Paul's first role was on the
ABC television series
The Colbys in 1986, as ballet dancer
Nikolai "Kolya" Rostov. This was followed by guest appearances on various television shows, including the aforementioned
Beauty and the Beast (1987), two episodes of
Tarzán (1991),
Murder, She Wrote (1992),
Relic Hunter (1999), and as himself in
WWE SmackDown (1999). He also appeared in a January 2003 episode of
Charmed and in the
Off-Broadway play
Bouncers (1987), as well as in the television films
Shooter (1988) and
The Cover Girl Murders (1993), the latter of which starred
Lee Majors. Paul's first film appearance was in the 1988 film
Last Rites, which starred
Tom Berenger. He starred in the remake
Masque of the Red Death, a re-telling of the
Edgar Allan Poe tale. He also appeared in
Sheena Easton's "Days Like This" music video as her love interest and
Duran Duran's "My Own Way" music video as a dancer. In 1989, he appeared in a regular role in the second season of the television series
War of the Worlds as John Kincaid, three episodes of the 1991
Dark Shadows remake as
Jeremiah Collins, and made a pilot for
CBS Television for a series called
The Owl (1991). In 2001, he starred in
Tracker. In 1992, Paul was cast in his most widely known role of
Duncan MacLeod in the syndicated television series
Highlander: The Series, which first aired in October 1992. He would portray the role on and off for the next 15 years, also starring in the big screen sequel
Highlander: Endgame (2000), and the television film
Highlander: The Source, released on the
Sci-Fi Channel on 15 September 2007. Other films in which he has starred or co-starred are
Dance to Win (1989),
Love Potion No. 9 (1992), ''Dead Men Can't Dance
(1997), Susan's Plan (1998), Merlin: The Return (1999) as Lancelot, Convergence
(1999), The Void (2001), The Breed (2001), Storm Watch (2002), Nemesis Game (2003) Throttle (2005), and Phantom Below (2005). In 2006, he co-starred in the horror film Séance and in Little Chicago
. A year later, Paul appeared as Ananias Dare in the Sci-Fi Channel original film Wraiths of Roanoke'' (2007). Also in 2007, Paul played the lead role in the TV movie
Tides of War as Commander Frank Habley, a gay officer in charge of a submarine that infiltrates North Korean waters where he instinctively discovers a secret stealth North Korean submarine and destroys it. The fleeting moments of Commander Habley and fellow officer Tom Palatonia's (played by
Mike Doyle) relationship come to an abrupt end due to a fire aboard the submarine where Tom is killed while fighting the blaze.
Tides of War also costars
Matthew St. Patrick of
Six Feet Under fame as Lieutenant Commander Steven Barker. In 2008, Paul began voice acting the character of Patrick O'Brien in the animated
War of the Worlds television show. He starred as Sir
Francis Drake in the Sci-Fi Channel original film
The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake (2009), the futuristic thriller
Eyeborgs (2009), and the thriller-drama
The Heavy (2010). In 2012, Paul did a character voice-over in the Malaysian animated science fiction film
War of the Worlds: Goliath. Paul starred in the 2013 science fiction film
AE: Apocalypse Earth, a post-apocalyptic action-adventure film. In 2015, he made a guest appearance as Commandant Leitner in
Strike Back. In March 2019, he joined the
CW series
Arrow in a recurring role, playing a villainous character named
Dante. ==Personal life==