Paul Keane

Last updated

Paul Keane
Born
Paul Keane

(1957-09-16) 16 September 1957 (age 65)
OccupationTelevision actor
Years active1983–2022 [1]

Paul Keane (born 16 September 1957) is an Australian actor well known for playing original character Des Clarke in the soap opera Neighbours , opposite Elaine Smith who played his wife Daphne Clarke. Other TV credits include Bliss and Flight into Hell .

Keane trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1983. After leaving Neighbours, Keane appeared in three short films before he quit acting and took up work in a pub. [2] [3] After struggling to cope with fame, Keane developed a drug addiction which he battled for ten years. [4]

In November 2014, it was announced that Keane would be one of the former cast members returning to Neighbours, reprising his role of Des Clarke for the show's 30th anniversary in 2015. [5] [3] Keane also appeared in a documentary special celebrating the anniversary titled Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite , which aired in Australia and the UK in March 2015. [6] [7]

Keane reprised the role of Des when the character returned for Neighbours 35th anniversary in March and December 2020 and again for the final episode of the show in July 2022. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Smith (actor)</span> Australian actor (born 1938)

Ian Smith is an Australian actor, television producer and screenwriter.

Anne Charleston is an Australian actress, notable for her career locally and in the United Kingdom in theatre and television. Charleston started her career in theatre in the mid 1950's, and has been a staple of the small screen since the early 1960s, starting with roles in telemovies, before making appearance in the various Crawford Productions series starting from the latter 1960s and 1970s and had several roles in series Prisoner

Tom Oliver is a British-born Australian retired actor who started his career in theatre in his native country, before emigrating to Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefan Dennis</span> Australian actor (born 1958)

Stefan Dennis is an Australian actor and singer best known for playing the role of cold-hearted and ruthless businessman Paul Robinson in the soap opera Neighbours from its first episode on March 18, 1985. He departed Neighbours in 1992 before returning for a short stint in 1993. He then returned in late 2004 and played the character up until the show's temporary ending in 2022 and is set to return to the role in 2023. During his time away from Neighbours he was a cast member of Scottish soap opera River City produced and set in Glasgow, Scotland. He is also known for his 1989 single "Don't It Make You Feel Good", which reached Number 16 in the Irish and UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Jones (actor)</span> Australian actress

Annie Jones is an Australian actress, known for her roles in soap operas and serials, most especially Sons and Daughters as Jess Campbell, in Neighbours as Jane Harris and Newlyweds as Allie Carter. She has won two Logie Awards.

Terence Donovan, also billed as Terence J. Donovan and Terry Donovan, is an English-Australian actor of stage and television, and the father of fellow actor and singer Jason Donovan.

Jane Harris (<i>Neighbours</i>) Fictional character in the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours

Jane Harris is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Annie Jones. She was created by writer Ray Kolle and debuted during the episode broadcast on 31 July 1986. Jones originally auditioned for the role of Charlene Mitchell, but she was not successful. This prompted Jones to telephone the producers for two months asking for a role in the show until eventually she was cast. In 1989, Jones decided to quit the serial in order to pursue other projects and the character departed on 9 September the same year. In 2005, Jones was one of many ex-cast members who agreed to return to the serial to mark the 20th anniversary of Neighbours. On-screen she was featured making a cameo in Annalise Hartman's documentary about Ramsay Street. Jones reprised the role again in 2018 for two guest stints starting on 6 April and 26 November 2018. She returned on 10 February 2020 as part of the serial's 35th anniversary celebrations, before returning to the regular cast from 8 July 2020. Her final appearance aired on 28 July 2022 in the Neighbours finale. She will reprise the role as part of the series' continuation, via Amazon Freevee, in 2023.

Des Clarke (<i>Neighbours</i>) Fictional character in the Australian soap opera Neighbours

Des Clarke is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Paul Keane. Des was created by Reg Watson as one of Neighbours' twelve original characters. He made his first on screen appearance on 18 March 1985, the show's first episode. Des departed during the episode broadcast on 11 October 1990. Keane later reprised the role as part of Neighbours' 30th anniversary celebrations in March 2015. He also returned for the 35th anniversary on 18 March 2020, again in August and December 2020 and for the serial's final episodes in 2022.

<i>Neighbours</i> Australian soap opera (1985–)

Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera, which 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 Daughters. Although successful in Melbourne, Neighbours underperformed in the Sydney market and was cancelled by Seven four months after it began airing. It was immediately commissioned by rival Network Ten for a second production season, which began screening on 20 January 1986. Neighbours became the longest-running drama series in Australian television history. In 2005, it was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame.

Lucinda Cowden is an Australian actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott McGregor (actor)</span> Model and actor

Scott McGregor is an Australian model, television presenter and actor. McGregor worked as a model on the game show Temptation. He has also appeared in television commercials and print advertisements. From 2008, McGregor hosted the motoring show Blood, Sweat and Gears. As an actor, he has appeared in Underbelly, Winners & Losers and Offspring. McGregor joined the cast of Neighbours as Detective Mark Brennan in 2010. He departed the show the following year to pursue other career opportunities, before returning in 2013 for a guest stint. He returned in 2014 in a regular capacity, until his departure in 2019. He reprised the role once more the following year.

Ashleigh Mary Brewer (born 9 December 1990) is an Australian actress. She had a recurring role in The Sleepover Club, before she joined the cast of H2O: Just Add Water. Brewer played the role of Kate Ramsay in the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours from 2009 until 2014. She portrayed Ivy Forrester on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful from 2014 to 2018. Later that same year, she joined the cast of Home and Away as Chelsea Campbell.

Tim Phillipps is an Australian actor perhaps best known for his roles in the soap opera Neighbours, drama series Bed of Roses and the movie Animal Kingdom. He has also appeared in the American television series Once Upon a Time and The Secret Circle. He provided the voice and motion capture for Dante in the video game DmC: Devil May Cry.

Neighbours is a long-running Australian television soap opera created by television executive Reg Watson. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985 and currently airs on digital channel 10 Peach. Since its inception, several spin-offs have been produced, including books, music, DVDs and internet webisodes. Several annuals and books by pulp fiction writer Carl Ruhen were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Barry Crocker's version of the theme tune was the first music release from the show, which also has included a Christmas album and the show's love theme. Two potential television spin-offs have reached the pilot stage, while five DVD box sets of Neighbours episodes from the beginning have been released. In 2013, Neighbours launched their first webisode series Steph in Prison. Several other webisode series' has since been released, with the most recent series SheilaTV becoming available from December 2018. Other merchandise includes official video and board games, stationary and clothing.

<i>Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite</i> 2015 Australian television documentary

Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite is a 2015 Australian television documentary, which celebrates 30 years of the soap opera Neighbours. It first aired on Network Ten and Eleven on 16 March 2015, two days before the show celebrated its 30th anniversary. Hosted by actors Stefan Dennis and Tim Phillipps, the documentary features current and former cast members reminiscing about their time on the show and their favourite memories. The results of a poll to find viewers' top five favourite Neighbours moments are also revealed. The documentary received mostly positive reviews from critics, but underperformed in the Australian ratings.

Olympia Montana Valance is an Australian actress and model, whose roles include Paige Smith in the soap opera Neighbours and Tahlia Woods in Playing for Keeps. For her role as Paige, Valance received a nomination for the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent.

Travis Robert Burns is an Australian actor and model. He first came to prominence with his role in the American action-drama television series, SAF3 (2013). He played Tyler Brennan in the long-running Australian television soap opera Neighbours from 2015 to 2018. After leaving Neighbours, Burns starred in the romance film Sunrise in Heaven (2019) and television films The Wrong Boy Next Door (2019), The Christmas Listing (2020), and Save the Wedding (2021).

The Neighbours 30th Anniversary was a series of celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of Australian television soap opera Neighbours. The celebrations span over two weeks, beginning on 4 March 2015 in Australia, while starting on 18 March in the United Kingdom. The anniversary features many storylines, but points around Paul Robinson's Erinsborough festival and the wedding of Daniel Robinson and Amber Turner. The serial's executive producer, Jason Herbison, began planning the 30th anniversary over a year in advance. Over ten former cast members from all different eras of the show were invited back to "honour the past and present". Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan were also invited, but they both downturned the offer. The celebrations marked Ian Smith and Anne Charleston's returns to Neighbours as Harold and Madge Bishop respectively. Madge was last seen during her death in 2001 and returns as a ghost in Harold's mind, which Herbison was initially worried would not be accepted by Charleston nor Smith, however both approved of it. The storyline was also popular amongst viewers.

References

  1. info from Paul Keane
  2. "Neighbours: where are they now?". www.virginmedia.com.
  3. 1 2 "Neighbours star has been 'to hell and back'". Herald Sun.
  4. Jackson, Kate (3 March 2007). "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ALAN'S NEIGHBOURS?". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  5. Rigby, Sam (28 November 2014). "Neighbours: Nine more stars returning for 30th anniversary". Digital Spy . Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  6. Knox, David (28 February 2015). "Airdate: Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite". TV Tonight . Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  7. Kilkelly, Daniel (4 March 2015). "Neighbours 30th anniversary schedule confirmed by Channel 5". Digital Spy . Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  8. Julians, Joe (1 September 2020). "Neighbours confirms return for Des Clarke". Radio Times . Retrieved 31 December 2020.