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Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Netflix’s latest reality TV hit Million Dollar Secret is here to fill the Traitors-shaped hole in our hearts. In the competition show, 12 non-celeb strangers are flown out to a lakeside chateau called The Stag, where one receives one million dollars. Unfortunately, the other 11 spend every waking minute trying to suss out the millionaire so they can take the money for themselves, eliminating one person every few days. When one person is left holding the cash, the winner takes all.
The new series has everything a reality competition fan could want, from the gorgeous locale that’s my new dream vacation to its scathing host directing the gameplay and dishing out clues for the players to obsess over. In Million Dollar Secret, the man in charge is British actor, writer, comedian, and media personality Peter Serafinowicz. Those who recognize the Brit from his film roles may know he has experience playing the scathing maître d’, though he’s currently busy serving campy quips rather than an array of weapons for John Wick.
With Million Dollar Secret currently airing, read on to learn more about Serafinowicz’s life outside of Million Dollar Secret.
Serafinowicz (center) presides over an elimination dinner with the Million Dollar Secret cast. | Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Peter Serafinowicz is a BAFTA-nominated actor and comedian who has appeared in a Marvel movie.
Peter Serafinowicz, 52, grew up in Liverpool, England, before making his entertainment debut in 1993. After several years of performing in radio shows, he transitioned to TV and worked with several U.K. comedy legends, including Simon Pegg and Veep creator Armando Iannucci. His first major film role was voicing Darth Maul in 2001’s Star Wars: Episode I –The Phantom Menace. In 2007, he created his own sketch-comedy program, The Peter Serafinowicz Show, which was nominated for a BAFTA.
Among his varied roles, Serafinowicz is best known for his comedic supporting roles in films and shows, including Shaun of the Dead, Couples Retreat, Parks and Recreation, Guardians of the Galaxy, John Wick: Chapter 2, Miracle Workers, The School for Good and Evil, and The Gentlemen. From 2016 to 2019, he starred as the titular superhero in Prime Video’s The Tick.
Serafinowicz is also a prolific voice actor in animated shows and video games, and outside his acting work, the comedian has been lauded for his impressions and political satire videos. In recent years, he has toured the U.K., playing one of the characters from his sketch series, Brian Butterfield.
Serafinowicz presents a cast medallion during a game. | Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
He’s been married to English actress Sarah Alexander for over 20 years.
In 2002, Serafinowicz met Sarah Alexander, a fellow British actor who was best known as an actress on ’90s TV shows. It is not publicly known when the pair got married, though they have publicly appeared together at events and in rare videos over the years. The couple reportedly shares two children and lives in London.
Stage and screen actress Alexander grew up in London and is best known for starring in British TV comedies, including The Armstrong & Miller Show, Smack the Pony, Coupling, The Worst Week of My Life, and Green Wing. She also appeared on the long-running crime drama Jonathan Creek from 2013 to 2016 and played Undine Thwaite in the Epix series Pennyworth. As for movies, she held an uncredited role in the beloved rom-com Bridget Jones’s Diary and played the witch Empusa in 2007’s Stardust.
Serafinowicz greets the cast in the trophy room. | Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
He was diagnosed with ADHD at age 40.
In a 2023 interview with iPaper, the Million Dollar Secret host opened up about being diagnosed with ADHD late in life. “I only found out 10 years ago, and really even more recently than that—like a year or two ago—realized just how severely it’s affected my life,” he told the outlet.
“Having ADHD for me, it’s like being a genius, and also being a total idiot,” he continued. “Some things I can do really super well, and there are some very, very, very basic things that I find almost impossible. I think that’s true for a lot of people with ADHD. Things that most people find tedious, but not impossible. Like, just keeping track of your bills, and your rent, and your laundry, and keeping your place tidy and remembering where to be.”
Recently, Serafinowicz also appeared on an episode of Dr. Mine Conkbayir and comedian Paul Whitehouse’s podcast “I’m ADHD! No You’re Not.”
