Karl Urban | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Urban at the 2022South by Southwest | |
| Born | Karl-Heinz Urban (1972-06-07)7 June 1972 (age 52)[1] Wellington, New Zealand |
| Education | St Mark's Church School,Wellington College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Katee Sackhoff (2014–2018) |
| Children | 2 |
Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and television series such asXena: Warrior Princess. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror filmGhost Ship. Since then, he has starred in many high-profile movies, including asÉomer in the second and third installments ofThe Lord of the Rings trilogy, Vaako in the second and third installments of theRiddick film series,Leonard McCoy in theStar Trek reboot film series, Kirill inThe Bourne Supremacy (2004),John "Reaper" Grimm inDoom (2005),Judge Dredd inDredd (2012), Gavin Magary inPete's Dragon (2016), andSkurge inMarvel Studios'Thor: Ragnarok (2017). In 2013, he starred in the sci-fi seriesAlmost Human. Since 2019, he has starred asBilly Butcher inAmazon Prime Video'ssuperherostreaming television seriesThe Boys.[2]
Urban was born inWellington, New Zealand.[3] His father, aGerman immigrant,[3] owned a leather goods store, and his mother once worked for Film Facilities in Wellington. Through his mother, the young Urban was exposed to classicNew Zealand cinema and developed an interest in the film industry.[4] Urban attendedSt Mark's Church School,[5] where he showed an early love for public performance. His first acting role came at age eight, when he had a single line in one episode of theNew Zealand television seriesPioneer Woman.[3] Though continuing to take part in school stage productions, he did not act professionally again until after high school.[3]
He attendedWellington College in 1986–1990.[3] He then enrolled atVictoria University of Wellington in the Bachelor of Arts programme but left after one year to pursue a career in acting.[3] Over the next few years, he appeared in several local TV commercials in addition to theatre roles in the Wellington area. Eventually, he moved toAuckland where he was offered many guest roles in TV shows (one of which was playing a heroin addict in the police dramaShark in the Park). Urban then moved briefly toBondi Beach, Sydney, Australia in 1995 before returning to New Zealand the following year.[3]
Urban's first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror filmGhost Ship. Since then, he has worked on many high-profile movies, including the second and third installments ofThe Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Two Towers andThe Return of the King) as Éomer,The Bourne Supremacy (as RussianFederal Security Service agent Kirill),The Chronicles of Riddick,Star Trek andDoom.The Hollywood Reporter speculated that Urban was one of several actors being considered for the part of British secret service agentJames Bond inCasino Royale, directed by fellow New ZealanderMartin Campbell.[6]
Urban played John "Reaper" Grimm inUniversal Pictures'Doom (based on thefirst-person shooter video gameDoom), which was released on 21 October 2005. In 2007, he starred in theViking adventurePathfinder. A longtime fan ofWesterns,[7] he starred as Woodrow Call inComanche Moon, a television miniseries that aired in early 2008 as a prequel to theLonesome Dove miniseries based onLarry McMurtry'sbook series of the same name.[8][9]
In the 2009 filmStar Trek, he playedDr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, a role originated byDeForest Kelley in the originalStar Trek TV series.[10][11][12][13] A fan of theStar Trek franchise since childhood, Urban actively pursued a role in the film.[14] His performance was widely embraced by theStar Trek fan community for its faithfulness to the spirit of Kelley's McCoy.[15] Urban reprised the role in the 2013 filmStar Trek Into Darkness and the 2016 filmStar Trek Beyond.[16]
Urban next appeared as CIA agent William Cooper inRed, adapted from thegraphic novel of the same name and co-starringBruce Willis andHelen Mirren.[17] He portrayed Black Hat, a villainous priest-turned-vampire, in the film adaptation of the KoreanmanhwaPriest, released in 3-D in 2011.[18]
In 2012, Urban starred as law-enforcing comic book characterJudge Dredd in the filmDredd. In an interview withShave magazine, Urban described it as a "high-octane, action-fueled film... about the day in the life of Dredd". The film was directed by Pete Travis, with a script by Alex Garland.[19] Though it underperformed at the box office,Dredd was well received by critics.[20]
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In 2013, Urban starred as Detective John Kennex inAlmost Human, a TV series created byJ. H. Wyman. The series was set 35 years into the future when cops in theL.A.P.D. are paired up with lifelike androids. Urban played a detective who has a dislike for robots but ends up being teamed up with one with emotional feelings. Urban next appeared in the ensemble thrillerThe Loft, a remake of theBelgian film of the same name. It was filmed in New Orleans and Belgium by the director of the 2008 original,Erik Van Looy.[21] In January 2015, Urban replacedMichael C. Hall as the main antagonist in the 2016 remake ofPete's Dragon.[22] In 2017, he playedSkurge inThor: Ragnarok.[23] Also in 2017, Urban played a psychotic cop in the action thrillerActs of Vengeance oppositeAntonio Banderas andRobert Forster.[24] Urban had a cameo as astormtrooper inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.[25] He voiced the lead role inThe Sea Beast in 2022.[26]
Since 2019, Urban has starred asWilliam "Billy" Butcher in theAmazon Prime Video seriesThe Boys.[27]
In September 2004, Urban married his longtime partner, Natalie Wihongi, who was his makeup artist for the 2000 television filmThe Privateers.[28] Together they have two sons, Hunter and Indiana. His second son was named for the eponymous hero of theIndiana Jones franchise,[29] which he has stated is one of his favourite movie series.[30] They lived in the affluentHerne Bay section of Auckland, New Zealand.[31] The couple announced their separation in June 2014.[31]
From 2014 to 2018, he was in a relationship with actressKatee Sackhoff.[32]
Urban serves as a celebrity ambassador forKidsCan, a charity that currently supports over 16,000 disadvantaged children in New Zealand by providing them with essentials such as food, clothing, and shoes.[33]
In May 2022,UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand welcomed Urban as an official Ambassador to support in raising awareness onchildren's rights both in New Zealand and around the world.[34]
On 1 June 2020, Urban, together withSean Astin,Sean Bean,Orlando Bloom,Billy Boyd,Ian McKellen,Dominic Monaghan,Viggo Mortensen,Miranda Otto,John Rhys-Davies,Andy Serkis,Liv Tyler, andElijah Wood, plus writerPhilippa Boyens and directorPeter Jackson, joinedJosh Gad'sYouTube seriesReunited Apart which reunites the cast of popular movies through video-conferencing, and promotes donations to non-profit charities.[35]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Shark in the Park | Rohann Murdoch | 6 episodes |
| 1992 | Homeward Bound | Tim Johnstone | Unknown episodes |
| 1993 | White Fang | David | Episode: "Tough Kid" |
| 1993–1994 | Shortland Street | ParamedicJamie Forrest | Recurring |
| 1995 | Riding High | James Westwood | Unknown episodes |
| 1996–1998 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Cupid;Julius Caesar | Episode: "The Green-Eyed Monster"; "Render Unto Caesar" |
| 1996–2001 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Mael | Episode: "Altared States" (season 1) |
| Julius Caesar | 8 episodes (season 2–4, 6) | ||
| Cupid | 2 episodes (season 2) | ||
| Kor | Episode: "Lifeblood" (season 5) | ||
| 1997 | Amazon High | Kor | Television film |
| 2000 | The Privateers | Captain Aran Dravyk | Television film |
| 2008 | Comanche Moon[56] | Woodrow F. Call | Miniseries |
| 2013–2014 | Almost Human | John Kennex | 13 episodes |
| 2014 | Short Poppies | Alex Turnbull | Episode: "Mary Ledbetter" |
| 2019–present | The Boys | William "Billy" Butcher | Lead role, 32 episodes. Also producer. Nominated—Best Actor in a Superhero Series,Critics' Choice Super Awards Nominated—Best Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama,Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards |
| 2023 | Gen V | Episode: "Guardians of Godolkin" | |
| 2024 | Ark: The Animated Series | Bob | Voice role[57] |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Star Trek | Leonard McCoy | Also likeness[58] |
| 2023 | "Let's Get to Work" | Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon live–action trailer | |
| 2024 | Ark: Survival Ascended | Bob | Bob's Tall Tales downloadable content[59] |
