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Paul Joseph Mercurio (born 31 March 1963) is an Australian actor, choreographer, dancer, TV presenter and politician. Mercurio is best known for his lead role in the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom and his role as a judge on TV series Dancing with the Stars.
He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2022, representing the electorate of Hastings.
By the age of 19 in 1982, he was Principal Dancer with the Sydney Dance Company—a position he held for ten years. During this time, he was commissioned to choreograph six works performed by the company.
Mercurio's other film credits include: Exit to Eden, Back of Beyond, Così, Red Ribbon Blues, Welcome to Woop Woop, The Dark Planet, The First 9½ Weeks, Kick and Sydney – A Story of a City. He starred, wrote, choreographed, produced and directed the short film Spilt Milk. Most recently, Mercurio has taken roles in independent films, such as Hunting for Shadows and A Silent Agreement with director Davo Hardy.
In 2019, Mercurio appeared in a supporting role as Sal in Promised (2019), a film directed and co-produced by Nick Conidi, and starring Tina Arena, Antoniette Iesue and Daniel Berini. The film was released in Australia on 24 October 2019.
Baz Luhrmann expressed some interest in using Mercurio in Moulin Rouge to Mercurio's agent, but after a series of failed attempts to speak to Luhrmann personally, Mercurio found out that there was no role for him in the movie via the production company. He has not appeared in any other Luhrmann films and only appears briefly in Disc 4 of Red Curtain Trilogy as a pixelated image.
Concerned about being typecast early on in his film career, Mercurio turned down the role of Adam Whitely (which instead went to Guy Pearce), in the 1994 film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Mercurio was a judge on the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars until August 2008, when he was dropped from the judging panel because he was deemed "too nice" for television. He was also a judge on the New Zealand version. From 2008 to 2010 he hosted a series called Mercurio's Menu where he travelled Australia, cooking in different locations.
Mercurio continues to dance and choreograph professionally. He has worked as a choreographer on five films, including Strictly Ballroom and the Will Smith movie I, Robot. He has choreographed an American TV campaign for Coca-Cola, the Harry M. Miller production of Jesus Christ Superstar and Annie Get Your Gun as well as numerous other stage productions. In January 2004, he appeared on stage in The Full Monty.
He received a Mo Awards for Dance Performer of the Year 1992, and was nominated in 2004 for a Helpmann Awards for his choreography for the musical Annie Get Your Gun.
In 2009 Mercurio released a cook book called Mercurio's Menu, based on his TV series, as well as “Cooking with Beer”, which were both best-sellers. In 2015, he released a third cook book “Kitchen Mojo”.
In 2005 Mercurio released his own beer in Victoria, and since then has held beer dinners and beer cooking demos and been a judge for international beer competitions. In 2016 he brewed Australia's first Aphrodisiac Beer "Ye Ole Horney Ale", together with BentSpoke Brewery. He then opened his own beer café in 2014, produced a range of meat rubs and condiments and formed his own company "Beerlicious". He has since cooked in restaurants and at markets and festivals.
In November 2022, Mercurio was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly, winning the ultra-marginal seat of Hastings for the Australian Labor Party.
He appeared on the Australian version of the television show Who Do You Think You Are? in 2012 in which he discovered that his grandfather was a member of the Milwaukee division of Cosa Nostra (the Sicilian mafia) in the 1950s. Mercurio has reflected on this legacy in subsequent interviews and spoken about the effect it has had on his father, and his relationship with his father.
In 2000, Mercurio's brother Michael took his own life in his early 30s.
In December 2022, Mercurio was hospitalised with complications from atrial fibrillation following his election win.
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| Sailors’ Home Theatre, Sydney with Sydney Dance Company |
| Sydney Opera House, State Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal, Hobart with Sydney Dance Company |
| Playhouse, Melbourne, Sydney Opera House with Sydney Dance Company |
| Theatre Royal, Hobart with Sydney Dance Company |
| Sydney Opera House with Sydney Dance Company |
| Sydney Opera House |
| Sydney Opera House with Sydney Dance Company |
| Theatre Royal, Hobart |
| Universal Theatre, Melbourne with Australian Choreographic Ensemble |
| Enmore Theatre with Australian Choreographic Ensemble |
| Sydney Opera House with Sydney Dance Company |
| State Theatre, Melbourne |
| Sydney Opera House with Sydney Dance Company |
| Wharf Theatre with Sydney Dance Company |
| West Australian Ballet |
| Sailors' Home Theatre, Sydney with Sydney Dance Company |
| Sydney Opera House |
| Sydney Opera House |
| Sydney Opera House with Sydney Dance Company |
| Sydney Opera House with Sydney Dance Company |
| Wharf Theatre with Sydney Dance Company |
| Sydney Entertainment Centre, Melbourne Park, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Perth Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Entertainment Centre with Harry M. Miller |
| Sydney Opera House |
| Sydney Opera House with Sydney Dance Company |
| Sydney Opera House with Sydney Dance Company |
| The Performance Space, Sydney, Theatre Royal, Hobart, Universal Theatre, Melbourne |
| Theatre Royal, Hobart |
| Bridge Theatre, Sydney, Sydney Opera House with Theatre South |
| Universal Theatre, Melbourne with Australian Choreographic Ensemble |
| Universal Theatre, Melbourne with Australian Choreographic Ensemble |
| Enmore Theatre with Australian Choreographic Ensemble with Australian Choreographic Ensemble |
| Sydney Opera House with Ausdance |
| Sydney Opera House with Sydney Dance Company |
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| State Theatre, Melbourne with The Production Company |
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