Matt Passmore

Rugged Australian actor Matt Passmore made his name as a television actor in his native country before earning a star-making role in America with the wry police series "The Glades" (A&E, 2010-13). His acting career began in regional theater before graduating to guest and supporting roles in series like the long-running drama "Blue Heelers" (Seven Network, 1994-2006). His breakout turn came with the sudsy "McLeod's Daughters" (Nine Network, 2001-09), which led to larger roles on television series and in miniseries, as well as an American debut with the 2009 pilot "Masterwork" (Fox). In 2010, he landed his first U.S. hit with "The Glades," a breezy dramedy about a cocksure Chicago detective investigating crime in a small Florida town. Its popularity with viewers indicated that Passmore might be the latest Australian import to find fame in Hollywood.

Born Dec. 24, 1972 in the bayside Brisbane suburb of Wynnum-Manly in Queensland, Australia, Matt Passmore was born into a family of Scottish origin whose extended members were cotton farmers. He much spent his childhood years racing bikes in the area's rugged terrain and enjoying the natural beauty of Gold Coast, Brisbane's major tourist destination. As a teenager, he attended a production of "The Taming of the Shrew" at the Queensland Theatre Company, where he immediately fell in love with acting. However, he kept the discovery to himself for fear of being mocked by his friends, who openly dismissed the performance. Passmore actively resisted his desire to become an actor, feeling that he could never support himself with such a career decision, so he joined the Army as a field combat engineer after graduating high school in 1991. Though he signed a five-year contract of service, he opted out in 1994 due to changes in governmental rules; instead taking a variety of jobs, including factory and farm work. He also began exploring amateur theater, and earned his first substantial stage role as one of the thieves crucified with Jesus.

After deciding to commit himself to a career in acting, he moved to Sydney to attend the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1999. After graduating in 2001, he came full circle by landing the male lead in a touring production of "Taming of the Shrew" with the Bell Shakespeare Company. Passmore's onscreen career began shortly after that with a job as a presenter on the venerable children's television program "Play School" (ABC1/ABC2, 1966- ). Guest roles on series soon followed, most notably a recurring turn in 2003 on the crime drama "Blue Heelers" (Seven Network, 1994-2006) as the paralyzed husband of a police officer whose partner killed him during a trauma-induced attack.

By 2005, he had graduated to work as a series regular on the drama "Last Man Standing," where he played a sexually aggressive single man with limited understanding of women. It lasted only a few months, so Passmore joined the popular and long-running drama "McLeod's Daughters" as Marcus Turner, half-brother of one of the show's male leads, Alexander Ryan (Aaron Jeffrey). His storylines largely involved his relationship with his half-brother, which began as contentious but eventually grew closer, as well as with local veterinarian Ingrid (Rachael Coopes), whose unhinged husband drove a wedge between them. Passmore's appearance on the show came during its final seasons, which had plunged in the ratings after a lengthy run at the top, and Marcus's storylines ended without satisfactory conclusion.

The exposure of his "McLeod's Daughters" appearances led to more substantial roles in series like the six-episode drama "The Cut" (ABC1, 2009), which cast him as the estranged son of a sports agent (John Wood from "Blue Heelers") who was forced to take over his father's failing business. In the television miniseries "Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities" (Nine Network, 2009), he played a detective investigating the violent drug trade in New South Wales during the late 1970s and early 1980s. And Passmore earned his first lead in "Noir Drive" (2008), a period mystery noir about a Sydney detective following a trail of clues after the murder of a prominent businessman.

In 2009, he relocated to the United States to make his television debut in "Masterwork" (Fox), a pilot for a thriller series by "Prison Break" (Fox, 2005-09) producer Paul Scheuring featuring fellow Australian actress Natalie Dormer. It failed to land a spot on the network lineup, but it helped to bring Passmore to the attention of the A&E Network, which cast him in the lead for its new comedy-mystery series "The Glades." Passmore played a former Chicago police detective, newly relocated to a fictional Florida suburb, who discovers that the sleepy town holds its own share of criminal activity. The series, which also featured Passmore's real-life girlfriend, actress Rachael Carpani, was the network's highest rated original drama series, and was renewed for a second season in 2011.