Dean McCarthy (actor)

Dean McCarthy (born 25 January 1992) is an Irish actor, dancer and model best known for his performance as Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical, based on the film Billy Elliot.

He started dancing when he was 6 years old with Diggs Lane Dance Studio which is now called bFamous and run by Brendan Scully.

In 2005, McCarthy landed in the role as The Bully in an Irish short film titled Mac an Athar.

In 2006, McCarthy was selected to play the title role of Billy in London's West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical in the Victoria Palace Theatre. Shortly after being selected for the role he made a dance appearance on the long running Irish talk show The Late Late Show hosted by Pat Kenny and was interviewed by Dustin the Turkey on Irish children's show The Den. McCarthy's first performance as Billy was on 4 December 2006.

McCarthy continued to perform as Billy until April 2007 when he sustained a shoulder injury and had to leave the show for several months. He returned to the role on 20 August 2007 however he aggravated his shoulder injury and although he completed the show he never performed the role again. On 4 October 2007 the show held its 1000th performance and he was brought on stage to lead the cast in the finale dance after which it was announced that he was officially leaving the company.