Kristian Bruun is a Canadian actor who is known for his roles in “Murdoch Mysteries” and “Orphan Black.” He plays the role of Donnie, Alison’s husband and he has made the character blossom. He didn’t start out as such a good guy on the series, but he’s been making progress towards becoming a truly decent human being. Fans love him good or bad and here are five things that you didn’t know about him.
Kristian Bruun is his professional name
Many actors and actresses choose to go by a name other than the one given them at birth. Kristian has kept parts, but has shortened it. He was born Charles Kristian Bonnycastle Bruun. The name is really cool, but it’s a bit on the long side so he made it shorter so it would roll of the tongue a little easier. He was born in Toronto Canada and attended Queens University.
Bruun lived in Berlin, Germany
He didn’t speak German when he first moved there. Nor did he have a job, friends or a place to live, but he moved there anyway. He wasn’t thrilled with his initial experience there, but once he became accustomed to it, he actually fell in love with the country. He’s actually a very brave guy to go out on a limb like that. After living there for a year, he was cast in a London play that lasted for two months.
He is humanitarian and does volunteer work
Kristian regularly volunteers to work on the behalf of tsunami victims in Sri Lanka. Many fans don’t know this about him because he doesn’t do it for the publicity. He has a heart for people in need. Bruun first went in 2007, to help rebuild homes for people who were displaced because of the catastrophe. He has made five return trips to work with special aid organizations and contribute to the rebuilding process that is currently bringing relief to the victims there.
He almost didn’t take the role of Donnie in “Orphan Black”
The casting for the series began in 2012 and this was a time in Kristian’s life when he was the star of Eigengrau, a British play. He flatly refused to do any auditions because all of his time was being taken up with the play. It may have either been luck or providence that they were unsuccessful at finding anyone to fill the role. He auditioned for the part when the next round of auditions were held and the rest is history.
He attended Military school
Kristian was a fan of music and his family had a strong tie to the military. He started out playing violin at the age of three. In addition, he can also play the guitar and mandolin. Most fans didn’t know that he’s a talented musician in addition to his success as an actor. He learned to read music at a very early age and also took up the trumpet. Bruun was awarded a trumpet scholarship to the Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania. It was after this experience that he attended Queen’s University in Canada.
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