Kodi Smit-McPhee | |
|---|---|
 Smit-McPhee in 2024 | |
| Born | (1996-06-13)13 June 1996 (age 29)[1] Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Relatives | Sianoa Smit-McPhee (sister) |
| Awards | Full list |
Kodi Smit-McPhee (born 13 June 1996) is an Australian actor. He gained recognition as achild actor for his leading roles inThe Road (2009) andLet Me In (2010). He provided the voice of Norman Babcock in stop-motion animationsParaNorman (2012) and Gilbert Pudel inMemoir of a Snail (2024), and appeared inDawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014),X-Men: Apocalypse (2016),Alpha (2018), andDark Phoenix (2019).
In 2021, Smit-McPhee garnered critical acclaim for playing a troubled teenager inJane Campion's western filmThe Power of the Dog. He receivedvarious accolades for his performance, including aGolden Globe Award and a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has since featured in the thriller miniseriesDisclaimer and the biographical dramaMaria (both 2024).
Smit-McPhee was born on 13 June 1996[1] inAdelaide, South Australia, the son of Sonja Smit and Andy McPhee. His father is an actor and former professional wrestler. His older sister is actress and singerSianoa Smit-McPhee.[2]
At age 16, Smit-McPhee was diagnosed withankylosing spondylitis, a degenerative form ofarthritis which causes vertebrae in the spine to fuse and can lead to chronic pain and loss of vision.[3][4] While filmingThe Power of the Dog, his vision was impaired in his left eye due to a severe cataract related to his condition.[5]
Smit-McPhee's first feature film role was inRomulus, My Father, which garnered him the 2007AFI Award for Best Young Actor[6] as well as a Best Actor nomination.[7] For his appearance inThe Road (2009), he received aCritics' Choice Award nomination for Best Young Actor[8] and a 2010Australian Film Institute (AFI) nomination for Best International Actor.[9] The following year, he starred inLet Me In, for which he received a 2010Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Young Actor for his performance in the film.[10]
Smit-McPhee then voiced the lead role of Norman inParaNorman, a 2012 animated comedy horror film which was nominated for Best Animated Feature for the 2013Academy Awards, and also received a 2013BAFTA Award nomination for Best Animated Film. Later the same year, Smit-McPhee had a role inDead Europe, which premiered at the 2012Toronto International Film Festival. His next role came inThe Wilderness of James in the title role of James. He also starred inA Birder's Guide to Everything, which premiered at the 2013Tribeca Film Festival, and played Benvolio in a film adaptation ofRomeo and Juliet. He co-starred in the20th Century Fox filmDawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014).[11]
In 2013, Smit-McPhee filmed the action science fiction filmYoung Ones. The film premiered at theSundance Film Festival in January 2014. Soon afterwards he appeared inSlow West, which was released in 2015.[12]
In March 2014, he was cast in theNine Network's seven-part drama seriesGallipoli which was broadcast in February and March 2015, the year that marks the 100th anniversary of theGallipoli landing. He plays 17-year-old Thomas "Tolly" Johnson, who pretends to be older so that he can enlist with his brother Bevan and ends up fighting at Gallipoli inthe campaign that helped create the Anzac legend.[13] Aged 17 when he undertook the role, Smit-McPhee said afterwards that it showed "that soldiers aren't the patriotic brave souls they look like, it's showing them at their most vulnerable in tragic times and when they are terrified".[14]
Smit-McPhee playedNightcrawler inX-Men: Apocalypse (2016), a character whose older version was previously played byAlan Cumming.[15] Smit-McPhee reprised the role inDark Phoenix, which was released in 2019.[16]
In 2018, he played the central character Keda, anIce Age adolescent who tames a wolf, inAlpha.[17]
In 2021, Smit-McPhee starred inJane Campion's filmThe Power of the Dog. The film premiered at the78th Venice International Film Festival, where it opened to critical acclaim. Smit-McPhee's performance in particular received praise, with Carlos Aguilar ofTheWrap calling him "terrifyingly remarkable" andPeter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian writing, "Smit-McPhee brings something inscrutably complex and reserved to his character's behaviour".[18][19] In March 2022, Smit-McPhee joinedAlfonso Cuarón's upcoming Apple+ seriesDisclaimer.[20]
In 2024, he voiced the character of Gilbert, brother to main character Grace Pudel, in theadult animated filmMemoir of a Snail.
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Romulus, My Father | Raimond | |
| 2009 | The Road | Boy | |
| Tinytown | Davis | ||
| 2010 | Let Me In | Owen | |
| Matching Jack | Finn | ||
| 2012 | Dead Europe | Josef | |
| ParaNorman | Norman Babcock (voice) | ||
| 2013 | A Birder's Guide to Everything | David Portnoy | |
| The Congress | Aaron Wright | ||
| Romeo & Juliet | Benvolio Montague | ||
| 2014 | All the Wilderness | James Charm | |
| Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | Alexander | ||
| Maya the Bee | Willy (voice) | ||
| Young Ones | Jerome Holm | ||
| 2015 | Slow West | Jay Cavendish | |
| 2016 | X-Men: Apocalypse | Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler | |
| 2018 | Deadpool 2 | Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler | Cameo |
| Alpha | Keda | ||
| 2019 | X-Men: Dark Phoenix | Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler | |
| Dolemite Is My Name | Nicholas Josef von Sternberg | ||
| 2020 | 2067 | Ethan Whyte | |
| 2021 | The Power of the Dog | Peter Gordon | |
| 2022 | Elvis | Jimmie Rodgers Snow | |
| 2024 | Memoir of a Snail | Gilbert Pudel (voice) | |
| Maria | Mandrax | ||
| 2025 | The Zealot† | Lloyd | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Monarch Cove | Young Jake | 4 episodes |
| Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King | Brandon | Episode: "Umney's Last Case" | |
| Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King | Jackson Evans | Episode: "The Fifth Quarter" | |
| Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America | Toby Connelly | Television film | |
| 2007 | The King | Young John Wesley | Television film |
| 2011–2016 | Poppy Cat | Ravi (voice) | |
| 2015 | Gallipoli | Thomas "Tolly" Johnson | Miniseries |
| 2020 | Interrogation | Chris Keller | Main role |
| 2024 | Disclaimer | Nicholas Ravenscroft | Miniseries[21] |
Smit-McPhee received many youth awards for his performances in filmsRomulus, My Father (2007),The Road (2009) andLet Me In (2010).
His critically acclaimed performance[5] inThe Power of the Dog (2021) earned him aGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as nominations in that category at theAcademy Awards,BAFTA,Critics' Choice andSAG Awards.
Media related toKodi Smit-McPhee at Wikimedia Commons