Andrew_Paul
Andrew Paul
English actor
Andrew Paul (born Paul Andrew Herman; 17 March 1961 in Mile End, London) is an English actor, known for portraying PC Dave Quinnan in the ITV drama The Bill for 13 years.
Paul grew up in Manor House, North London, attending Clissold Park Secondary School, Hackney, from the age of 11. He played a member of a gang in "The Destructors", a 1975 episode of the TV series Shades of Greene.[1] At the age of 14, he enrolled at the Anna Scher Theatre School.[2] He appeared in the film Bugsy Malone at 14 [3] and in an episode of the police drama The Sweeney at the age of 16. In 1978, he played Paul Ross in Trevor Preston's innovative crime drama Out.[1] A year later, he took the background role of convict Betts in the cinematic re-make of the controversial borstal film Scum.[1] Betts' character was notable in the film, as he was the only one seen to be released, albeit temporarily, for his wedding.
In 1980, he appeared in "On His Back" a UK government public information film discouraging drinking and driving. He played the role of a formerly disqualified driver struggling to get insurance.[4] He spent much of the 1980s on stage, working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and played a major role in Going Out,[1] which is about a group of teenagers in the Portsmouth area. He took a part in the ‘lukewarmly’ received ITV sitcom Tripper's Day[1] in 1984. Set in a supermarket, this was the final television work undertaken by the distinguished British actor Leonard Rossiter prior to his sudden death. Paul stayed in the series when it was re-cast with Bruce Forsyth two years later and renamed Slinger's Day. In 1989, he appeared as an arson suspect in the tenth episode of Inspector Morse.
The Bill
In 1989, he joined The Bill,[1] a long-running police serial, as PC Dave Quinnan. He had previously appeared as a witness to a crime in series 3, in the episode titled "Missing, Presumed Dead". When the series decided to focus more on the officers themselves and less on crime, Quinnan was given a number of serious story lines. These included being stabbed and beaten up by a gang of youths having to spend several weeks in hospital on a drip, falling in love and having an affair with a colleague's girlfriend (and marrying her after the affair became public), and then having an extramarital relationship with PC Polly Page (played by Lisa Geoghan). The character was eventually transferred after successfully undertaking undercover work. This move was tied to Paul's decision to leave The Bill after 13 years.[5]
Later work
He briefly played Maxwell Moon in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders and went on to be a regular cast member in Where the Heart Is, playing Billy Boothe, until the series was axed in 2006. He guest starred in City Homicide and Dracula. He appeared in the ITV series of Lewis shown on ITV and ITV3 in 2014.
In June 2015, Paul started appearing in Coronation Street as the brewery worker Dan Jones,[6] a love interest for Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard).[7]
On 29 October 2016, he made a guest appearance in Casualty. In 2017, he guest starred in the fifth and final season of Episodes. In 2018, in an episode of ITV's Endeavour titled Quartet, he played Joe Dozier, a tobacconist/drinker/wife-beater who was part of an embedded spy ring in Oxford. This appearance makes him one of the few actors to have had parts in all three Inspector Morse TV series.[8] Then in October 2022, he appeared in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors as Terry Bedford.[9]
Paul has been married to Laura Paul since 1985. They have three boys together[5] whom he has kept out of the public domain.[10]
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Inspector Morse | Suspect Interviewee | Series 3 Episode 3 Deceived by Flight |
| 1989–2002 | The Bill | PC Dave Quinnan | 716 episodes |
| 2022 | Doctors | Terry Bedford | 1 episode |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Bugsy Malone | O'Dreary | |
| 1979 | Scum | Betts | |
| 1983 | The Pirates of Penzance | Pirate #10 | |
| 1987 | Bellman and True | Young Security Guard | |
| 2012 | The Telemachy | Antony |
- Padman, Tony (25 October 2014). "Whatever happened to… The Bill's PC Dave Quinnan?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- Hayward, Anthony (1996). Who's who on Television. Boxtree. p. 196. ISBN 9780752210674.
- "The Bugsy Malone Cast: Then and Now". uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- "On His Back - Andrew Paul 1980 - UK Public Information Film". YouTube. 30 July 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- Cunningham, Tessa (23 February 2002). "Why Andrew Copped Out: Interview - Andrew Paul; The Bill's Andrew Paul reveals why he has quit the TV police drama after 12 years. - Free Online Library". The Mirror. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- Jefferies, Mark (6 May 2015). "Andrew Paul joins Coronation Street: The Bill star to shake up Liz McDonald's world". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- Brown, David (7 May 2015). "Coronation Street: The Bill star Andrew Paul to play new love interest for Liz McDonald". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- Goodall, Reece (6 March 2018). "The Boar TV". The Boar. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- Timblick, Simon. "Doctors spoilers: Valerie Pitman gets Izzie smiling again". What to Watch. (Future plc). Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- Briggs, Zoe (17 January 2017). "Remember The Bill's PC Dave Quinnan? Actor makes surprising career decision". OK! Magazine. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- Andrew Paul at IMDb