Michael Dorman

Michael Dorman was born in Auckland, New Zealand. His mother's side of the family is Māori (specifically, Ngāti Porou people from the east coast of the north island), and his father's ancestors are Pākehā.^[a][1]

He moved to Australia with his family at the age of ten, and settled in Bundaberg, Queensland, where he attended Bundaberg State High School.^[1] He subsequently studied for a degree in drama at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane.^[2]

Dorman's first role was as Christian on The Secret Life of Us. He was a fan of the show when it premiered in 2001 and he was in his final year of university. He landed the role in 2002 after having moved to Sydney.^[2]

One of Dorman's breakthrough performances came in the Australian film Suburban Mayhem (2006).^{[citation needed]} Other lead roles followed in the Australian films Prime Mover (2009) and Needle (2010), as well as supporting work on further Australian films such as West (2007), Acolytes (2008), Triangle (2009), Daybreakers (2009) and Killer Elite (2011).^{[citation needed]} He also featured in a main role as Tom Wilcox in the Australian television comedy-drama Wonderland for the entirety of its run (2013–2015).^{[citation needed]}

After befriending Russell Crowe while working on The Water Diviner (2014), Crowe paid for Dorman's flight to the United States to further his acting career there.^[1] He picked up significant roles in TV series For All Mankind and Patriot, and a small role in blockbuster film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).^{[citation needed]}

He returned to Australia and was living there as of 2018.^[1]

Dorman went on to star as Tom Griffin in the horror film The Invisible Man and as Jesse in Hard Luck Love Song (both 2020).^{[citation needed]}

In 2021, it was announced that he would star as the title character of the American TV series Joe Pickett, based on the books by C. J. Box. The show premiered for viewing on the Spectrum Network in December 2021 and Paramount+ streaming service in February 2022.^{[citation needed]}

He was cast as Gol D. Roger in the 2023 Netflix series One Piece, US/UK/Japan co-production,^{[citation needed]} and played Graham Lawson in the 2024 Netflix Australian series Territory.^[3] On 20 November 2025, Dorman was announced for ABC television series Treasure & Dirt in the lead role.^[4]

Dorman is also a musician. He has performed live supporting musicians such as Alex Lloyd, The Beautiful Girls, and Abbe May, as well as at festivals, including Peats Ridge, Woodford, and Homebake Festivals.^[5]

Dorman was nominated for a Silver Logie for Best Lead Actor in a Drama in the 2025 Logie Awards, for his performance in Territory.^[3]

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