Michael Dorman is a New Zealand-born Australian actor. He is best known for his starring roles as Tom Wilcox in Wonderland (2013–2015), John Tavner in Patriot (2015–2018), NASA astronaut Gordo Stevens in For All Mankind (2019–2021; 2026), and the title character in Joe Pickett (2021–2023).
Early life and education Michael Dorman was born in Auckland, New Zealand. His mother's side of the family is Māori (specifically, Ngāti Porou people from the east coast of North Island), and his father's ancestors are .
He moved to Australia with his family at the age of ten, and settled in Bundaberg, Queensland, where he attended Bundaberg State High School. He subsequently studied for a degree in drama at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.
Career Dorman's first role was as Christian on The Secret Life of Us. He was a fan of the show when it premiered in 2001 and he was in his final year of university. He landed the role in 2002 after having moved to Sydney.
One of Dorman's breakthrough performances came in the Australian film Suburban Mayhem (2006). Other lead roles followed in the Australian films Prime Mover (2009) and Needle (2010), as well as supporting work on further Australian films such as West (2007), Acolytes (2008), Triangle (2009), Daybreakers (2009) and Killer Elite (2011). He also featured in a main role as Tom Wilcox in the Australian television comedy-drama Wonderland for the entirety of its run (2013–2015).
After befriending Russell Crowe while working on The Water Diviner (2014), Crowe paid for Dorman's flight to the United States to further his acting career there. He picked up significant roles in TV series For All Mankind and Patriot, and a small role in blockbuster film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).
He returned to Australia and was living there as of 2018.
Dorman went on to star as Tom Griffin in the horror film The Invisible Man and as Jesse in Hard Luck Love Song (both 2020).
In 2021, it was announced that he would star as the title character of the American TV series Joe Pickett, based on the books by C. J. Box. The show premiered for viewing on the Spectrum Network in December 2021 and Paramount+ streaming service in February 2022.
He was cast as Gol D. Roger in the 2023 Netflix series One Piece, US/UK/Japan co-production, and played Graham Lawson in the 2024 Netflix Australian series Territory. On 20 November 2025, Dorman was announced for ABC television series Treasure & Dirt in the lead role.
Music Dorman is also a musician. He has performed live supporting musicians such as Alex Lloyd, The Beautiful Girls, and Abbe May, as well as at festivals, including Peats Ridge, Woodford, and Homebake Festivals.
Recognition and awards Dorman was nominated for a Silver Logie for Best Lead Actor in a Drama in the 2025 Logie Awards, for his performance in Territory.
Filmography Film Year Title RoleNotes 2001 Spudmonkey Trent 2005 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous Jamie 2006 Suburban Mayhem Rusty 2007 West Mick 2008 Acolytes Gary Parker2009 Prime Mover Thomas Triangle Greg Daybreakers Frankie Dalton 2010 Needle Ben Rutherford2011 Killer Elite Jake Sleeping Beauty Cook 2014 The Water Diviner Greeves 2016 Goldstone Patch 2017 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales First Officer Wade2020The Invisible Man Tom Griffin Hard Luck Love Song Jesse
Television Year Title RoleNotes 2002–2005 The Secret Life of Us Christian Hayden Main cast 2005 Small Claims: White Wedding Sean Television film 2006 The Silence Eddison Television film2011 Sea Patrol Travis Episode: "The Hunted" Rescue: Special Ops Will Pike Episode: "True Romance" Wild Boys Dan Sinclair 10 episodes Blood Brothers Jeff Gillham Television film 2012 Underbelly: Badness Paul Leaske Episode: "Strike Force Tuno"2013 The Time of Our Lives Joel 3 episodes Reef Doctors Scottie Episode #1.11 Serangoon Road Conrad Harrison Miniseries, 10 episodes 2013–2015 Wonderland Tom Wilcox 44 episodes 2015–2018 Patriot John Tavner 18 episodes 2016 Black Comedy Guest Cast Episode #2.6 2019–2021; 2026 For All Mankind Gordo Stevens 21 episodes 2020 The Secrets She Keeps Jack O'Shaughnessy 6 episodes 2021–2023 Joe Pickett Joe Pickett 20 episodes 2023- One Piece Gol D. Roger 2 episodes 2024 Territory Graham Lawson 6 episodes2026Treasure & Dirt Ivan LucicTV series
Theatre Year Title Role Notes 2000 Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean Joe QUT2001 The Taming of the Shrew Lucentio QUT The Art of Success Frank QUT 48 Shades of Brown Dan La Boite Theatre Company
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