Michael Galvin (born 27 March 1967) is a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

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. Other than a 4-year gap as a result of Galvin's resignation in 1 ...

on the soap opera

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand Prime time, prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital. The show was first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992 and is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, be ...

, 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 2023, 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 Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, TVNZ+, streaming service, and 1N ...

soap opera, ''

'' alongside his flatmate Marton Csokas. Galvin won the role, with Csokas later going on to play Leonard Dodds. 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 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...

. 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."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 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).

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