Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (/ˈdɒmɪnɪk ˈmɒnəhæn/; born 8 December 1976) is an English actor. Monaghan first gained fame for being Hetty Wainthropp\'s sidekick Geoffrey in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996–98). He then played Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson\'s epic film trilogy The Lord of the Rings (2001–03) based on the novel of the same name by J.R.R Tolkien, Charlie Pace on the television show Lost (2004–2010), and Chris Bradley in superhero film X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). He currently hosts the nature program Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan (2012–present).\n', '

Monaghan was born in Berlin, West Germany, to British parents: Maureen, a nurse, and Austin Monaghan, a science teacher. He also has a half brother named Luke Twardowski-Reid. His older brother Matthew is the main songwriter and co-lead vocalist of the indie band Radiosepia. Monaghan\'s family lived in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart and Münster, moving about every four years. When he was about 11 years old, his family moved from Germany to Heaton Moor in Stockport, England. In Stockport, he attended St Anne\'s Roman Catholic High School (where his uncle taught and later became head teacher) and Aquinas College, where he studied English literature, drama and geography.\n', '

Although Monaghan held many occupations when he was younger, he always wanted to be an actor. After his second year at St. Anne\'s, Monaghan became a regular in school plays such as Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol and Bugsy Malone before joining the Manchester Youth Theatre. There, he was scouted for Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, on which he played Hetty\'s under-aged sidekick, Geoffrey Shawcross, for four series. He made his feature-film debut as Russian sailor Sasha in the TV film Hostile Waters. \n', '

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