- Michael McKenna (Shortland Street)
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Michael McKenna Michael in the first ever episode. Shortland Street character Portrayed by Paul Gittins Introduced by Caterina De Nave (1992)
Simon Bennett (1997, 1998)Duration 1992–95, 1997, 1998–99 First appearance 25 May 1992
episode 1Last appearance 21 January 1999
episode 1655Classification Past; regular Profile Date of death 21 January 1999 Occupation Doctor
Former CEO of Shortland Street HospitalFamily Wife Alex Wilson Mother May McKenna Stepfather George Bentley Sons Jonathon McKenna Daughters Rachel McKenna Dr. Michael McKenna is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera, Shortland Street. He was portrayed by Paul Gittins[1] and was part of the original cast.
Contents
Creation and Casting
Established actor Paul Gittins was cast but struggled to keep up with the fast schedule.[2] However after crew realized Gittins performed better towards the end of the week, all his scenes were filmed late on Fridays.[2] After settling into the role, Gittins highly enjoyed it and learnt a lot from his younger co stars.[2]
Storylines
1992-1999
Michael is introduced as the hard working, efficient CEO. He has constant feuds with beginner doctor Chris Warner due to the fact his father Bruce was a business rival of Michael's. Michael started a power relationship with nursing manager Carrie however the two didn't last and Michael turned to drinking heavily as a substitute. His alcoholism stopped when he started dating the beautiful early 20's Julianne.
Michael's 16 year old daughter, Rachel McKenna arrives to the hospital in 1993 and breaks up Michael and Julianne. Michael's estranged wife Alex McKenna arrives and soon the two renew their vowels and get back together. Michael's son Jonathon arrives and Michael is shown to be very proud of him however Rachel spitefully reveals Jonathon is gay and Michael struggles to come to terms with his son's sexuality including banning him from seeing boyfriend, Jamie Forrest.
In 1994 Michael, still struggling to accept his son, saves Jonathon and Jamie from a group of homophobic drunks and learns just how important his son is to him. After failing to pay enough attention to Alex, she has a facelift and falls into a coma due to her medication. Many suspect Michael of attempting to murder his wife but he discovers she forged her own medication slip. Alex surfaces from the coma and the couple go on a cruise together.
In 1995 Michael suffered a heart attack and left the hospital for a short while. When he returned, he and Alex decided to move to a life style block far away from Ferndale. Michael sold his shares in the hospital to Chris' father and the two left.
In 1997, Nick Harrison, scared of Rachel's increasing addiction to alcohol, contacts Michael to sort Rachel out. Michael visits and it appears that Rachel stops her alcoholism for a short period.
Michael returns to Ferndale in late 1998 to visit his daughter and inform her of the apparent death of her mother, Alex. While still on a trip to see his daughter, Michael suffers a heart attack in 1999 and is taken to hospital. He guides Rachel on how to stop a takeover when his condition worsens and he dies.
References
- ^ "Paul Gittins". NZonscreen. unspecified. http://www.nzonscreen.com/person/paul-gittins. Retrieved August 2011.
- ^ a b c "Paul Gittins - from Doctor to Director". nzonscreen.co.nz. NZonscreen. October 2011. http://screentalk.nzonscreen.com/interviews/paul-gittins-from-doctor-to-director. Retrieved October 2011.
Shortland Street Characters Chris Warner · Rachel McKenna · Harry Warner · Vinnie Kruse · Sarah Potts · Daniel Potts · TK Samuels · Callum McKay · Hunter McKay · Luke Durville · Brooke Freeman · Gabrielle Jacobs · Maxwell Avia · Nicole Miller · Wendy Cooper · Ula Levi · Vasa Levi · Phoenix Raynor · Evan Cooper · Jasmine Cooper · Bella Cooper · Murray Cooper · Roimata Ngatai · Jill Kingsbury · Zlata Waldheim
Current Shortland Street Characters · Original Character ListStorylines Other Original Cast of Shortland Street Michael McKenna · Chris Warner · Meredith Fleming · Hone Ropata · Carrie Burton · Jaki Manu · Steve Mills · Sam Aleni · Alison Raynor · Tom Neilson · Stuart Neilson · Marjorie Neilson · Kirsty Knight · Jenny Harrison · Nick Harrison · Gina RossiMichael McKenna | Jonathan McKenna | Rachel McKenna |
Spouses: Alex McKenna | Nick Harrison | Daniel Buchanan | Jeremy TylerCategories:- Shortland Street characters
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