Dean O'Gorman
Dean Lance O'Gorman (born 1 December 1976) is a New Zealand actor, artist, and photographer. He played the dwarf Fíli in the Hobbit trilogy and the Norse god Bragi/Anders Johnson in the fantasy series The Almighty Johnsons. He also portrayed Kirk Douglas in Trumbo (2015).
Also recorded as Dean Lance O'Gorman
Dean O'Gorman

Weekly Dig · CC BY 2.0
- Name
- Dean O'Gorman
- Birth Name
- Dean Lance O'Gorman
- Born
- 1 December 1976
- Birthplace
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Occupation
- Actor, photographer, artist
- Nationality
- New Zealand
- Education
- Rangitoto College
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Documentary summary
Dean Lance O'Gorman (born 1 December 1976) is a New Zealand actor, artist, and photographer. He played the dwarf Fíli in the Hobbit trilogy and the Norse god Bragi/Anders Johnson in the fantasy series The Almighty Johnsons. He also portrayed Kirk Douglas in Trumbo (2015).
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Dean O'Gorman (born 1976) is an actor, film actor and photographer, among other activities, of New Zealand nationality. The actor was born in Auckland. Dean O'Gorman was educated at Rangitoto College.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 29 September 2026
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wikidata · Q328618 · wikipedia · Dean O'Gorman
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Dean O'Gorman • Birth Name — Dean Lance O'Gorman • Born — 1 December 1976 • Birthplace — Auckland, New Zealand • Occupation — Actor, photographer, artist • Years Active — 1990–present • Website — deanogorman.com • Children — 1
Early life
Early life
O'Gorman was born in Auckland to parents Lance, a landscape painter, and Vicky O'Gorman. His younger brother, Brett, is also an actor as well as a comedian. He has Irish and English ancestry; his maternal grandfather was a British paratrooper in the Second World War. O'Gorman earned a black belt in karate by the age of ten, and attended Rangitoto College in Auckland. He initially planned to study graphic design.
Television
Television
O'Gorman began acting in television in the early 1990s. His career took off in the middle of the decade, when he won the role of Harry Martin in popular New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street and appeared in locally-shot shows Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess multiple times. O'Gorman also held a regular role as Iolaus in the short-lived Young Hercules opposite Ryan Gosling, and in Australian hit McLeod's Daughters, as Luke Morgan, a love interest of Jodi Fountain McLeod. He has made multiple guest appearances on several television shows including The Cult, Go Girls and Legend of the Seeker. From 2011 to 2013, O'Gorman played the role of Anders Johnson in New Zealand fantasy series The Almighty Johnsons. He played mountaineer George Lowe in 2016 mini-series Hillary.
Personal life
Personal life
O'Gorman married his long-time girlfriend Sarah Wilson in January 2016. Their daughter was born in May 2019.
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1990 — The — Tony Garrett — TV film • Raider of the South Seas — Bobby Morrison — TV series, main character • 1995 — Hercules: The Legendary Journeys — Iloran — Episode: "The Gauntlet" • 1995–96 — Shortland Street — Nurse Harry Martin — TV series, major reoccurring character • 1996 — Return to Treasure Island — Jim Hawkins — TV film • Xena: Warrior Princess — Homer / Orion — Episode: "Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards" • 1997 — Doom Runners — Deek — TV film • Hercules: The Legendary Journeys — Young Iolaus / Ruun — Episodes: "Regrets... I've Had a Few", "Prodigal Sister" • 1998 — Hercules: The Legendary Journeys — Young Iolaus — Episodes: "Medea Culpa", "Twilight" • The — Darek — Episode: "The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior" • The — Andrew Scott — TV film • 1998–99 — Young Hercules — Iolaus — Main role (45 episodes) • 1999 — Big Sky — Dean — Episode: "A Family Affair" • Duggan — Fergus MacLllwaine — Episode: "Going Overboard" • Fearless — Cliff — TV film • 2000 — Xena: Warrior Princess — Wiglaf — Episode: "Return of the Valkyrie" • 2001 — Lawless: Beyond Justice — Nat — TV film • All Saints — Evan Coen — Episode: "The Other Side of Perfection" • 2003 — Farscape — Zukash — Episodes: "We're So Screwed: Parts 2 & 3" • MDA — Peter Jarman — Episodes: "Judgement Day", "St. Crispin's Day" • 2004 — Serial Killers — Dr. Gilligan / Andrew — Regular role (7 episodes) • 2004–05 — McLeod's Daughters — Luke Morgan — Recurring role (25 episodes) • 2007 — Moonlight — Daniel — Episode "No Such Thing as Vampires" • 2007–08 — Animalia — Tyrannicus / Harry (voice) — Recurring role (4 episodes) • 2009 — Legend of the Seeker — Carver Dunn — Episode: "Deception" • Go Girls — Marco — Episodes: "Signs and Obstacles", "Do the Right Thing" • The — Liam — Episode: "The Other Woman " • 2011 — Tangiwai: A Love Story — Bert Sutcliffe — Television film • 2011–13 — The — Anders Johnson — Main role (36 episodes) • 2016 — Hillary — George Lowe — Main role • 2016–17 — Westside — Evan Lace — Recurring role (9 episodes) • 2017 — Wanted — Will Johnson — Recurring role (5 episodes, series 2) • 2018 — The Brokenwood Mysteries — Barnaby Buchanan — Episode: "The Dark Angel" • 2019 — The Bad Seed — Ford Lampton — Main role • 2019–present — Golden Boy — Aussie Dave — Recurring role (9 episodes) • 2020 — One Lane Bridge — Andrew "Grub" Ryder — Main role • 2021–present — Under the Vines — Griffin — Recurring role (5 episodes)
Video game
Video game
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2014 — Lego the Hobbit — Fíli (voice) — Video game
Identity
Identity
Dean O'Gorman is recorded as actor and photographer.

Dean O'Gorman and Aidan Turner during The Hobbit Q A at Boston Comicon. Photo by Maria Uminski
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Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1976
Dean O'Gorman born at Auckland.
Film
Film
At 12 years old O'Gorman was discovered by a casting agent during a school speech competition. After acting in a number of television roles and the Australian film The Rogue Stallion, he got a starring role in 1995 teen romance Bonjour Timothy, a performance which earned him a nomination for Best Actor at the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy. Subsequent roles included co-starring as Mark in the ensemble drama When Love Comes and playing opposite Melanie Lynskey in the road movie Snakeskin, the latter of which received five awards at the 2001 New Zealand Film and Television Awards. In April 2011 O'Gorman was cast as the Dwarf Fili in Peter Jackson's three-part film adaptation of The Hobbit. He later made a cameo appearance in an advertisement for Air New Zealand. In Jay Roach's 2015 film Trumbo O'Gorman plays the part of Kirk Douglas, including a re-creation of filming the movie Spartacus. He plays a demoralized writer in the 2017 film Pork Pie, winning praise at Cannes.
Art and photography
Art and photography
In addition to acting, O'Gorman is also a photographer and artist. In an interview with Tom Cardy, he confessed to difficult times finding work during his first year in Los Angeles. He was almost broke, but was soon discovered by his friend's agent and thus began to receive more work, dividing his time among painting, photography and acting. In June 2012, he held his first exhibition at the Page Blackie Gallery in Wellington, New Zealand. The theme of the exhibition focused on the Vietnam War. To obtain accuracy in his work, O'Gorman sought the advice of a New Zealand Vietnam veteran. Preferring to dress and set up shoots himself, the models for this gallery included other cast members from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Almighty Johnsons. O'Gorman's photographs were also displayed at the 2015 Berlin B3 Biennial.
Film
Film
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1995 — Bonjour Timothy — Timothy Taylor • 1996 — Siren — Siren — Short film • 1998 — Young Hercules — Young Iolaus — Video • When Love Comes Along — Mark • 2001 — Snakeskin — Johnny • 2002 — Toy Love — Ben • 2004 — Piggy — Confucius — Short film • 2008 — The — Rev. Whittaker • 2009 — Sabotage — Bobby • 2010 — Kawa — Chris • 2012 — The — Fíli • 2013 — The • 2014 — The • 2015 — Trumbo — Kirk Douglas • 2017 — Pork Pie — Jon • 2023 — The Convert — Kedgley • 2025 — Forgive Us All — Supporting cast
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Prince Charles lays wreath at Auckland cenotaph. 11 November 2012.
- 2.Nathan, Ian. The Hobbit Interviews: Dean O'Gorman on Fili. Empire.
- 3."Dean O'Gorman Biography", Tribute Movie
- 4."Dean O'Gorman", NZONSCREEN
- 5.O'Gorman and Pace Join The Hobbit. Comingsoon.net. 30 April 2011.
- 6.Just another day in Middle-earth #airnzhobbit – YouTube.
- 7.Kit, Borys (22 September 2014). "'Hobbit' Actor to Play Kirk Douglas in Bryan Cranston's 'Trumbo' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- 8.Mandell, Andrea (20 November 2015) Kirk Douglas reviews 'Trumbo', USA Today. Retrieved 21 January 2016
- 9.Pork Pie remake triumphs at Cannes Film Festival The New Zealand Herald, 20 July 2017, by Ophelia Buckleton. Retrieved 2017-08-05
- 10.reviews of Dean O'Gorman in 2012
- 11.B3 Biennial 2015 News. Retrieved 2016-01-19
- 12.A magic year for Dean O'Gorman The New Zealand Herald, by Ricardo Simich, 30 April 2016. Retrieved 2017-08-05
- 13.Hobbit star Dean O'Gorman: 'I became a dad'.
- 14.IF Magazine. ‘Forgive Us All’ (Trailer). if.com.au. 27 April 2025.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Photography
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