Todd McKenney

Todd McKenney (born 31 May 1965) is an Australian entertainer. He is best known for portraying Peter Allen in the musical The Boy from Oz and as a judge on Australian television show Dancing with the Stars.

Early life

McKenney grew up in Perth, where his father was a jail warden and his mother a dance teacher. They separated when he was 9. He began his entertainment career on a children's television show as Percy Penguin.

McKenney trained in jazz, tap, acrobatics and ballroom dancing. He represented Australia in ballroom and Latin American dancing, and won many international awards.

Career

McKenney has performed on stage since 1983 in productions including 42nd Street, The Pirates of Penzance, La Cage aux Folles, Singin' in the Rain, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the Musical. In 1992, he played the role of ballroom dancer Nathan Starkey in Baz Luhrmann's film Strictly Ballroom, alongside his future Dancing with the Stars co-star Sonia Kruger, as well as Paul Mercurio.

McKenney rose to fame in 1998 when he took the lead role of Peter Allen in the Australian production of The Boy from Oz. He performed the role 766 times between 1998 and 2000, however when the production went to Broadway in 2003, Hugh Jackman landed the role over McKenney.

Todd McKenney (politician)

Todd McKenney is a Judge of the Summit County Common Pleas Court, general division. McKenney formerly served as a Judge of the Summit County Common Pleas Court, Probate Division. He was formerly a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, serving the 43rd District from January 3, 2011 until resigning November 16, 2011 to take the Judicial Appointment from Governor John Kasich. Governor John Kasich appointed Judge Todd McKenney to fill the seat on the Barberton Municipal Court bench on April 11, 2014. In November 2014, Judge McKenney was elected to the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. He must run for a full term in 2016.

Career

After graduation from Hiram College and Ohio State University, McKenney served as a pastor and attorney. Before his election to the Statehouse, he served on New Franklin City Council.

Ohio House of Representatives

While Steve Dyer had served in the Statehouse for two terms, he was considered vulnerable in 2010, and House Republicans fielded McKenney to face him. While McKenney faced fellow Republican Nick Skeriotis in the primary, he won by about 900 votes. In the general election, McKenney went on to win against Dyer, defeating the incumbent by 5,000 votes.