Kai Owen

Owen was born in the town 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]

He ran the 2009 London Marathon for the children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent,[4] and also ran the Virgin London Marathon on 25 April 2010.[5] He is a patron of Llandudno Youth Musical Theatre.[5]

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.[6] 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; he appeared in a similar guest role in the show in August and in October 2012).

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.[7] 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).[8] 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.[9]

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.[10] He was elevated to star billing for the third series, broadcast on BBC One in summer 2009, reflecting his growing role in the series.[11] He reprised his role in the fourth series of Torchwood - Torchwood: Miracle Day, broadcast during summer 2011.

Owen appeared in an episode of Celebrity Ready Steady Cook with Torchwood co-star Tom Price (Andy) (recorded 26 August 2009, broadcast 8 January 2010).[5][12]

In 2011 Owen appeared in the first episode of the third series of Being Human as Bob, leader of a dogging pack.[13] He appears in the 14th episode of the seventh series of long running BBC school drama Waterloo Road as former rugby pro Ken Watling.[14] He appeared in an episode of the 2012 Kay Mellor drama The Syndicate, broadcast on BBC One.[15]

In 2015 Owen joined the cast of the channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks playing Pete, the ex-partner of Reenie McQueen (Zöe Lucker) and a perpetrator of child abuse. In preparation for the role he liaised with the NSPCC.[16]

• Kai Owen at IMDb
• Official website
• Kai Owen's channel on YouTube