Fergus Kearney
| Fergus Kearney | |||||||||||||||||
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| Shortland Street character | |||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Paul Ellis | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998–2001, 2002 | ||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 30 November 1995 | ||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 4 September 2002 | ||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Gavin Strawhan (1995) Simon Bennett (1997, 1998) Harriet Crampton (2002) |
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| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||
| Other names | David Kearney, (birth name) | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Manager of the Dogs Day Inn (2000–01) | ||||||||||||||||
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| Father | David Kearney |
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| Mother | Isobel Kearney |
| Stepmother | Ellen Crozier |
| Brothers | Sean Kearney |
| Half-brothers | Bradley Kearney |
| Half-sisters | Rose Crozier-Kearney |
| Aunts | Liz Stokes |
| First cousins | Anne Stokes Robert Stokes |
David Fergus Kearney is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Paul Ellis for numerous recurring stints from 1995 to 1999 before becoming a regular character until 2001. The character returned briefly in 2002.
Fergus arrived to New Zealand screens in 1995 as a homeless teenager who got help from Guy Warner (Craig Parker). Producers were impressed by Ellis and the role was rewritten so that he was the son of established character – David Kearney (Peter Elliott) and he was reintroduced several months later. Although at first he was an antagonistic badboy, Fergus developed into a character "with a heart". His story lines were at times, highly topical, these included ethical scenarios such as: homelessness, the diagnosis of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Neo-Nazi cultism and illegal immigration. He had two long running romances including a teenage relationship with step sister Minnie Crozier (Katrina Devine) and an engagement to Waverley Wilson (Claire Chitham), that resulted in his exit from the soap.
Fergus has since gone down as a memorable character with his exit timed alongside the soaps infamous 2001 revamp that saw the axing of 14 characters. His romance storyline with Waverley and the couple's ill fated wedding have gone down as iconic in the soap's history, being voted by fans as one of the top 20 moments.
Paul Ellis auditioned for Shortland Street at the age of 18 but did not win the part. However the casting directors took a liking to Ellis and hired him as a two-week role of Fergus; a homeless bad boy who was in a group of squatters Guy Warner helped. After the stint ended, producers were impressed by Ellis' interpretation of the character and rewrote the character so that he was the son of clinic CEO – David Kearney. Ellis was signed to a recurring basis and returned several months later. In 1998, Ellis became a regular cast member. In 2000 Ellis made headlines when it was suggested he was axed by Shortland Street producers. Ellis later spoke out against the rumours and stated it was his wish to leave the show after he stopped learning about acting while appearing.
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