Daniel Lapaine
Daniel Lapaine is an Australian stage, film and television actor, living in London. He first came to prominence in 1994, playing South African swimmer David Van Arkle in Muriel's Wedding. He also works as a writer and director.
Other acting credits include 54, The 10th Kingdom, Helen of Troy, Death on the Nile, Jericho, Moon Shot, Zero Dark Thirty, Black Mirror, Versailles, Catastrophe, The Durrells, Upright, and Queen of Oz.
Early life
Born in Sydney, New South Wales, to an Italian father and an Australian mother, Lapaine graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1992.Career
Television and film
His career started in 1994, when he played the South African swimmer David Van Arkle in P. J. Hogan's Muriel's Wedding. Since then he has worked internationally in film, theatre, and television and is now based in London.Lapaine has made two appearances in the UK TV Show Black Mirror, six years apart. First in 2011, as the morally dubious Max in "The Entire History of You", and later as the masochistic Dr. Dawson in 2017's "Black Museum".
Lapaine's film work includes Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar-winning Zero Dark Thirty, Last Chance Harvey, opposite Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, and Shanghai, opposite John Cusack. He played the lead role in Pathe's The Abduction Club, and Miramax's Elephant Juice, as well as memorable appearances in Brokedown Palace opposite Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale. He has also appeared in many other films including [54 |54], Dangerous Beauty, Polish Wedding and Gozo.
Lapaine has worked extensively in television, appearing in all four series of Catastrophe for Channel 4 and Amazon Prime, in which he plays the part of Dave. He portrayed King Charles II in the Canal + series Versailles. He starred in the 2000 television miniseries The 10th Kingdom as Prince Wendell White, ruler of the 4th Kingdom, and played Tim Allerton in the 2004 Agatha Christie's Poirot episode Death on the Nile opposite David Suchet. In 2009, he portrayed Neil Armstrong in the television film Moon Shot. He also played Hector in Helen of Troy opposite Rufus Sewell. Other television credits include Critical; Vexed; Lewis; Vera; Identity; Hotel Babylon; Sex, the City and Me; Jane Hall; The Good Housekeeping Guide; The Golden Hour; Jericho; and I Saw You. Lapaine also wrote and directed the Australian feature film 48 Shades. Based on the 1999 novel 48 Shades of Brown by Nick Earls, the film was released in Australia by Buena Vista in 2006.
From 2019, He starred as Toby Flynn, working alongside Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock in the Australian comedy series Upright. In 2023, he starred as Prince Frederick, the fictional heir to the British throne, in the BBC One series Queen of Oz, also starring Catherine Tate as his sister Princess Georgiana. In Australia, he appeared in A Country Practice and G.P., opposite Cate Blanchett.