Biographie
Bay Abbey was born in Brighton, Australia, to Ronald and Fortune Abeydeera. His mother, Fortune, was an entertainer who traveled the world as a cabaret artist, while his father worked as a bank manager. Of Sri Lankan heritage, Bay also has Dutch, Portuguese, and German ancestry. Originally named Stefan Jason Abeydeera, he later changed his name to Bay Abbey to simplify pronunciation and create a memorable stage name.
He grew up with his younger sister Yasmine, who is 11 years his junior and a singer. His childhood was shared with his parents, sister, and grandparents, who lived with them and greatly influenced his life, especially his grandfather Edward. To help him defend himself, his parents enrolled him in Judo at age 5 and Tae Kwon Do at 11, where he earned a black belt. Fascinated by the movement of the human body, Bay began weightlifting and bodybuilding at 17, the same year he completed his high school certificate. He was accepted into La Trobe University to study Biological Sciences but left after one year to join the Victorian Police Force in 1989. During his six years in the force, he formed his first band, Wild Knights, and started taking minor roles in film and television, often portraying police officers.
Seeking to improve his acting skills, Bay took various courses, including training at the National Theatre in St. Kilda and studying method acting. Due to limited roles for his ethnicity in Australia, he joined an agency specializing in multicultural actors. During this time, he toured the cabaret circuit as a singer, actor, and dancer, and landed a small role in the 2001 television movie The Diamond of Jeru with Billy Zane. He also auditioned for The Quiet American alongside Brendan Fraser and secured a part that was ultimately cut from the final script.
Bay continued to obtain television roles in shows like Stingers (1999, 2003) and Neighbours (2006), and was cast in two Jonathan Shiff productions: Scooter Secret Agent (2005) and Pirate Island (2007). In 2007, he was credited as a co-star in the feature film Lords of the Underworld, filmed in Los Angeles.
