Rob Flanagan(I)

Currently living and working in both London and Sydney, Rob originally hails from Bridgwater, Somerset in the UK with an English, Irish and Scottish heritage. Rob's passion for acting was ignited after his arrival in Australia. Over the years he has trained extensively at a variety of acting academies, including the famed Sydney Actors Centre and he has appeared in a diverse array of lead and supporting roles in Australian theatre, TV and film productions. This includes roles in major Australian shows such as Home and Away, All Saints, Love Child, Rake and Secret City. Recently Rob joined the cast of the new Indigenous AFL comedy Warriors and Jane Campion's Top of the Lake, alongside Nicole Kidman. Deadbeat Dads saw Rob shine in a lead role as the big hearted, troubled, yet enigmatic ex-con Dave Finnegan who captures the viewer as he adapts to freedom, loss and new found responsibilities. Rob has also featured in a number of Hollywood blockbuster movies such as Wolverine and in Joel Edgerton's highly nominated crime drama Felony, alongside Tom Wilkinson, Melissa George and Jai Courtney. In Superman Returns, Rob appears in one of the franchises most iconic scenes, playing the leader of a group of ex-military bank robbers who, when confronted by Superman, shoots him in the eye. This is widely lauded by fans and critics of the comic book genre as one of the most memorable scenes ever made (IFC ranks it number two in the Top 10 Bullet Scenes in Movie history, second only to Keanu Reeves in The Matrix.) Rob's commanding performances in these major films led to many other equally villainous roles such as Benny in Sweet As and the ruthless Scottish spy mastermind in McGuffin. Rob's adaptability, imposing physical presence, masculine good looks and deep resonant voice make him ideal casting for a range of diverse roles, from dynamic action man, to influential father figure to desirable romantic lead. These traits, combined with his Celtic background, also make him ideally suited to the warrior/leader roles in the widely popular "historical/fantasy/Game of Thrones" genre. Rob is renowned in the Australian film and TV industry and amongst his many online followers for his intelligent, quick humour and his natural comic timing. This was showcased in his lead performance as Irish world squash champion Pascal Scquash, in the soon to be released comedy movie, Squashed. Rob's natural athleticism and love of action extends both on and off screen. He spent several years as an iconic surf life saver and has worked as a bodyguard to some of the world's biggest movie stars. Perhaps most significantly he is remembered for a 20 year title-winning boxing career in the UK and Australia. Early in his acting career, Rob was able to draw upon his real life boxing experiences to a bring a raw reality to James Gaddas' celebrated one man theatre show, Shadow Boxing.