| Kai Owen | |
|---|---|
Kai Owen (R) with Torchwood co-star Tom Price |
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| Born | 4 September 1975 Llanrwst, Conwy, North Wales |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2001 – present |
| Website | |
| http://www.kaiowen.com | |
Kai Owen (4 September 1975, Llanrwst, Conwy, North Wales) is a Welsh actor of stage and screen, known to Welsh audiences for his numerous roles on Welsh-language television and to worldwide audiences for his portrayal of Rhys Williams in Torchwood.
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Owen is originally from the village of Llanrwst in the Conwy Valley in North Wales, where his family still lives.[1] His father Mark is a GMB union official and his mother Yvonne is a cleaner at the British Legion Club.[2] He was educated at Watling Street Primary School, Llanrwst and Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy.[2] He attended Mountview Theatre School, London for three years, graduating in 1998.[2] Owen lived with his actor fiancée Sarah Wilson in East Finchley, London[2] and in 2010 moved with son Bobby to Warwickshire.[3] During 2011, Owen stayed in West Hollywood California for filming of Torchwood: Miracle Day.[4]
He ran the 2009 London Marathon for the children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent,[5] and also ran the Virgin London Marathon on 25 April 2010.[6] He is a patron of Llandudno Youth Musical Theatre.[6]
He became first known as Kev, a gay roofer in Tipyn O Stad, shown on Welsh-language channel S4C. He was a regular in several series (52 episodes) of this popular gritty Welsh television programme; he also appeared in S4C's Treflan as character Bob Lewis.[7] In 2009 he guested as Harri in the second series of Y Pris and as violent loan shark Craig Turner in Pobol Y Cwm (one episode, broadcast 11 September 2009).
Owen's first appearance on English-language UK television came in 2001, when he appeared as Buster Edwards in the episode Dog Dago Afternoon of series Fun at the Funeral Parlour.[8] In 2003 he guested in an episode of BBC One television series Casualty[2] (episode 392, Stuck In The Middle With You, 19 April 2003, as Danny).[9] In 2005 he played the character of Dave 'Shiner' Owen in all six episodes of the series Rocket Man, a BBC One television series about a man trying to launch his dead wife's ashes into space.[10]
2006 saw Owen cast as recurring character Rhys Williams in Torchwood, a spin-off from the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role for which he has become most renowned.[11] He was elevated to star billing for the third series, broadcast on BBC One in Summer 2009, reflecting his growing role in the series.[12] A fourth series of Torchwood — Torchwood: Miracle Day — was commissioned in June 2010[13] with confirmed involvement of Owen.[1]
Owen starred in an episode of Celebrity Ready Steady Cook with Torchwood co-star Tom Price (Andy) (recorded 26 August 2009, broadcast 8 January 2010).[6][14]
In 2011 Owen appeared in the first episode of the third series of Being Human as the character Bob, leader of a dogging pack.[15] He appears in the 14th episode of the seventh series of long running BBC school drama Waterloo Road as ex rugby pro Ken Watling. [16] He will next appear in the 2012 Kay Mellor scripted drama The Syndicate to be broadcast on BBC1. [17]
Owen regularly works on stage and in radio. Notable productions include:
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Syndicate | Unknown | Upcoming BBC Drama | |
| 2011 | Waterloo Road | Ken Watling | Episode #7.14 | |
| Being Human | Bob | Episode #3.1 - Lia | ||
| 2006 - 2011 | Torchwood | Rhys Williams | Series regular Children of Earth onwards | |
| 2005 | Rocket Man | David 'Shiner' Owen | Six episodes; main role | |
| 2003 | Casualty | Danny | TV episode - "Stuck in the Middle with You" | |
| 2001 | Fun at the Funeral Parlour | P.C Hertz | TV episode - The Jaws of Doom |