Blair McDonough
Encyclopedia
Blair McDonough is an actor who is best known for playing the role of Stuart Parker
in the Australian TV soap opera Neighbours
. He first shot to fame in 2001, when he finished runner-up in the inaugural season of the reality TV series Big Brother Australia. He has since appeared on a number of other reality TV shows.
, where his parents were working, where he was educated at Tanglin Trust School
and the United World College of South East Asia
. In his mid-teens, he left Singapore
and moved back to Australia with his family. They settled in the Melbourne suburb of Plenty, Victoria
. McDonough finished his schooling at Eltham College of Education
in Research, Victoria
. Blair and his brothers Wade, Gavin and Ryan were members of the band Snubrocket (later re-named Fifth Avenue), which was one of 30 that appeared in the music video clip for TISM
's song "Thunderbirds Are Coming Out
" in 1998. In 1999, Blair attended the National Youth Science Forum
in Canberra, Australia.
, before he became a contestant in the first season of Big Brother Australia. He finished runner-up in the show, which generated a cult following.
A few months after Big Brother concluded, McDonough was cast in the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours, in the role of Stuart Parker
. During his time on the show, he dated fellow cast-member Delta Goodrem
.
In 2002, McDonough was named one of the "25 Most Beautiful People" in the Australian publication Who.
In late 2005, McDonough announced he would be leaving Neighbours to seek work in London. He made his final appearance on Neighbours on 5 April 2006, in episode 4938, titled "Stu For The Road".
McDonough played the role of Dan in a West End
play called The Vegemite Tales
from July–October 2006, and again in July–October 2007. He has also appeared in a number of reality TV shows in the UK. He competed in soccer trials to represent a celebrity football team in Sky One
's The Match
in October 2006. In January 2007, he appeared in BBC Two
's Safari School
, in which eight celebrities took part in a four-week ranger training course in the Shamwari Game Reserve
in South Africa. He was the fourth celebrity to be eliminated. In April 2007, he appeared in ITV2
's Deadline
, in which various celebrities worked to create a celebrity-based magazine. He was the third celebrity to be sacked from the magazine. In 2008, he made an appearance as an Australian rules football player and murder victim in the television show City Homicide
.
McDonough was cast as the new Steel in the Sapphire and Steel audio adventures produced by Big Finish Productions
– beginning with Second Sight
.
In 2008-9, McDonough appeared in the UK police drama Heartbeat as the character Mick MacDonald.
In 2009, McDonough appeared in the Australian Nine Network
drama Sea Patrol
in the semi-regular cast as the character Matt Robsenn.
McDonough signed on as a celebrity dancer in the 2010 season of Australia's Dancing With the Stars, but was the second person to be eliminated from the competition after receiving the fewest public votes on 11 July 2010.
As of April 2011, McDonough is starring as Matt O'Connor in Seven Network
's drama Winners and Losers.
Stuart Parker (Neighbours)
Stuart Parker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Blair McDonough. He made his first appearance on 13 December 2001. Stuart lived with Toadfish Rebecchi and Connor O'Neill at number 30, during which time the house became known as "The House of Trouser"...
in the Australian TV soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
. He first shot to fame in 2001, when he finished runner-up in the inaugural season of the reality TV series Big Brother Australia. He has since appeared on a number of other reality TV shows.
Early Life
McDonough spent much of his childhood living in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, where his parents were working, where he was educated at Tanglin Trust School
Tanglin Trust School
Tanglin Trust School is an international school in Singapore. The school teaches a British-based curriculum and is primarily intended to serve the British expatriate community in Singapore. Approximately 70%-80% of the students in the school are British...
and the United World College of South East Asia
United World College of South East Asia
The United World College of South East Asia is an independent, international school in Singapore. The school's main campus is in Dover Road. A second campus was opened in 2008 in Ang Mo Kio...
. In his mid-teens, he left Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and moved back to Australia with his family. They settled in the Melbourne suburb of Plenty, Victoria
Plenty, Victoria
Plenty is a locality within Greater Melbourne beyond the Melbourne metropolitan area Urban Growth Boundary 20 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2006 Census, Plenty had a population of 986.Plenty is a...
. McDonough finished his schooling at Eltham College of Education
Eltham College of Education
Eltham College of Education is a private early years, junior and high school with an enrolment of approximately 1,200 students. It is situated in Research, an outer suburb north east of Melbourne, Australia. The current principal is Dr. David Warner.-Campuses:The school is currently divided up...
in Research, Victoria
Research, Victoria
Research is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2006 Census, Research had a population of 2379.-History:...
. Blair and his brothers Wade, Gavin and Ryan were members of the band Snubrocket (later re-named Fifth Avenue), which was one of 30 that appeared in the music video clip for TISM
TISM
TISM was a seven piece anonymous alternative rock band from Melbourne, Australia. The group was formed in 1982 and enjoyed a large underground/independent following. Their third album Machiavelli and the Four Seasons reached the Australian national top 10 in 1995...
's song "Thunderbirds Are Coming Out
Thunderbirds Are Coming Out
"Thunderbirds Are Coming Out" is the name of a single by TISM. It featured memorable video clip of 30 bands all playing the song. The bands are shown one at a time by use of a dolly shot and ends just as TISM are on screen.-Song:...
" in 1998. In 1999, Blair attended the National Youth Science Forum
National Youth Science Forum
The National Youth Science Forum is a prestigious Australian program dedicated to exposing year eleven students who are heading into year twelve and are thinking about a career in science, engineering and related disciplines to major scientific institutions and researchers, so that they may make...
in Canberra, Australia.
Career
In 2001, McDonough was a university student and semi-professional footballerAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, before he became a contestant in the first season of Big Brother Australia. He finished runner-up in the show, which generated a cult following.
A few months after Big Brother concluded, McDonough was cast in the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours, in the role of Stuart Parker
Stuart Parker (Neighbours)
Stuart Parker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Blair McDonough. He made his first appearance on 13 December 2001. Stuart lived with Toadfish Rebecchi and Connor O'Neill at number 30, during which time the house became known as "The House of Trouser"...
. During his time on the show, he dated fellow cast-member Delta Goodrem
Delta Goodrem
Delta Lea Goodrem is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress. Signed to Sony at the age of 15, Goodrem rose to prominence in 2002, starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Nina Tucker. Goodrem has achieved eight number-one singles and three number-one albums in her home...
.
In 2002, McDonough was named one of the "25 Most Beautiful People" in the Australian publication Who.
In late 2005, McDonough announced he would be leaving Neighbours to seek work in London. He made his final appearance on Neighbours on 5 April 2006, in episode 4938, titled "Stu For The Road".
McDonough played the role of Dan in a West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
play called The Vegemite Tales
The Vegemite Tales
The Vegemite Tales is a comedy theatrical production written by Australian playwright Melanie Tait. The play revolves around the lives of a group of young antipodeans sharing a flat in London. It has been described as an Australian stage version of Friends...
from July–October 2006, and again in July–October 2007. He has also appeared in a number of reality TV shows in the UK. He competed in soccer trials to represent a celebrity football team in Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
's The Match
The Match (TV series)
The Match is a reality TV show on Sky One in which a group of celebrities form a football team to compete against a team of former professional footballers . The show begins with a large squad of celebrities who train and live together, all aiming to be selected for "The Match" against the team of...
in October 2006. In January 2007, he appeared in BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
's Safari School
Safari School
Safari School is a BBC Two reality television series presented by Dr Charlotte Uhlenbroek in which eight celebrities take part in a four week ranger training course in the Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa.-Synopsis:...
, in which eight celebrities took part in a four-week ranger training course in the Shamwari Game Reserve
Shamwari Game Reserve
Shamwari Game Reserve is located in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is part of the Mantis Group and has been voted the World's Leading game reserve and conservation company for many consecutive years ....
in South Africa. He was the fourth celebrity to be eliminated. In April 2007, he appeared in ITV2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
's Deadline
Deadline (reality TV series)
Deadline was a reality television series, aired on ITV2 during April and May 2007. It featured ten celebrities compiling a magazine with Janet Street-Porter as the editor-in-chief.-Content:...
, in which various celebrities worked to create a celebrity-based magazine. He was the third celebrity to be sacked from the magazine. In 2008, he made an appearance as an Australian rules football player and murder victim in the television show City Homicide
City Homicide
City Homicide was an Australian television drama series that aired on the Seven Network between 27 August 2007 – 30 March 2011. The series was set on the Homicide floor of a metropolitan police headquarters in Melbourne...
.
McDonough was cast as the new Steel in the Sapphire and Steel audio adventures produced by Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
– beginning with Second Sight
Second Sight (Sapphire and Steel)
Second Sight is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the popular British science fiction television series Sapphire & Steel.-Cast:*Steel — Blair McDonough*Sapphire — Anna Skellern*Ruby — Lisa Bowerman*Mary — Patience Tomlinson...
.
In 2008-9, McDonough appeared in the UK police drama Heartbeat as the character Mick MacDonald.
In 2009, McDonough appeared in the Australian Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
drama Sea Patrol
Sea Patrol
Sea Patrol may refer to:*Sea Patrol, an Australian television series from 2007-2011**Sea Patrol **Sea Patrol , known as Sea Patrol II: The Coup**Sea Patrol , known as Sea Patrol: Red Gold...
in the semi-regular cast as the character Matt Robsenn.
McDonough signed on as a celebrity dancer in the 2010 season of Australia's Dancing With the Stars, but was the second person to be eliminated from the competition after receiving the fewest public votes on 11 July 2010.
As of April 2011, McDonough is starring as Matt O'Connor in Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
's drama Winners and Losers.