The winner is decided by the votes of a panel of leading New Zealand artistic directors and script advisors. The ...

."Shortland Street star picks up national playwriting award"
, thebigidea.co.nz In October 2019 he was presented with a Scroll of Honour from the

Variety Artists Club of New Zealand The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc (VAC) is a non-for-profit organisation and show business club. It was founded in 1966 and became an incorporated society in 1972. The VAC was formed to promote goodwill within the New Zealand enterta ...

for his contribution to New Zealand entertainment.

Personal life

Galvin is married to Melissa Galvin with whom he shares a daughter named Lily. The couple married in 2004, but separated 5 years later. He was introduced to Melissa through on screen girlfriend Angela Bloomfield (

Rachel McKenna Rachel McKenna is a fictional character from the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'', played by Angela Bloomfield and who made her first appearance in early 1993. Bloomfield left the role in late 1999, before returning in early 2001 an ...

Filmography

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galvin, Michael 1967 births 20th-century New Zealand male actors 21st-century New Zealand male actors Living people New Zealand male soap opera actors New Zealand male television actors New Zealand people of Irish descent People educated at St. Patrick's College, Wellington Toi Whakaari alumni Victoria University of Wellington alumni