Daniel Paris (born 15 June 1973) is an Australian actor and photographer. He is best known for playing the role of
Drew Kirk in the Australian soap opera ''
Neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
''.
Early life
Paris was born in
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Western Australia. In 1980, when he was 7, his family moved from the Perth suburb of
Greenwood, to the coastal town of Esperance.
Over the years, Paris competed in various triathlons. From 1990 to 1994, he was a
surf lifesaver and won the under-21 state medal in
surfboat competition. In 1991 he competed with the WA swim team, and in 1998 Paris was Sports Person of the Year (swimming) in State Country Region WA.
Paris also modelled in commercials, catwalks and stills.
In 1993, Paris received his degree in accounting from
Edith Cowan University in Western Australia and briefly worked for a major Australian finance company.
Career
Actor & presenter
Paris never aspired to be an actor. After travelling around Australia, he settled in Melbourne and while working in a bar, he attended a general audition at
Grundy's without any acting experience. He secured his first role in 1998 (the role he is best known for), as
Drew Kirk, who became husband to character
Libby Kennedy in Australian soap opera ''
Neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
''. Drew was killed off in a tragic horse-riding accident in 2002.
Paris continued on with guest roles in ''
MDA'' and ''
McLeod's Daughters'' until 2005. Paris returned to ''
Neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
'' in 2005 for a guest stint as a ghostly vision of Drew in
Steph Scully's dreams.
His career successfully crossed over as an advertising host for Aqua Technics and Ashley Martin, and more recently, as a presenter on ''
Postcards
A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin Card stock, cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare.
In some places, one can send a ...
'', ''DestinationWA'', ''ZoomTV,'' ''
Home in WA'', ''The West Real Estate Program'' and ''
WA Weekender''.
Paris has hosted various natural history documentaries, and in 2007 and 2009 was a regular presenter on the travel program ''
Postcards WA''.
Paris played Mark Davies in the ABC/Matchbox television series ''
The Heights'' from 2019 to 2020.
Photographer & videographer
Paris is also a freelance landscape photographer and cinematographer, operating both Dan Paris Photography and Bauhaus Films video production.
He has produced several photography books: "Images of a Southern Coastline" (2006), "Images of a Northern Peninsula" (2007), "Leaving Footprints in Esperance" (2009) and "Esperance - A Place Less Travelled" (2014).
When work dried up at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he turned to market gardening, using a concept known as community-supported agriculture (CSA). He operates off two hectares of land in Esperance, named 'Mystwood Harvest'.
Personal life
Paris and his horticulturalist partner, Tanya Jenkin have two children and live in Esperance, Western Australia.
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
References
External links
*
*
Dan Paris bio as a presenter for Zoomtv
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris, Dan
1973 births
Australian male television actors
Living people
Photographers from Western Australia
People from Esperance, Western Australia
Edith Cowan University alumni