Alex O’Loughlin

After making a name for himself Down Under in leading romantic roles and disturbing genre films, Australian actor Alex O'Loughlin made a splash in the U.S. as the new cast member on the sixth season of the Emmy-winning police drama, "The Shield" (FX, 2002-09). Though only part of the show for one season, O'Loughlin made enough of an impression to be embraced by American audiences.

After "The Shield," he made his network television debut with a leading role in the acclaimed, but unfortunately short-lived supernatural procedural, "Moonlight" (CBS, 2007-08), which earned him a loyal fan base that wanted to see him back on the small screen after the show was quickly canceled. He did return the following year, starring in the medical drama "Three Rivers" (CBS, 2009), which was booted off the air even faster. But with a starring turn in the feature romantic comedy, "The Back-Up Plan" (2010) opposite Jennifer Lopez, O'Loughlin reassured fans that he was in it for the long haul.

Born in 1977 in Sydney, O'Loughlin, was later thought to be the son of AC/DC frontman Bon Scott - a rumor spread on the Internet that devastated both his parents. A dedicated actor in film, television and theater, he first gained popularity with his role of Jack Flange in the acclaimed 2004 Australian film, "Oyster Farmer." Drawing his first major critical notices, he played a man who takes on a new job as an oyster farmer to pay his sister's medical bills, only to discover that it is not enough and that he must hold up an armored car.

He followed his "Oyster Farmer" role with a part in the Australian made-for-television crime movie, "Blackjack: Sweet Science," followed by the horror film, "Man-Thing" (2005). Based on the lower-rung Marvel comic book character, he played Deputy Fraser in the film which, not surprisingly, was broadcast on the Sci-Fi Network before its release on DVD. O'Loughlin's counted as his next project, the Australian low-budget thriller "Feed" (2005), in which he starred and produced. Teaming again with "Man-Thing" director Brett Leonard, O'Loughlin was credited with originating the idea for the story, centering on an investigator, played by O'Loughlin, in pursuit of a cyber-criminal suspected of killing women by force-feeding them to death.

While neither film was a critical success, O'Loughlin's star continued its steady rise Down Under, after appearing in the Australian television movies, "White Collar Blue" (2002) and "Love Bytes" (2004). He next starred in the Showtime miniseries, "The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant" (2005), another homeland hit in which he played Will Bryant, the husband of the title character - a woman who was among the first of the British convicts sentenced to an experimental penal colony in Australia in the late 1700s. For his performance, O'Loughlin won an Australia Film Institute Award for Best Actor.

Proving himself on camera, O'Loughlin was also active in theater, acting in stage productions of "Jarrabin," "Country Music," "Saved," "The Fruits of Enlightenment," "Bodyline - in Transit," "Faust is Dead" and "Face to Face."

O'Loughlin had hoped to land the part of the new James Bond, in "Casino Royale," (2006) and auditioned for the role, only to lose out to Daniel Craig. Instead, his big-screen U.S. debut was decidedly more modest, as one half of a kissing couple in the Christmas romantic comedy, "The Holiday." But O'Loughlin was still set to make his mark stateside, after winning a pivotal role on "The Shield." While serving as an ostensible replacement for a beloved character who had been killed off in the season five finale - Det. Curtis Lemansky (Kenneth Johnson) - may not have been the dream role for an actor new to a show already in its sixth season, O'Loughlin could not have come aboard at a better time. Being dropped into a super-charged storyline that promised higher ratings and more critical attention than ever before, O'Loughlin played a former Internal Affairs officer newly assigned to the Strike Team, an elite and often corrupt special unit lead by Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis).

Continuing his upswing, O'Loughlin returned to the big screen with the 2007 teen thriller, "Invisible," playing a recently paroled thug dating a troubled girl (Margarita Levieva) who attacks a high school kid (Justin Chatwin) and leaves his body to die in the woods, forcing his detached spirit to find help before it's too late. He also appeared in "August Rush" (2007) a dramatic fairy tale starring Keri Russell and child star, Freddie Highmore. Back on television, O'Loughlin starred in "Moonlight" (CBS, 2007-08), playing a tortured private detective who happens to be a vampire wrestling with his immortality while trying to reconcile with his love for a mortal woman (Sophia Myles). Despite a small, but rabid fan base, "Moonlight" was canceled due to poor ratings.

With the network determined to make him a star, O'Loughlin returned the following year to star in "Three Rivers" (CBS, 2009), playing an organ transplant doctor. But once again, his series failed to capture the viewing public and was canceled. Hoping the third time was a charm, he was cast to take on the Jack Lord role in the primetime reboot of "Hawaii Five-O" (CBS, 2010- ). Returning to features, he starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy, "The Back-Up Plan" (2010).