Handsome, muscular Australian dancer turned actor, with thick, dark hair and a playfully boyish and naughty manner. Mercurio danced and trained with the West Australian Ballet Company and later the Australian Ballet School before joining the prestigious Sydney Dance Company, touring with them from 1982 to 1992. One of the company's performances, "Boxes", was recorded for US TV and aired on PBS's "Great Performances" in 1986.Mercurio established his own ballet company, the Australian Choreographic Ensemble (ACE) in 1992, and while he was creating the outfit's first presentation, began to attract incredible media attention with his leading role in his first feature. "Strictly Ballroom" (1992), a fairly conventional but zestfully presented tale of a rebel hoofer and his search for a partner who can match his dynamic but unconventional style. It also did so well on the US art-house circuit that Mercurio was invited to star in a Hollywood film, but "Exit to Eden" (1994), aiming to be a titillating comedy set on an island resort for those eager to try sadomasochistic sex, was roundly spanked by critics, mass audiences and SM practitioners alike.
Profession(s):
Actor, dancer, dance company impresario, choreographer
Sometimes Credited As:
1998 Made silent cameo appearance in Stephan Elliot's "Welcome to Woop Woop"
1994 Made US feature film debut in a leading role in the comedy, "Exit to Eden"
1994 Commissioned by ABC-TV to choreograph a dance film, "Envy"; part of a series which aired during the summer on Australian TV, "Seven Deadly Sins"
1992 Founded own ballet company, the Australian Choreographic Ensemble (ACE)
1992 Made feature film debut in the leading role of the Australian dance-oriented musical romance, "Strictly Ballroom"
1986 Appeared on US TV when he danced with the Sydney Dance Company in "Boxes: With the Sydney Dance Company", aired on PBS station as part of the series, "Great Performances"
1982 - 1992 Toured in both Australia and abroad with the Sydney Dance Company
Grew up in Fremantle on the west coast of Australia
Danced with the West Australian Ballet Company and later attended the Australian Ballet School
Co-founded a production company, Feel Good Films; first undertaking was a documentary, "Life's Burning Desire", about the presentation of Mercurio's first work with the ACE and his making of "Strictly
