Christopher Hemsworth[3] was born on 11 August 1983[4] inMelbourne,[5] to Leonie (née van Os),[6] an English teacher, and Craig Hemsworth, a social-services counsellor.[7][8] He is the second of three sons, followingLuke (b. 1980) and precedingLiam (b. 1990); both of them are also actors. His maternal grandfather is a Dutch immigrant and his maternal grandmother is of Irish descent;[9][non-primary source needed] on his paternal line he is of English, Scottish, and German ancestry.[6]
He was brought up both in Melbourne and in theOutback inBulman, Northern Territory. He has said, "My earliest memories were on the cattle stations up in the Outback, and then we moved back to Melbourne and then back out there and then back again. Certainly most of my childhood was in Melbourne but probably my most vivid memories were up there [in Bulman] with crocodiles and buffalo. Very different walks of life."[5] He attended high school atHeathmont College[5] before his family again returned to the Northern Territory, and then moved a few years later toPhillip Island.[10]
Career
Early work (2002–2010)
Hemsworth started his career by appearing in several television series. In 2002, Hemsworth starred in three episodes of fantasy television seriesGuinevere Jones asKing Arthur, as well as making an appearance in soap opera seriesNeighbours and one episode ofMarshall Law. The following year, he appeared in an episode ofThe Saddle Club. In 2004, Hemsworth auditioned for the role ofRobbie Hunter in Australian soap operaHome and Away. He did not receive the part, but was subsequently recalled for the part ofKim Hyde. He moved to Sydney to join the cast, appearing in 171 episodes of the series.[11] He left the cast ofHome and Away on 3 July 2007. Hemsworth later remarked that although he became more visible afterHome and Away, his work on a soap opera did not earn him respect within the film industry.[12]
Hemsworth was a contestant on thefifth season ofDancing with the Stars Australia, partnered with professional dancer Abbey Ross. The season premiered on 26 September 2006, and after six weeks, Hemsworth was eliminated on 7 November. Hemsworth's appearance in the franchise almost cost him the role of Thor, as producers of the Marvel film franchise feared fans would be put off.[13]
In 2009, Hemsworth playedJames T. Kirk's father,George Kirk, in the opening scenes ofJ. J. Abrams' filmStar Trek. The role was initially offered toMatt Damon, who turned it down; Abrams appreciated Hemsworth taking on the role.[14] Josh Tyler ofCinemaBlend was impressed with Hemsworth, describing the actor's scene as the "best five minutes I've spent in a movie theater this year."[15] The film was a box office success, grossing US$385.7 million.[16] That same year, Hemsworth played the character Kale Garrity in the thrillerA Perfect Getaway. It received mixed reviews,[17][18] but Hemsworth was praised for his "appropriately intimidating" performance of a "thuggish backpacker."[19] Paul Young ofScreen Rant also praised Hemsworth's performance as "solid."[20]
Hemsworth went on to play Sam in 2010'sCa$h alongside English actorSean Bean, which was the first film he shot when he arrived in the United States. The film's director,Stephen Milburn Anderson, said Hemsworth had only been in the United States for six weeks when he had auditioned for the role, recalling, "Here's a guy who is young, has the right look, is a very good actor and, let's face it, he's beautiful. So I say, we need to get this guy in. I was very impressed".[21] In November 2010,The Hollywood Reporter named Hemsworth one of the young male actors who are "pushing – or being pushed" onto the Hollywood "A-List".[22]
Hemsworth shot the horror filmThe Cabin in the Woods shortly after the release ofStar Trek, but it went unreleased until 2012. It garnered positive reviews,[33] and his portrayal of Alpha male jock Curt Vaughan was described by Alison Foreman ofMashable as his "sexiest" role yet.[34] Hemsworth later starred oppositeKristen Stewart in the filmSnow White and the Huntsman (2012) as the Huntsman. Although a commercial success, grossing US$396 million worldwide,[35] it received mixed reviews.[36] Critics were critical of Hemsworth and Stewart's onscreen chemistry, and Angela Watercutter ofWired felt the characters were "not fully fleshed-out."[37] Hemsworth was cast as Jed Eckert in the 2012Red Dawn remake after MGM sawdailies footage of a scene fromThe Cabin in the Woods;[38] he was cast as Thor two days after being cast inRed Dawn.[38] The film was abox-office bomb, grossing only US$50 million against a production budget of US$65 million,[39] and received negative reviews.[40]
Hemsworth in 2013
In 2013, Hemsworth starred inRon Howard's sports drama filmRush, as1976Formula 1 World ChampionJames Hunt.[41] Henry Barnes ofThe Guardian was impressed with Hemsworth's performance, praising the actor for delivering the "superb script" with "some mastery."[42] Later that year, Hemsworth reprised the role of Thor for the sequel toThor inThor: The Dark World (2013).[43] Although a commercial success with a worldwide gross of US$644.6 million,[44] the film became the lowest-rated film in the MCU franchise on thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes at 66% approval rating.[45] The chemistry between Hemsworth and Hiddleston was praised by critics; Ben Child ofThe Guardian wrote, "Thanks to Hiddleston and Hemsworth's impressive collective charisma,Thor: The Dark World is far from a franchise killer."[46]
In 2015, Hemsworth starred in directorMichael Mann's action thrillerBlackhat, oppositeViola Davis.[47] The film bombed at the box office[48] and was poorly received.[49] For many critics, a significant issue of the film was the casting of Hemsworth as a hacker;[50]Christy Lemire of theChicago Sun-Times remarked, "Anyone who makes [their] way in the world sitting in front of a computer screen all day is not going to look as hunky as Hemsworth."[51] Hemsworth himself later admitted to being displeased with his performance: "I didn't enjoy what I did in the film," he commented. "It just felt flat, and it was also an attempt to do what I thought people might have wanted to see. But I don't think I'm good in that space."[52] He reprised his role as Thor for the fourth time in the sequel toThe Avengers,Avengers: Age of Ultron.[53] In addition to the film receiving positive reviews[54] and grossing over US$1.4 billion worldwide,[55] Hemsworth also won thePeople's Choice Awards for Favorite Action Movie Actor.[56] Hemsworth returned to the set ofHome and Away in November 2014 to film a scene as anextra and not as his character Kim Hyde.[57][58] The episode which he appeared in was broadcast on 19 May 2015.[58]
In 2016, Hemsworth reprised the role of Eric the Huntsman inThe Huntsman: Winter's War, alongsideJessica Chastain, who played his love interest. Writing forIndieWire, Oliver Lyttelton criticised the onscreen chemistry between Hemsworth and Chastain, stating that "they're both struggling uphill against accents they're palpably not comfortable with, displaying zero chemistry, and frankly appearing to be in different films."[64] The film underperformed compared to its predecessor, grossing only US$165 million.[65] Hemsworth later joined the cast of the rebootGhostbusters film, playing Kevin the receptionist.[66][67] The film disappointed critically and commercially, but Hemsworth was praised for "deliver[ing] the most fun" by Caroline Westbrook ofMetro[68] and won theKids' Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Actor.[69]
Hemsworth was to reprise his role as George Kirk in the fourth film of therebootedStar Trek film series,[77][78] but he left the project in August 2018 after contract negotiations fell through;[79] Hemsworth later said he found the script underwhelming.[80] In 2019, he also starred in a spin-off of theMen in Black series, titledMen in Black: International.[81] The film grossed US$253 million worldwide and received generally unfavourable reviews from critics, who criticised the "lackluster action and forgettable plot," although the chemistry between Hemsworth and co-starTessa Thompson was praised.[82]
The following year, Hemsworth starred in theNetflix action thrillerExtraction, reuniting him with theRusso brothers, who served as producers.[83] After being watched by 90 million households in its initial month of release, the film broke Netflix's viewership record previously held byBird Box.[84][85] Hemsworth reprised the role of Thor in the fourth film,Thor: Love and Thunder. Filming began in February 2021 in Australia,[86][87] and it was released in 2022.[88]
Hemsworth worked onLimitless With Chris Hemsworth in 2022, a six-part documentary series, forNational Geographic. The show paired Hemsworth with noted filmmakerDarren Aronofsky. The show has Hemsworth appearing in a variety of different ways that humans have sought to increase their health. The episodes saw Hemsworth take a plunge in icy Arctic water, fast for long periods of time, and participate in an indigenous Australian ceremony.[89][90] The last of which resulted in some controversy for the show, as Indigenous groups claimed that filming at the sacred site was disrespectful to the culture.[91] Hemsworth returned as Tyler Rake in Netflix'sExtraction 2 (2023),[92] which earned him $20 million.[93]
After appearing as Thor in the MCU franchise, Hemsworth's physique gained attention from fans.[101] His exercise routines have been regularly discussed in the media, includingThe Times of India,[102]Men's Health,[103][104] MensXP,[105]Entertainment Tonight,[106] andMetro.[107] He later created the fitness app Centr, which provides paying customers access to nutrition, wellness, and exercise routines.[108] In 2014, he was named the "Sexiest Man Alive" byPeople magazine.[109]
Hemsworth is an avid supporter of theWestern Bulldogs in theAustralian Football League.[110] He was the star of the AFL's 2014Everything's Possible campaign, donating the fees for his involvement to the Australian Children Foundation.[111] Hemsworth was also the star in the AFL's 2017 "I'd Like to See That" commercial.[112]
Wealth
As his career in Hollywood films has developed, Hemsworth has become one of the world's highest-paid actors.[1][2] He appeared inForbes' World's Highest Paid Actors list in 2014,[113] 2015,[114] and 2018.[115] Additionally, he ranked 31st in the magazine's list of Highest Paid Celebrities in 2018[116] and 24th in 2019[117] with estimated earnings of US$76.4 million.[118]
Charity
In May 2020, Chris and his brother Liam were among the celebrities who read an installment ofRoald Dahl's children's fantasy novelJames and the Giant Peach in aid of the global-non profit charityPartners In Health, co-founded by Dahl's daughterOphelia, which had been fightingCOVID-19 in vulnerable areas.[119]
Personal life
Hemsworth began dating Spanish model and actressElsa Pataky in early 2010, after meeting through their mutual representatives.[120] They married in December 2010.[121] The couple have a daughter, born in May 2012[122] and twin sons, born in March 2014.[123] In 2015, the family moved from Los Angeles toByron Bay, New South Wales, in his native Australia.[124] Hemsworth speaks limited Spanish[125] and Indonesian.[126]
Hemsworth's children trainBrazilian jiu-jitsu under Thalison Soares, and he has regularly taken them to compete in national tournaments.[127]
In episode five of hisNational Geographic documentaryLimitless (2022), Hemsworth revealed that his maternal grandfather suffered fromAlzheimer's disease. It was also revealed that Hemsworth himself has inherited two copies of theAPOE4 gene, one from his mother and one from his father, which makes it eight to ten times likelier for him to eventually develop Alzheimer's disease than the general population.[129][130]
^Hemsworth, Chris (25 June 2012).Kristen and Chris' Interview with Paul (Radio interview). Event occurs at 04:35.Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved9 October 2018 – via YouTube.Because I couldn't pronounce Christopher, I'd say 'Kiptoder', and that became [my childhood nickname] Kip.
^abBekiaris, Angela (14 January 2016)."10 Fun Facts About Liam Hemsworth".People. Johannesburg, South Africa: Caxton Magazines.Archived from the original on 15 May 2016. Retrieved2 June 2016.
^Casting Chris Hemsworth.The Movie Cash Podcast.Archived from the original on 16 July 2010. Retrieved4 October 2010 – via YouTube.
^Blank, Emily; Schutte, Lauren (15 November 2010)."Hollywood's A-List Redefined". slide 4 of 10 in slideshow The Hollywood Reporter.Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. Retrieved13 April 2011.
^"Chris Hemsworth/Jane's Addiction; Episode #11.69".Jimmy Kimmel Live!. 4 November 2013.ABC.Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved12 August 2014.Jimmy: You're on some crazy diet right now I heard because of this movie you're shooting. Chris: ...and we have to get rather skinny, we're on about 500 or 600 calories a day
^Smith, Chris (4 August 2022)."Thor: Love and Thunder plot".Entertainment BGR.Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved3 September 2022.
^Wloszczyna, Susan (13 May 2012)."New baby girl for 'Avengers' Chris Hemsworth and wife Elsa".USA Today.Archived from the original on 19 May 2018. Retrieved19 March 2018.Hemsworth, 28, confirmed to USA TODAY that he and his wife, actress Elsa Pataky, 35, had a baby girl on Friday. Her name: India.'We love the country and love the name,' says the Aussie actor, calling from England...
^Mandell, Andrea (21 March 2014)."It's twin boys for Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky!".USA Today.Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved25 August 2017....a rep for Hemsworth confirms ... Pataky gave birth to twins early Friday morning...
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