Aidan Gillett

Australian actor and stunt performer (born 1986)

Aidan Gillett
Born (1986-04-12) 12 April 1986 (age 38)
Blue Mountains, Australia
OccupationActor
Years active2007–present

Aidan Gillett (born 12 April 1986) is an Australian actor and stunt performer, who is best known for his roles as Daniel McManus in the BBC-commissioned soap opera Out of the Blue[1] and Robert Cruze in Home and Away.[2]

Early life

Gillett was born and raised in the Blue Mountains region west of Sydney, Australia.[3] In his early years, his main interests were music and sport, studying piano at the age of five, learning to play guitar at seven and focusing on jazz by the age of ten.[3] He chose not to study drama at high school, instead continuing to focus on music and sport, particularly soccer and snowboarding.[3]

In 2004, while working as a concierge and pursuing a Bachelor of Music, Gillett was encouraged by his manager to pursue an acting career. He subsequently trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.[3]

Career

Gillett appeared in the Martin Crimp play Attempts on Her Life while studying at the National Institute of Dramatic Art late in 2007.[4] After graduating from NIDA, Gillett appeared in Steven Spielberg's Australian production The Pacific.[3]

In early 2008, it was announced that he had been cast in Out of the Blue, a BBC-commissioned soap opera, playing the role of Daniel McManus.[5] The series premiered in the UK on BBC One on 28 April 2008 but was later moved to BBC Two after three weeks.[6] The show ran for 130 episodes but is not expected to be commissioned for a second series following disappointing ratings.[7] It started airing nightly in Australia on 17 November 2008 on Network Ten,[8] before being moved to an earlier slot on Sunday evenings in January 2009.[9] In 2009, Gillett started appearing in Home and Away, playing the guest role of Robert Cruze.[2] In 2010, Gillett appearing in the first episode of Cops L.A.C. as Peter, the grieving partner. In 2014 Aidan began a transition into stunt work, grading with the MEAA in 2015. He has since performed in many feature films and television shows including Hacksaw Ridge, Cargo and Home & Away.

In 2024, Gillett appeared in Stan Australia drama Critical Incident.[10]

Filmography

Television appearances
Year Tilte Role Notes
2024 Last King of the Cross Tim Dolan 2 episodes
Critical Incident Rory Hooper 6 episodes
2023 NCIS: Sydney Constable Scott 1 episode
Year Of Truck driver 1 episode
2022 Heartbreak High (2022 TV series) Cop 2 episodes
2021 Born To Spy Turmoil Agent 1 episode
RFDS Josh 1 episode
2020 The Secrets She Keeps Plain Clothes Cop 1 episode
Stateless Cop 1 episode
2019 The Unlisted Security Guard / Driver 3 episodes
Les Norton Wrongside 1 episode
2016-19 Secret City ASIO Officer / Intruder 3 episodes
2018 Mr Inbetween Passenger 1 episode
Bite Club Simon Keynes 1 episode
2009-17 Home and Away Various 17 episodes
2017 Doctor Doctor Dead passenger 1 episode
2011 Rescue: Special Ops Scott 1 episode
2010 Cops LAC Peter 1 episode
2008 Out of the Blue Daniel McManus 76 episodes

Film appearances

Year Title Role Notes
2020 2067 Protestor
2018 Nekrotronic Finnigan's Goon
2015 River Lachlan
2013 Final Move Silas
2007 The Journal Bne Short

Awards and recognition

Year Award Category For Result
2009 Inside Soap Awards Best Bad Boy Robert Cruze, Home and Away Nominated[11]
2017 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture Hacksaw Ridge Won

References

  1. ^ "Characters: Daniel McManus". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Carolyn's blog: Week of February 23, 2009". TV Week. Retrieved 1 April 2009.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b c d e "Out of the Blue: Actor biographies". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  4. ^ "Attempts on Her Life | NIDA". www.australianstage.com.au.
  5. ^ "TEN grabs Out of the Blue". TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  6. ^ "'Out of the Blue' moves to BBC Two". Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  7. ^ "BBC scrap Out of the Blue soap". BBC. 1 July 2008. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  8. ^ TV Week, 15–21 November 2008, p.13
  9. ^ "Bumped: Out of the Blue". TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  10. ^ Knox, David (16 July 2024). "Airdate: Critical Incident | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  11. ^ Inside Soap Awards 2009, Inside Soap, 6 July 2009
  • Aidan Gillett at IMDb