Grant Bowler (born 18 July 1968) is a New Zealand-Australian actor and television presenter who has worked in American, Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian film, television, and theatre. He is known for playing the role of Constable Wayne Patterson in ''

Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian Police procedural, police drama series that was produced by Endemol Australia, Southern Star Group and ran for 12 years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, ...

'' and Wolfgang West in '' Outrageous Fortune''. He also appeared as Wilhelmina Slater's

love interest ''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...

Connor Owens in ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombi ...

''. He starred as Joshua Nolan on the Syfy television series '' Defiance''. As a presenter, he is best known for hosting reality game shows – including '' The Mole Australia'' and ''

The Amazing Race Australia ''The Amazing Race Australia'' is an Australian adventure reality game show based on the international ''Amazing Race'' franchise. Following the premise of other versions of the format, the show follows teams of two as they race around the wor ...

'', both airing on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...

. Bowler has been the voiceover for '' Border Security: Australia'' for the

since 2004. He has also provided the voiceover for the Canadian version of the show and the American version of the show when those version screen in Australia & New Zealand as ''Border Security: International'', which often air on 7two.

Personal life

Bowler was born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, New Zealand, but moved to Australia when he was young, and was raised in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. In 2011, he separated from his wife of nine years, Australian actress

Roxane Wilson Roxane Wilson (born 1965) is an South African actress best known for her roles in ''Water Rats (TV series), Water Rats'', ''Stingers (TV series), Stingers'' and ''The Alice (TV series), The Alice''. She was born in Durban, South Africa to an It ...

, with whom he has two children.

Career

Bowler is a graduate of the Australian

National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...

in Sydney, alongside other graduates including

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...

, Cate Blanchett,

Hugo Weaving Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is an English actor. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. He is the recipient of six Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts ...

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

, and

Sam Worthington Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Jake Sully in ''Avatar'' and its sequel, ''Avatar: The Way of Water''; Marcus Wright in ''Terminator Salvation'', and Perseus in '' Clash o ...

. He worked extensively in theatre with the

Bell Shakespeare Company Bell Shakespeare is an Australian theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare, his contemporaries and other classics. It is based in Sydney. The Bell Shakespeare vision is to create theatre that allows audiences of all walk ...

touring with the original company founded by John Bell. His first television role was as Constable Wayne Patterson on ''

'', from 1993 to 1996. After leaving that show, he spent time on '' Pacific Drive'' in 1996 and '' Medivac'' from 1996 to 1998. He had recurring roles on ''

Always Greener ''Always Greener'' was an Australian television drama/ comedy series that aired on the Seven Network which followed the fortunes of two families, one from the city and the other from the country, when they decide to switch homes and start a new ...

'' and '' Stingers'', starred in the television adaptation of '' On the Beach'', spent a year on the ABC series ''

Something in the Air "Something in the Air" is a song by English rock band Thunderclap Newman, written by Speedy Keen who also sang the song. It was a No. 1 single for three weeks in the UK Singles Chart in July 1969. The song has been used for films, television ...

'', and starred in the 2004 miniseries ''Through My Eyes'' about the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain. Bowler had a recurring role on '' All Saints'' from 2004 to 2005. Bowler also hosted the Australian version of '' The Mole'', hosting the show from 2000 to 2003. He was replaced as host on the 2005 series by Tom Williams because of family commitments and hosting duties with ''

Border Security Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...

''. Bowler serves as the narrator of the reality show '' Border Security: Australia's Front Line'', a duty which he began as host in 2004, though he stopped appearing on camera after the first season. Bowler starred in the New Zealand series '' Outrageous Fortune''. Bowler's acting career has developed since he first began playing

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

, but although the character is not in every episode, he has turned down other roles to continue in ''Outrageous Fortune''. Starting with the season four episode "

Ji Yeon "Ji Yeon" (; from Korean 지연 ) is the seventh episode of the American Broadcasting Company's fourth season of ''Lost'' and 79th episode overall. The episode was written by co-executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and directed ...

", Bowler plays the guest role of Captain Gault, the captain of a freighter on the popular American television series '' Lost''. In 2008, he became a recurring regular on ''

'', in which he played the corrupt CFO of Meade Publications (Connor Owens) who romanced the series' main villain Wilhelmina Slater. Bowler said of his character, "He's got a lot of evil secrets." In December 2009, he was cast in the role of Cooter, a werewolf, in the HBO

urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy which places imaginary and unreal elements in an approximation of a contemporary urban setting. The combination provides the writer with quixotic plot-drivers, unusual character traits, and a platform for c ...

series ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on '' The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development. The ser ...

'', for that show's third season. In late 2010, he was announced as the host of

's ''

'' and hosted the show for 3 seasons. He did not return to host for the 2019

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

revival of the series, being replaced by Beau Ryan. He played Hank Rearden in '' Atlas Shrugged: Part I'' (2011), the first part of a planned three-part film adaptation of Ayn Rand's novel of the same name. He was also seen in 2011 in '' The City of Gardens'', as well as the film '' Killer Elite''. In 2012, Bowler was cast as

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

opposite Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor in the biographical

TV-movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

'' Liz & Dick'' for Lifetime in the US. He was seen in the war drama ''Gallipoli'', released in 2015 on Channel 9, Australia. Bowler was also seen in the psychological action film '' Swelter'', alongside

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the ag ...

and

Alfred Molina Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British-American actor known for his work on the stage and screen. He first rose to prominence in the West End, earning a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Pla ...

, in the sci-fi thriller '' 400 Days'' with

Brandon Routh Brandon James Routh (; born October 9, 1979) is an American actor. He portrayed Superman in the 2006 film '' Superman Returns'', which garnered him international fame. In 2011, he played the titular character of the film '' Dylan Dog: Dead of N ...

and

Dane Cook Dane Jeffrey Cook (born March 18, 1972) is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He has released six comedy albums: '' Harmful If Swallowed''; ''Retaliation''; ''Vicious Circle''; '' Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garde ...

, ''Lucky Dog'' with

Amy Smart Amy Lysle Smart (born March 26, 1976) is an American actress. A native of Los Angeles, Smart began her career modelling in Italy and subsequently enrolled in acting school. Her first role in film was in director Martin Kunert's anthology horror ...

, and the family movie, ''Zooey to the Max''. In 2020, Bowler appeared in a recurring role in '' The Baker and the Beauty'' playing the Australian father of lead character Noa Hamilton, played by

Nathalie Kelley Nathalie Kelley is a Peruvian-born Australian actress, known for her role as Neela in the 2006 action film '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'', and for her roles in various television series including ''Body of Proof'' (2011–2012), '' ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

*
Outrageous Fortune Official siteSue Barnett & Associates , Grant Bowler
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowler, Grant Living people Australian male film actors New Zealand male film actors 1968 births Australian male television actors New Zealand male television actors New Zealand emigrants to Australia 20th-century Australian male actors 21st-century Australian male actors People from Auckland Male actors from Sydney People from Brisbane People from Perth, Western Australia