Rising TV star Kai Owen, star of Torchwood and Rocket Man, is Llanrwst born and bred - and extremely proud of it.
Kai had his first big break playing the role of Shiner opposite Robson Green in the BBC drama Rocket Man, about a man trying to send his wife's ashes into space.
But Kai has his feet firmly on the ground, as a local boy who still misses the people of Llanrwst. 'If I could do what I do here in London and still live in Llanrwst I'd be very happy,' says Kai, who has retained links with Llanrwst Football Club and other North Wales groups.
His father Mark is a GMB union official and his mother Yvonne is a cleaner at the British Legion Club. Living first at Cae Person and then George Street, Kai went to Watling Street Primary School and Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy.
He loved his school days, playing in goal for the senior school football team and also enjoying rugby.
His interest in the stage had surfaced early on - at Capel Cae Person Sunday School, where Iona Jenkins introduced him to recitation, and then at the Urdd, where he was further encouraged by Dennis Davies.
At senior school he appeared in Oliver and Fiddler on the Roof, his budding talent nurtured by music teacher George Lloyd and English and Drama teacher Joy Ostle, who were extremely important in his development.
'I wouldn't be doing what I am today without those two,' he says.
After leaving school aged 18 he went to the Mountview Theatre School in North London for three years, graduating in 1996.
His first professional role was as Ariel in The Tempest at Stafford Castle.
After theatre roles - he is still an associate actor at Theatr Clwyd - he hit our TV screens in Casualty and Welsh programmes such as Treflan and Tipyn o Stad.
He lives in East Finchley with his actor fiancée Sarah Wilson.
Torchwood, created by top Welsh TV writer Russell T Davies, is a spin-off from the science fiction series Doctor Who.
It features the Cardiff branch of the fictional Torchwood Institute, which deals mainly with incidents involving extraterrestrials.
Kai appeared in pantomime as Dick Whittington at Llandudno's Venue Cymru in 2008.
Kai talks on BBC Radio Wales about Torchwood and running half marathons.
Playing the part of Rhys in Torchwood and Shiner in Rocket Man.
