Star in waiting: Draxl dazzles Hollywood

It's hard to believe that 10 years have passed since a 16-year-old Tim Draxl took the cabaret world by storm.

Now, the Australian actor, music theatre and cabaret star is making huge inroads in his movie career in Hollywood and is currently making his second major Hollywood feature and will move on to his third feature in two weeks.

In each of his upcoming films he is either playing the lead or co-lead and while for whatever reason he may not have the profile of some other ex-pats, there is little doubt that the former star of The Sound of Music is about to hit the big time.

Draxl is proving with his success in films that it is possible to start a career in cabaret in Australia and branch out to wherever one chooses.

Draxl has one major film In My Sleep ready for release later in the year, and is currently playing the leading role of a concert pianist in the much anticipated new film Ivory, which also stars Academy award winner Martin Landau, Fantastic Four star Beau Garrett and Australian model turned actor Travis Fimmel. The movie is being shot in Oklahoma and various locations in Europe including a shoot in Rome. At the conclusion of filming, Draxl will move immediately to the starring role in a big budget thriller Red Canyon to be shot in Utah.

It's not the first time America has been dazzled by Draxl. At 17, he played various high profile cabaret rooms in New York and at 19 won the MAC Award (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs) as "best new talent".

In early 2000 Tim began inroads in film and after a small role in the Bryan Brown thriller Dirty Deeds, played a leading role opposite Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis in the Australian film Swimming Upstream that had a big international release.

Agent and producer Les Solomon, who was instrumental in Draxl's early career and most recently produced his Live @ El Rocco shows in 2005, says it's fantastic to see him achieving such milestones.

"Probably the most gratifying thing about Tim Draxl's success in films is that it proves someone can get their first start in the cabaret world and use this attention to fuel other aspects of their career," Solomon said.

"I am constantly proud of Tim's success. He is a very fine actor."