Netflix's hit political drama The Diplomat is in large part a show about the complicated marriage between Kate and Hal Wyler, but that doesn't mean our heroine Kate (played by Keri Russell) has no other love interests. For the show's first two seasons, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. had a simmering flirtation with the British Foreign Secretary. In season 3, which premiered on October 16, a newly-separated Kate finally gets to explore a romance with a Brit...but it's not Dennison.
Enter Callum Ellis, an enigmatic new hottie played by Irish actor Aidan Turner. Introduced as a British bird-watcher, it soon becomes clear that Callum is a spy and negotiator whose relationship with Kate goes beyond professional. Though the season 3 finale leaves Kate's romantic prospects up in the air, episode 7 makes it clear that Hal has some serious competition for Kate's heart.
For any new Kallum shippers out there, it's time to learn more about Aidan Turner, including what Netflix show to check out next to get more of the dashing star.
Kate (Keri Russell) and Callum (Aidan Turner) in episode 7.
Aidan Turner is a 42-year-old Irish actor and former ballroom dancer.
Aidan Turner, who grew up in the suburbs of Dublin, Ireland, has experience in a different sector of the performing arts. He was a competitive ballroom dancer as a teenager, who once placed in the Irish National Championships. After graduating high school, he briefly worked with his father as an apprentice electrician.
In 2015, Turner recalled how he got his start in acting during an interview with the Irish Independent. "I saw a notice up in Dublin’s Gaiety School of Acting. I didn’t know anything about this world at all," he said. "I felt intimidated from the get-go and thought: that’s just right for me. The sense of potential failure is a buzz."
Callum and Kate (center) during the luncheon in episode 5.
Aidan Turner is best known for starring in 'Poldark' (which just hit Netflix).
After graduating from acting school in 2004, Turner mostly did stage roles before making his television debut in an uncredited role on The Tudors in 2007. His breakout projects included playing a vampire on the 2009 British series Being Human, starring as werewolf Luke Carroway in the 2013 adaptation of The Mortal Instruments, and playing dwarf Kili in The Hobbit film trilogy.
In 2015, Turner landed his first leading television role in the BBC period drama Poldark, where he played the titular British soldier. The five-season series, which arrived on Netflix earlier this month, followed a sprawling family dealing with a rapidly-changing society in the wake of the American Revolutionary War.
Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark
After Poldark, Turner took up another historical role, playing the titular character in an Italian series about inventor Leonardo DaVinci. Last year, he starred alongside David Tennant and Alex Hassell in Hulu's Jilly Cooper adaptation Rivals (which has been renewed for a second season).
Aidan Turner is married to a 'Succession' and 'We Were Liars' star.
In August 2020, Turner married actress Caitlin FitzGerald, 43, in a private ceremony in Rome. FitzGerald's best known for starring in shows like Masters of Sex, Sweetbitter, Succession, and We Were Liars. The couple reportedly met while filming the 2018 movie The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot, and dated for three years. In January 2022, they welcomed their first child.
Caitlin Fitzgerald and Aidan Turner attend the BAFTA Gala 2024 in London, England.
Though the pair are notoriously private—neither of them have public Instagrams—Turner has occasionally opened up about his family life in interviews. Last year, he told Red Magazine about how he and FitzGerald balance their busy careers by keeping an "open dialogue" on who takes on the next project.
"I mean, our lives have changed a lot and not a lot at the same time, if you know what I mean," he told the outlet. "We’re still both working. We’re still both lucky that way. We can keep working and keep our family life together, and everything is just great and happy."