Five Fast Facts About British Soap Star Dominic Brunt

Dominic Brunt is a British actor who is best known for playing Paddy Kirk on Emmerdale for over 20 years.

Along with working on the British soap, Brunt is also a director and has worked in films. From where he was born and raised to a real-life situation that influenced his character’s storyline, here are five fast facts about the actor.

Who Is Dominic Brunt?

He was born on April 15 in Lancashire, England, where he was also raised. He attended both Accrington Moorhead Sports College and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Soap Career
Prior to becoming an actor, Brunt was a sheet-metal worker. When he did decide to pursue acting, he was cast in 1997 as Paddy Kirk in Emmerdale, and he has been on the show ever since. Brunt was also nominated for Best Actor at the 2011 British Soap Awards.

Film Director
Along with being an actor, he is also a director. Not only that, Brunt is also obsessed with zombies — and even held a zombie festival with Emmerdale co-star Mark Charnock — so it’s no surprise he’s directed a zombie flick. His film Before Dawn was made in 2012 and he also directed Attack of the Adult Babies, which came out in 2017.

Getting Personal With Dominic Brunt
He met his wife, Joanne Mitchell, while they were both attending the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. They married in 2003 and have two children together, sons Mickey and Danny.

Life Influences Art

Brunt and Mitchell’s son Danny was diagnosed with a heart condition at eight months old. They were told there was a chance their son wouldn’t make it and were asked to consider donating his organs if the heart surgery didn’t work. The parents agreed, but fortunately, Danny pulled through and is a very healthy kid today.

Brunt’s real-life scare inspired a storyline for his character, Paddy, who was expecting a child with girlfriend Chas Dingle. The child had no chance of survival due to a genetic condition. However, they decided to continue the pregnancy in hopes of being able to donate their child’s organs.