Editing Adrian Paul

{{short description|English actor (born 1959)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Adrian Paul
| image              = Adrian Paul (16619451655).jpg
| caption            = Paul in 2015
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1959|5|29|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[London]], England, UK
| occupation         = Actor
| years_active       = 1981–present
| spouse             = {{Plainlist|
*{{marriage|Meilani Figalan|1990|1997|end=divorced}}
*{{marriage|Alexandra Tonelli|2009}}
}}
| children           = 3
}}

'''Adrian Paul Hewett''' (born 29 May 1959)<ref name="Events2013">{{cite book|author=((Editors of Chase's Calendar of Events))|title=Chase's Calendar of Events 2014 with CD-ROM|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OTQfAQAAQBAJ|date=10 October 2013|publisher=McGraw Hill Professional|isbn=978-0-07-182950-2|page=301|quote=Adrian Paul, 55, actor ("Highlander"), born London, England, 29 May 1959.}}</ref> is an English actor best known for the title role of [[Duncan MacLeod]] on the television series ''[[Highlander: The Series]]''.<ref name="Lettow2009">{{cite book|author=Donna Lettow|title=Highlander(™): Zealot|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MIOuxkBuOEoC&pg=PT184|date=26 September 2009|publisher=Grand Central Publishing|isbn=978-0-446-56564-6|page=184}}</ref><ref name="LayMonk2002">{{cite book|author1=Mary M. Lay|author2=[[Janice J. Monk]]|author3=Deborah Silverton Rosenfelt|title=Encompassing Gender: Integrating International Studies and Women's Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QnKf1FfqpqkC&pg=PA102|year=2002|publisher=Feminist Press at CUNY|isbn=978-1-55861-269-3|page=102}}</ref><ref name="Prouty1994">{{cite book|author=Prouty|title=Variety Television Reviews 1991–1992|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RxHbPxbBM1AC&pg=PP430|date=1 March 1994|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-8240-3796-3|page=430}}</ref><ref name="King2012">{{cite book|author=Katie King|title=Networked Reenactments: Stories Transdisciplinary Knowledges Tell|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=obMlU58MQjUC&pg=PA303|date=5 January 2012|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0-8223-5072-9|page=303}}</ref> In 1997, he founded the [[Peace Fund]] charitable organisation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Team|url=https://www.thepeacefund.org/our-team|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202044050/https://www.thepeacefund.org/our-team|url-status=usurped|archive-date=2 February 2017|website=PEACE Fund|access-date=27 January 2017}}</ref>

==Early life==
Paul was born in London,<ref name="Events2013"/> the first of three brothers, to an Italian mother and a British father. He attended St Mary's Grammar School (as was) in Sidcup, Kent, where in his time in 6th Form, he established something of an empire based in the school library selling first so-called "stales" from the baker's in Sidcup High Street, progressing to a selection of biscuits. Paul first became a model, then a [[dance]]r and [[Choreography|choreographer]]. As a teenager, he was a capable [[association football|footballer]] and made several appearances for [[Cray Wanderers F.C.|Cray Wanderers]] in the [[Spartan League|London Spartan League]] between 1976 and 1978.<ref name="Cray 150 Publications">{{cite web | title = Cray Wanderers – A Complete Statistical Record| publisher = Cray 150 Publications | date = 2014 | url = http://www.cray150publications.co.uk | access-date = 31 October 2014}}</ref> In 1985, Paul moved to the United States to pursue careers in dance and modeling.

Paul spent time in the theatre, appearing in numerous plays, and has stated that these, along with an early television appearance on ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1987 TV series)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' (1987), helped to shape his acting abilities.

==Career==
Paul's first role was on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television series ''[[The Colbys]]'' in 1986, as ballet dancer [[Kolya Rostov|Nikolai "Kolya" Rostov]]. This was followed by guest appearances on various television shows, including the aforementioned ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1987), two episodes of ''[[Tarzán]]'' (1991), ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' (1992), ''[[Relic Hunter]]'' (1999), and as himself in ''[[WWE SmackDown]]'' (1999). He also appeared in a January 2003 episode of ''[[Charmed]]'' and in the [[Off-Broadway]] play ''Bouncers'' (1987), as well as in the television films ''Shooter'' (1988) and ''The Cover Girl Murders'' (1993), the latter of which starred [[Lee Majors]].

Paul's first film appearance was in the 1988 film ''[[Last Rites (1988 film)|Last Rites]]'', which starred [[Tom Berenger]]. He starred in the remake ''[[Masque of the Red Death (1989 film)|Masque of the Red Death]]'', a re-telling of the [[Edgar Allan Poe]] tale. He also appeared in [[Sheena Easton]]'s "Days Like This" music video as her love interest and [[Duran Duran]]'s "My Own Way" music video as a dancer.

In 1989, he appeared in a regular role in the second season of the television series ''[[War of the Worlds (1988 TV series)|War of the Worlds]]'' as John Kincaid, three episodes of the 1991 ''[[Dark Shadows (1991 TV series)|Dark Shadows]]'' remake as [[Jeremiah Collins]], and made a pilot for [[CBS|CBS Television]] for a series called ''The Owl'' (1991). In 2001, he starred in ''[[Tracker (Canadian TV series)|Tracker]]''.<ref name="GarciaPhillips2008">{{cite book|author1=Frank Garcia|author2=Mark Phillips|title=Science Fiction Television Series, 1990–2004: Histories, Casts and Credits for 58 Shows|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pQIDAQAAQBAJ&pg=PT339|date=10 December 2008|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-9183-4|page=339}}</ref>

In 1992, Paul was cast in his most widely known role of [[Duncan MacLeod]] in the syndicated television series ''[[Highlander: The Series]]'', which first aired in October 1992.<ref name="Dozois1998">{{cite book|author=Gardner Dozois|title=The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fifteenth Annual Collection|url=https://archive.org/details/yearsbestscience00gard_1|url-access=registration|date=15 May 1998|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-0-312-19033-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/yearsbestscience00gard_1/page/58 58]}}</ref><ref name="Green2009">{{cite book|author=Paul Green|title=Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns: Supernatural and Science Fiction Elements in Novels, Pulps, Comics, Films, Television and Games|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HDnHo993Dv0C&pg=PA112|date=14 October 2009|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5800-4|page=112}}</ref><ref name="Reviews2001">{{cite book|author=The New York Times Theater Reviews|title=The New York Times Film Reviews 1999–2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_E350jJ-Ui4C&pg=PA380|date=December 2001|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-93696-5|page=380}}</ref> He would portray the role on and off for the next 15 years, also starring in the big screen sequel ''[[Highlander: Endgame]]'' (2000),<ref name="Jones2014">{{cite book|author=Stephen Jones|title=The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror: 12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=44u38gpcxnUC&pg=PT38|date=3 January 2014|publisher=Constable & Robinson Limited|isbn=978-1-78033-712-8|page=38}}</ref><ref name="Maltin2013">{{cite book|author=Leonard Maltin|title=Leonard Maltin's 2014 Movie Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sfw2AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT1071|date=3 September 2013|publisher=Penguin Group US|isbn=978-1-101-60955-2|page=1071}}</ref> and the television film ''[[Highlander: The Source]]'', released on the [[Syfy (TV channel)|Sci-Fi Channel]] on 15 September 2007.

Other films in which he has starred or co-starred are ''Dance to Win'' (1989), ''[[Love Potion No. 9 (film)|Love Potion No. 9]]'' (1992), ''Dead Men Can't Dance'' (1997), ''[[Susan's Plan]]'' (1998), ''[[Merlin: The Return]]'' (1999) as [[Lancelot]], ''Convergence'' (1999), ''[[The Void (2001 film)|The Void]]'' (2001), ''[[The Breed (2001 film)|The Breed]]'' (2001), ''[[Storm Watch]]'' (2002), ''[[Nemesis Game]]'' (2003) ''[[Throttle (film)|Throttle]]'' (2005), and ''[[Phantom Below]]'' (2005). In 2006, he co-starred in the horror film ''[[Séance (2006 film)|Séance]]'' and in ''Little Chicago''. A year later, Paul appeared as Ananias Dare in the Sci-Fi Channel original film ''[[Wraiths of Roanoke]]'' (2007). 

Also in 2007, Paul played the lead role in the TV movie ''[[Phantom Below|Tides of War]]'' as Commander Frank Habley, a gay officer in charge of a submarine that infiltrates North Korean waters where he instinctively discovers a secret stealth North Korean submarine and destroys it. The fleeting moments of Commander Habley and fellow officer Tom Palatonia's relationship, played by [[Mike Doyle (actor)|Mike Doyle]] come to an abrupt end due to a fire aboard the submarine where Tom is killed while fighting the blaze. ''Tides of War'' also costars [[Matthew St. Patrick]] of ''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'' fame as Lieutenant Commander Steven Barker.

In 2008, Paul began voice acting the character of Patrick O'Brien in the animated ''War of the Worlds'' television show. He starred as Sir [[Francis Drake]] in the Sci-Fi Channel original film ''The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake'' (2009),<ref name="ParrillRobison2013">{{cite book|author1=Sue Parrill|author2=William B. Robison|title=The Tudors on Film and Television|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G-LX_jt0tsEC&pg=PA115|date=26 February 2013|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-0031-4|page=115}}</ref> the futuristic thriller ''[[Eyeborgs]]'' (2009), and the thriller-drama ''[[The Heavy (film)|The Heavy]]'' (2010). In 2012, Paul did a character voice-over in the Malaysian animated science fiction film ''[[War of the Worlds: Goliath]]''. Paul starred in the 2013 science fiction film ''[[AE: Apocalypse Earth]]'', a post-apocalyptic action-adventure film.

In 2015, he made a guest appearance as Commandant Leitner in ''[[Strike Back (TV series)|Strike Back]]''. In March 2019, he joined the [[The CW|CW]] series ''[[Arrow (TV series)|Arrow]]'' in a recurring role, playing a villainous character named [[Dante (Arrowverse)|Dante]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/arrow-adrian-paul-recur-dante-cw-series-villain-1202572731/ |title='Arrow': Adrian Paul To Recur As Dante in CW Series |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=4 March 2019 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Paul married actress Meilani Figalan in 1990. The couple divorced in 1997. Paul married long-time girlfriend Alexandra Tonelli in 2009. They have three children, a daughter born in 2009, and two sons born in 2012 and 2020.

Since the late 1980s, he has studied a range of [[martial arts]], including [[Taekwondo]], [[Choy Li Fut]], and [[Hung Gar]] Kung Fu, and has been featured on the covers of ''Impact'' (three times), ''[[Inside Kung Fu]]'', ''Karate International'' (four times) and ''Martial Arts Insider''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ma-mags.com/srchmag.php?SrchFor=Adrian+Paul&SrchHow=cover|title=Adrian Paul|website=www.ma-mags.com|access-date=25 March 2017}}</ref>

===Filmblips===
Paul is also involved in the development and production side of the entertainment industry. In 2008, he joined with Zoltan Furedi and founded Filmblips, an independent film and television media production company.<ref>{{cite web|title=About us|url=http://www.filmblips.com/index.html|website=Filmblips|access-date=27 January 2017}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Last Rites (1988 film)|Last Rites]]''
| Tony
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1989
| ''Dance to Win''
| Billy James
|
|-
| ''[[Masque of the Red Death (1989 film)|Masque of the Red Death]]''
| Prospero
|
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Love Potion No. 9 (film)|Love Potion No. 9]]''
| Enrico Pazzoli
|
|-
| 1997
| ''Dead Men Can't Dance''
| Shooter
|
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Susan's Plan]]''
| Paul Holland
|
|-
| 1999
| ''Convergence''
| Brady Traub / Young Brady
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2000
| ''[[Highlander: Endgame]]''
| [[Duncan MacLeod]]
|
|-
| ''[[Merlin: The Return]]''
| [[Lancelot]]
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2001
| ''[[The Breed (2001 film)|The Breed]]''
| Aaron Gray
|
|-
| ''[[The Void (2001 film)|The Void]]''
| Professor Steven Price
|
|-
| 2002
| ''[[Storm Watch]]''
| Neville
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2003
| ''[[Nemesis Game]]''
| Vern
|
|-
| ''[[Tracker (Canadian TV series)|Alien Tracker]]''
| Cole
| Also executive producer
|-
| 2004
| ''[[Moscow Heat]]''
| Andrew Chambers
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2005
| ''[[Throttle (film)|Throttle]]''
| Gavin Matheson
|
|-
| ''Little Chicago''
| Frank Newcome
|
|-
| 2006
| ''[[Séance (2006 film)|Séance]]''
| Spence
|
|-
| rowspan=3|2009
| ''[[Eyeborgs]]''
| Robert J. "Gunner" Reynolds
|
|-
| ''[[The Heavy (film)|The Heavy]]''
| Christian Mason
|
|-
| ''[[Nine Miles Down]]''
| Thomas "Jack" Jackman
|
|-
| 2011
| ''Cold Fusion''
| Colonel Jack Unger
|
|-
| 2012
| ''[[War of the Worlds: Goliath]]''
| Patrick O'Brien
| Voice role
|-
| rowspan=2|2013
| ''[[AE: Apocalypse Earth]]''
| Lieutenant Frank Baum
|
|-
| ''[[Dante's Hell Animated]]''
| [[Odysseus|Ulysses]]
| Voice role
|-
| rowspan=3|2014
| ''[[Black Rose (2014 film)|Black Rose]]''
| Matt Robinson
|
|-
| ''[[Apocalypse Pompeii]]''
| Jeff Pierce
|
|-
| ''[[Outpost 37]]''
| General Dane
| Voice role
|-
| rowspan=2|2015
| ''Touched''
| Brad
|
|-
| ''[[Kids vs Monsters]]''
| Greg Lovett
|
|-
| 2016
| ''The Secrets of Emily Blair''
| Roizman
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2017
| ''The Fast and the Fierce''
| Coleman
|
|-
| ''[[Christmas Crime Story]]''
| David Carlisle
|
|-
| 2018
| ''Snap Shot''
| Alden Flower
|
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Wild League (film)|Wild League]]''
| James Parker
|
|-
|TBA
|''Wildfire: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse''
|Parker Nichols
|Post-production<ref>{{Cite web |title=Adrian Paul and Cara Jade Myers Join Cast for Hannover House Feature, "Wildfire: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse" |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/adrian-paul-cara-jade-myers-134000611.html |access-date=22 January 2023 |website=finance.yahoo.com |date=3 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1986–1987
| ''[[The Colbys]]''
| [[Kolya Rostov|Nikolai "Kolya" Rostov]]
| 19 episodes
|-
| rowspan=2|1988
| ''[[Shooter (1988 film)|Shooter]]''
| Ian
| Television film
|-
| ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1987 TV series)|Beauty and the Beast]]''
| Dmitri Benko
| Episode: "Ashes, Ashes"
|-
| 1989–1990
| ''[[War of the Worlds (1988 TV series)|War of the Worlds]]''
| John Kincaid
| 20 episodes
|-
| rowspan=2|1991
| ''[[Dark Shadows (1991 TV series)|Dark Shadows]]''
| [[Jeremiah Collins]]
| 3 episodes
|-
| ''[[The Owl (1991 film)|The Owl]]''
| The Owl
| Television film
|-
| rowspan=2|1992
| ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''
| Edward Hale
| Episode: "Danse Diabolique"
|-
| ''[[Tarzán]]''
| Jack Traverse
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1992–1998
| ''[[Highlander: The Series]]''
| Duncan MacLeod
| 117 episodes
|-
| 1993
| ''The Cover Girl Murders''
| Patrice
| Television film
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Phantom 2040]]''
| Gunnar
| Voice role, 2 episodes
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Relic Hunter]]''
| Lucas Blackmer
| Episode: "Vampire's Kiss"
|-
| 2001–2002
| ''[[Tracker (Canadian TV series)|Tracker]]''
| Cole / Daggon
| 22 episodes, also executive producer
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Charmed]]''
| Jeric
| Episode: "Y Tu Mummy También"
|-
| 2005
| ''[[Phantom Below]]''
| Commander Frank Habley
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="2"|2007
|  ''[[Highlander: The Source]]''
| Duncan MacLeod
|Television film
|-
| ''[[Wraiths of Roanoke]]''
| Ananias Dare
| Television film
|-
| 2009
| ''The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake''
| Sir [[Francis Drake]]
| Television film
|-
| rowspan=2|2013
| ''[[Deadly Descent: The Abominable Snowman]]''
| Mark Forster
| Television film
|-
| ''The Confession''
| Dylan Bennett
| Television film
|-
| rowspan=2|2015
| ''[[Strike Back (TV series)|Strike Back]]''
| Commandant Leitner
| Episode: "5.9"
|-
| ''Stormageddon''
| Brian McTeague
| Television film
|-
| 2017
| ''12 to Midnight''
| Father Templain
| Episode: "Red Sneakers"
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Arrow (TV series)|Arrow]]''
| [[Dante (Arrowverse)|Dante]]
| 3 episodes
|-
|2022
|''[[S.W.A.T. (2017 TV series)|S.W.A.T]].''
|Peter Galloway
|S5/E18 - "Incoming"
|}

===Music videos===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Song
! Director(s)
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1981
| "[[My Own Way (song)|My Own Way]]"
| [[Russell Mulcahy]]
|
|-
| 1988
| "[[Eyes of a Stranger (song)|Eyes of a Stranger]]"
| [[Wayne Isham]]
|
|-
| 1988
| "Days Like This"
| [[Brian Grant (director)|Brian Grant]]
|
|}

===Stage===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Production
! Year
! Role
! Theatre
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| ''Bouncers''
| 1987
| Ralph
| [[Minetta Lane Theatre]]
|
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0001600}}
* {{TCMDb name|148790%7C0}}
* {{TV Guide person|3000250726}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
*[https://twitter.com/adrianpaul1 Paul's Twitter]
*[http://www.brigaderadioone.org Peace Fund Radio]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Adrian}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:British people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Cray Wanderers F.C. players]]
[[Category:English expatriate male actors in the United States]]
[[Category:Men's association football players not categorized by position]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:Footballers from London]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]