Grant Piro

Australian actor From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grant Piro is an Australian actor. He is best known as the host of the children's television show Couch Potato on the ABC. He also appeared as Captain Schnepel in Escape From Pretoria.

Personal life

Piro is married to Australian soprano and musical theatre icon Marina Prior. They have five children in a blended family. Two of the children (Jackson and Madison) are biologically Piro's from a former relationship, while three are biologically Prior's, from a former relationship.

Career

Piro began his career in 1983 in the Australian television soap opera Sons and Daughters.

After completing George Miller's film Bushfire Moon (Miracle Down Under) in 1987, a chance meeting with British comedy legend Ray Cooney led to a three-year stint in the UK where he appeared in several of Ray's plays: It Runs in the Family, Wife Begins at Forty, the latter alongside the great Jimmy Edwards, as well as TV programs such as Casualty and Shelley.

He returned to Australia in 1990 to become the host of the ABC children's television program Couch Potato. During the 1990s, Grant appeared in a large number of Australian television dramas that included Janus, Correlli, G.P., Halifax f.p., Blue Heelers, SeaChange, Wildside, Good Guys Bad Guys, McLeod's Daughters, The River Kings, The Territorians, Stingers, Twisted Tales, Tales of the South Seas, Witch Hunt, and more. This trend continued beyond 2000 with appearances in Blue Heelers and Stingers again, Marshall Law, Crashburn, Headland, Rain Shadow, The Librarians, The Elephant Princess, Sea Patrol, and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

Grant Piro became one of Australia's most respected theatre actors, with performances in Under Milk Wood, Whose Life Is It Anyway, Moby Dick, The Merry Widow, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, The Producers, The 39 Steps, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Drowsy Chaperone, Hairspray, His Girl Friday, and Hate.

His performance in the MTC's production of Realism saw him critically acclaimed for his display of the acting technique known as biomechanics. He appeared as several characters in the Rolf de Heer cult film Bad Boy Bubby, worked with film director Scott Hicks on his films Call Me Mr. Brown and Sebastian and the Sparrow, with Paul Hogan in Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, appeared in the French feature L'Amour En Embuscade (Love in Ambush) for Carl Shultz, and the films The Outsider, Darkness Falls, The Condemned, Save Your Legs, and Crime & Punishment.

Filmography

Television

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role notes Ref
1983-84Sons and DaughtersTony ParkerTV series, 119 episodes
1986 Push Start TV movie
1987PalsRockyTV series
1988 Captain Johnno Kevin TV movie
1989CasualtyGlenn BuchananTV series, 1 episode
ShelleyGeorgeTV series, 1 episode
1990 Second Childhood Mr Cruikshank TV movie
1991Couch PotatoHost/PresenterTV series
1991Finders Keepers (aka The Finder)MaxTV series, 10 episodes
1991The River KingsSpudTV miniseries, 3 episodes
1994JanusCassidyTV series, 2 episodes
1995Glad RagsWarren HammTV series, 6 episodes
1995CorrelliToby MillerTV miniseries, 8 episodes
1996 The Devil Game Costello TV movie
McLeod's Daughters Steve Creeley TV movie
The TerritoriansDanny LeydonTV movie
The BiteMilesTV miniseries
Twisted TalesMerrillTV series, 1 episode
1997 Love in Ambush Jon Kincaid TV movie
1997Good Guys Bad GuysGavin 'The Goat' La RousseTV series, 1 episode
1998SeaChangeBryce ReardonTV series, 3 episodes
Halifax f.p.Terry LansdownTV series, Season 3, episode 2
Tales of the South SeasTV series
Driven CrazyWobbly GurgleTV series, 1 episode
1999WildsidePeter GilmourTV series, 1 episode
Witch Hunt Conlon TV movie
AirtightFreddyTV movie
2002MDADavid SmithTV series, 1 episode
1999-2003Stingers

Brian Dennison / Tony Tennant || TV series, 2 episodes

2002Marshall LawHallionTV miniseries, 4 episodes
2003CrashBurnAdamTV series, 13 episodes
2006HeadlandDoctor BakerTV series, 1 episode
2007Rain ShadowJames CampbellTV miniseries, 6 episodes
The LibrariansPiero ChiappiTV series, 5 episodes
2007-10City HomicideCraig Pierce / Wayne StylesTV series, 3 episodes
2008-09The Elephant PrincessJim WilsonTV series, 18 episodes [1]
2009Sea PatrolJay FennellyTV series, 1 episode
2012Winners & LosersMime EvansTV series, 1 episode
2014INXS: Never Tear Us ApartMolly MeldrumTV miniseries, 2 episodes
2015Miss Fisher's Murder MysteriesMighty Merve MacKenzieTV series, 1 episode
2016Jack IrishSenator MackieTV series, 5 episodes
2017Sherazade: The Untold StoriesPorter / Ali Baba (voice)TV series, 22 episodes
Hoges: The Paul Hogan StoryDustin HoffmanTV miniseries, 1 episode
Newton's LawSergeant Robert MaloufTV miniseries, 5 episodes
The Ex-PMBambinoTV series, 1 episode
2018Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to YouGrossmanTV miniseries, 1 episode
WentworthDoctor ChamberlainTV series, 1 episode
True Story with Hamish & AndyGordonTV series, 1 episode
WantedGaryTV series, 2 episodes
How to Stay MarriedMichael FassmemberTV series, 1 episode
2019My Life is MurderBob nNbleTV series, 1 episode
2023UtopiaPatrickTV series, 1 episode
Warnie Graham Halbish TV miniseries:1 episode
2025 The Newsreader Wayne TV series: 4 episodes
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Film

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role Notes Ref
1984Abduction... Who's Next?BenShort film
1986Playing Beatie BowPinoFeature film
Call Me Mr. BrownMt. Isa MinerFeature film
1987The LighthorsemenCharlieFeature film
Bushfire MoonAngus WatsonFeature film
1988Sebastian and the SparrowFeature film
Wife Begins at 40Leonard Harper
1993Bad Boy BubbySalesmanFeature film
1996The Big MaybeHusbandShort film
1997AmyPC FranklinFeature film
1997JoeyJohn O'BannonFeature film
2000Mr. AccidentLyndonFeature film
2001Crocodile Dundee in Los AngelesGuideFeature film
2002The OutsiderWoodrow WhartonFeature film
2003Darkness FallsLarry FleishmanFeature film
2007The IndependentBradley EvansFeature film
The CondemnedMoyerFeature film
2010Don't Be Afraid of the DarkCreature (voice)Feature film
The Adjustable CosmosEmperor Frederick (voice)Short film
2012Save Your LegsPunterFeature film
2014PredestinationBoxing Commentator / News Report AnnouncerFeature film
The MuleProfessor Dylan KanarakisFeature film
2015Sneezing Baby Panda: The MovieVoice
Crime & PunishmentQuinceyFeature film
2016Spirit of the GameKen WatsonFeature film
2020Escape from PretoriaCaptain SchnepelFeature film
2025 Sacrifice Charlie Hunter [2]
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Theatre

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role Notes Ref
1986PravdaCartoonist / Bewildered Walking Man / Reporter / Photographer Playhouse Adelaide
1987It Runs in the Family
1987Much Ado About NothingBoy / Messenger / Hugh OatcakePlayhouse Adelaide
1988Wife Begins at FortyLeonard HarperPlayhouse Adelaide, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
1993Taking Steps Playhouse Adelaide
1993Under Milk WoodPlayhouse Adelaide
1994Short Blacks with Shepard Pie: Red CrossPromethean Theatre, Adelaide
1994Whose Life is it Anyway?Price Theatre, Adelaide
1996Station 2: Eye of AnotherNick / Jed / Dominic / Frank251 Wakefield Street, Adelaide
1999The Merry WidowNjegusState Theatre Melbourne, Festival Theatre Adelaide, Lyric Theatre Sydney
2002Hello, Dolly!Ambrose Kemper / Rudolph ReisenweberState Theatre, Melbourne
2002Laughter on the 23rd FloorPlayhouse Melbourne
2004–05The ProducersCarmen GhiaPrincess Theatre Melbourne, Lyric Theatre Brisbane, Lyric Theatre Sydney
2007The Madwoman of ChaillotPlayhouse Melbourne
2008Whose Life is it Anyway?Lion Arts Centre, Adelaide
2008The 39 StepsPlayhouse Melbourne, Geelong Performing Arts Centre
2008Cat on a Hot Tin RoofGooperPlayhouse Melbourne
2008GalaSouthbank Theatre
2009RealismSouthbank Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company
2009Master of the RevelsSouthbank Theatre
2009Dirty Rotten ScoundrelsAndre ThibaultState Theatre Melbourne
2010The Drowsy ChaperoneGangsterPlayhouse Melbourne
2010-11HairsprayWilbur TurnbladPrincess Theatre Melbourne, Lyric Theatre Sydney
2012His Girl FridayPlayhouse Melbourne
2013HateMalthouse Theatre
2016Around the World in 80 DaysDetective Fix
2017Hello, Dolly!Horace VandergelderPlayhouse Melbourne
2018Oklahoma!Ali HakimState Theatre, Melbourne
2022Girl from the North CountryReverend MarloweTheatre Royal, Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Civic Theatre, Auckland, Wellington Opera House, Canberra Theatre, Lyric Theatre Brisbane
2022When the Rain Stops FallingSpace 28, Southbank
Moby Dick
2024 A Christmas Carol Fezziwig Comedy Theatre [3]
2025 Follies Palais Theatre [4]
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References

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