Paul Joseph Mercurio (born 31 March 1963) is an Australian actor, dancer, TV presenter and politician. Mercurio is best known for his lead role in Strictly Ballroom 1992 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. Early life Mercurio was born in Swan Hill, Victoria in March 1963, his father was character actor Gus Mercurio. Paul began ballet at nine. He later moved to Perth, Western Australia, where he attended John Curtin Senior High School, now known as John Curtin College of the Arts where there is a theatre named after him. He credits his theatre arts teacher for inspiring him to follow his dream. Mercurio focussed on acting during his high school years but after he graduated, he caught the Indian Pacific train from Perth back to Melbourne where he studied at the Australian Ballet School. 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 left the Sydney Dance Company in August 1992 to found the Australian Choreographic Ensemble which danced from 1992 to 1995, where he was the director, principal dancer and principal choreographer. Stage and screen career Feature films Mercurio made his film debut in Baz Luhrmann's breakout film Strictly Ballroom, receiving an Australian Film Institute Award nomination in 1993. Mercurio was a choreographer on the film. Flamenco dancer Antonio Vargas, the actor who played Fran's father, also choreographed scenes in the film. 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