Patrick Joseph "PJ" Brennan is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actor. He is best known for his role as Doug Carter

Doug Carter

Doug Carter is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by PJ Brennan. He initially appeared in the programme's online spin-off series Hollyoaks: Freshers, before debuting in the main series in the episode airing 13 September 2010. He left on 17 September before returning...

 in the British television soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 Hollyoaks

Hollyoaks

Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...

. He originally played the role in online spin-off Hollyoaks: Freshers.

Personal life

Brennan refers to himself as being "Irish-American" and was named after an Irish priest. He grew up practising Irish step-dancing. Brennan uses the name PJ which is often confused as being a stage name

Stage name

A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

.

Brennan lived in his native United States for the first 21 years of his life before moving to the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, settling in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in September 2007. Brennan studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama

Central School of Speech and Drama

The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...

 where he completed a three-year degree. Brennan later moved to Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 and lives with some of his Hollyoaks cast members including Alice Barlow

Alice Barlow

Alice Barlow , is a British actress and singer, best known for her role in Hollyoaks as Rae Wilson.-Career:While a teenager Barlow won a national talent search Festival4Stars. In 2008, Barlow took part 'The Stobart Factor' a talent competition, which was judged by The X Factor judge Louis Walsh...

, Bianca Hendrickse-Spendlove and Jessica Forrest.

Career

Hollyoaks was Brennan's first role and he auditioned for the part in April 2010. Brennan's casting at Hollyoaks was announced on 15 July 2010. Brennan initially had a guest role with the show and appeared from 13 September 2010 to 17 September when he left. Brennan was asked to return in October 2010. His return was announced on 14 December 2010.