Gil Darnell is an Australian film and television actor who portrayed Christian de Guise in Reign.
Life[]
Born in Australia and raised in Hong Kong, Gil is proficient in Cantonese and Portuguese. Originally an accomplished field hockey player, he abandoned his Olympic dream of representing Australia after attending a London showing of The Phantom of the Opera, where after he embarked on a career in performance.
His ambitious new journey began with an acceptance to London's prestigious Mountview Theatre School, and has continued to climb ever since.
Career[]
Gil's career started in the UK (credits include "Hollyoaks", "Holby City", "Doctors", "Brookside" and "The Bill"). After relocating to Los Angeles, he promptly turned out a strong performance on "Entourage", as well as many memorable commercial spots including the #1 Super Bowl Commercial of 2011 for Audi. Gil credits his Ketel One advertising campaign with transforming his career and saving him in the nick of time from returning to a 'normal' job! His career then took off with feature films including "All Things to All Men" in London with Gabriel Byrne, "Amnesia", "Don't Look Up", and the 2014 release of "Redirected", an outrageous black comedy described as "The Hangover" meets "Snatch". Gil can next be seen recurring as Christian de Guise in the CW's hugely successful period drama "Reign".
Along with a passion for horse racing, Gil is currently immersed in the Chinese martial art Wu Shu, training for an trilogy that he is writing and producing, based on the true story of his twin brothers. This project shoot in Hong Kong.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Almost Strangers | Grant |
| Wipe Out | Mark | |
| 2007 | Burden Hill | Mr. Loomis |
| 2008 | Color of the Cross 2: The Resurrection | Cleopas |
| 2009 | Don't Look Up | Romanian Camera Assistant |
| Dedd Brothers | Richard Ambrose | |
| Conflict Zone | Jerry | |
| 2010 | Magic Land | N/A |
| 2012 | Blood Moon | William Titus |
| The Chronicles of Sir Colonel Walter S Houghington III: Entry One | N/A | |
| Genre This | Jasper Beaumont | |
| 2013 | All Things to All Men | Adrian Peters |
| 2014 | Redirected | Johnny |
| Valiant | Ronnie Amberson | |
| Limbo | James Swan | |
| Beyond the Lights | N/A | |
| Soldiers of the Damned | Major Kurt Fleischer | |
| Sovereign | victor | |
| N/A | Amnesia | Dr. Eccles |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Bill | Steve Hart |
| 2000 | Brookside | Leon Francis |
| 2002 | Hollyoaks | Miles Mackie |
| 2003 | Holby City | Greg Townsend |
| 2004 | The Bill | Dave Watson |
| 2005 | Doctors | Mike Taylor |
| 2008 | Entourage | Photographer |
| 2011 | Un-Natural Selection | William |
| 2014 | Disorganized Zone | Henry |
| Reign | Christian de Guise |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Studied Flying Trapeze and is training to be a catcher.
- Is a grand-nephew of actress Linda Darnell.
- Sponsors 3 kids through World Vision in Zimbabwe and Kenya.
- Working on mastering 7 languages (8 counting English).
- Wanted to be a jockey since he was 8 years old, but was too afraid of horses to pursue.
- Favorite movies are Cinema Paradiso and Duel.
- Once posed as a French sailor during Australia's defense of The America's Cup in Perth, just to meet a girl.
- Has a degree in Physical Education and intended to be a P.E. teacher while training for the Olympics.
- He was the first 'Tequila boy' in London, making a living promoting nightclubs and serving tequila shots while working hard to break into acting.
- An accomplished singer, has his own band performing in Hollywood venues, described as a 'rock version of Michael Buble'.