FORMER USA RUGBY LEAGUE STAR DEBUTS WITH DISNEY'S LION KING

Actor Geno Segers plays Mufasa in the stage musical The Lion King which is set to open in Melbourne at the end of July.

Giant second rower, Geno Segers, who played for the USA Rugby League team in the Emerging Nations World Cup in England in 1995 and the World Sevens in Sydney in 1994 has landed the starring role in the Disney production of a Lion King, which opens in Australia this week.

Geno who hails from Salem, North Carolina was an All American Division One Linebacker in College at Eastern Carolina, where he played alongside Philadelphia Eagles All Pro NFL player Clyde Simmonds. At 6' 6" and 260lbs, Geno was an imposing figure on the Rugby League field with amazing athletic ability for such a big man.

Everyone involved with the American National Rugby League congratulate Geno on his post Rugby League achievements.

Lion King performer Geno Segers came to show-business by a very roundabout route. The former sports junkie from North Carolina,USA, was playing Rugby League for New Zealand's Richmond when the opportunity came to audition.

The show's producers looked at more than 4000 people over two years in the leadup to the Australian production. Geno, now a veteran of more than 700 performances during the record breaking Sydney run, plays Mufasa - "Simba's dad". Snapped up by the producers of the musical, he is now having a ball with The Lion King and is looking forward to the show opening in Melbourne on July 28.