Paul grew up in Manor House, North London, attending Clissold Park Secondary School, Hackney, from the age of 11. He played a member of a gang in "The Destructors", a 1975 episode of the TV series Shades of Greene. At the age of 14 he enrolled at the Anna Scher Theatre School. He appeared in the film Bugsy Malone at 14, and in an episode of police dramaThe Sweeney at the age of 16. In 1978, he played Paul Ross in Trevor Preston's innovative crime drama Out. A year later, he took the background role of convict Betts in the cinematic re-make of controversial borstal film Scum. Betts' character was notable in the film, as he was the only one seen to be released - albeit temporarily, for his wedding. He spent much of the 1980s on stage, working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and played a major role in Going Out, about a group of teenagers in the Portsmouth area. He took a part in lukewarmly-received ITV sitcom Tripper's Day in 1984. Set in a supermarket, this was the final television work undertaken by distinguished British actorLeonard Rossiter prior to his sudden death. Paul stayed in the series when it was re-cast with Bruce Forsyth two years later and renamed Slinger's Day.
The Bill
In 1989, he joined The Bill, the long-running police serial, as PC Dave Quinnan. He had previously appeared as a witness to a crime in series 3, in the episode entitled "Missing, Presumed Dead". When the series decided to focus more on the officers themselves and less on crime, Quinnan was given a number of serious story lines. These included being kicked almost to death by a gang of thugs and having to spend several weeks in hospital on a drip, falling in love with a colleague's girlfriend and having an affair with her, and then having an extramarital relationship himself with PC Polly Page. The character was eventually transferred after successfully undertaking undercover work. This tied in with Paul's decision to leave The Bill after 13 years. In 2019, actor Andrew Paul shared his memories of the series during an in-depth interview about his life and career for
Later work
He briefly played Maxwell Moon in the popular BBCsoap operaEastEnders and went on to be a regular cast member in Where the Heart Is, playing Billy Boothe, until the series was axed in 2006. He has recently guest starred in City Homicide and Dracula. He appeared in the ITV series of Lewis shown on ITV and ITV3 in 2014. In June 2015, Paul started appearing in Coronation Street as brewery worker Dan Jones, a love interest for Liz McDonald. On 29 October 2016 he made a guest appearance in Casualty. In 2017, he guest starred in the fifth and final season of Episodes. In 2018, in an episode of ITV's Endeavour entitled Quartet, he played Joe Dozier, a tobacconist/drinker/wife-beater. part of an embedded spy ring in Oxford. This appearance makes him one of the few actors to have had parts in all three Inspector Morse TV series.
