Antony Starr | |
|---|---|
 Starr at GalaxyCon in 2024 | |
| Born | (1975-10-25)25 October 1975 (age 49) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Education | Rangitoto College University of Auckland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1995–present |
Antony Starr (born 25 October 1975) is a New Zealand actor. He is best known for his television roles, such as the dual roles of Jethro and Van West in the seriesOutrageous Fortune (2005–10), Lucas Hood in theCinemax seriesBanshee (2013–16), andHomelander inAmazon Prime Video's superhero streaming television seriesThe Boys andits spin-offs (2019–present),[1] for which he gained wider acclaim.
For his performance in the 2012 Australian filmWish You Were Here, Starr won theAACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, among other accolades. He was nominated for theNew Zealand Film Award for Best Actor for his performance inAfter the Waterfall (2010).
Starr was born inWellington, New Zealand.[2] Growing up, he was passionate aboutsurfing[3] and trained inkarate.[4] Starr is multilingual and can speak English, Indonesian, Norwegian, and Spanish.[5]
He attendedRangitoto College, graduating in 1993. Although he was a good student, he was frequently absent. He took drama classes in school and worked as an extra in various productions, eventually pursuing acting full-time. During this period, he also worked at a petrol station.[6]
Starr began his professional acting career early in the 1990s with a small part inShortland Street and had guest roles inXena: Warrior Princess.
In 2001, Starr was cast inMercy Peak as Todd Van der Velter, a guest role that he had throughout the show's three seasons. He also received a role as the brother of long running characterWaverley Wilson in thesoap operaShortland Street. He appeared for several weeks as part of the write out of theMinnie Crozier character. Starr stated he did not like the fast pace of the show and thought his performances suffered because of it.[7]
Since then, Starr's television credits have included a core cast role in kids' seriesHard Out and guest roles inP.E.T. Detectives andStreet Legal as well as a brief stint inSerial Killers, the comedy series that was penned byOutrageous Fortune co-creator James Griffin.
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Playing twins Van and Jethro West won Starr the 2007Air New Zealand Screen Award for Performance by an Actor, the award for Best Actor at theQantas Television Awards and Best Actor at the Asian TV Awards in the same year. Readers of the TV Guide also voted Starr Best Actor in the 2007 TV Guide Best on the Box People's Choice Awards. In 2005, he was named Best Actor at the inaugural Qantas Television Awards for his role inOutrageous Fortune.
During the production of the first series ofOutrageous Fortune, Starr also juggled filming for Toa Fraser's debut feature,No. 2 which was released in New Zealand in early 2006. Starr's other film credits includeRoger Donaldson'sThe World's Fastest Indian, the US comedy featureWithout a Paddle andBrad McGann's feature filmIn My Father's Den. Between series two and three ofOutrageous Fortune, Starr worked on a collaborative short film with some friends.
Starr appeared on stage in the second edition ofSex with Strangers (2005). In 2004, Starr performed in two theatre productions:Closer at Auckland'sSilo Theatre[8] andSex with Strangers directed by Colin Mitchell at the Herald Theatre.[9]
Between filmingOutrageous Fortune seasons five and six, Starr starred in feature filmAfter the Waterfall and the telefeatureSpies and Lies.
In 2011, Starr joined the cast of the Australian police dramaRush, playing Senior Sergeant Charlie Lewis.[10] He also had a role in the second series ofLowdown.
From 2013 to 2016, Starr starred in the television series,Banshee, his first role on U.S. television. Playing John Smith, an ex-con who, after 15 years in prison, assumes the identity of Lucas Hood, becoming the new Sheriff of Banshee. Trying to reconnect with his former lover, Anastasia, both learn that he "has become a distant (violent) version of the man he once was".[11] The show's fourth and final season began in April 2016. Also in 2016, Starr portrayed main character Garrett Hawthorne on theCBS crime/mystery seriesAmerican Gothic.
In January 2018, it was announced that Starr was cast asThe Homelander inThe Boys,Amazon Studios's adaptation of theGarth Ennis andDarick Robertson comic bookof the same name.[12] In the series, he plays oppositeKarl Urban, who is also from New Zealand. "We've got an American show with aKiwi playing an all-American hero psychopath and another Kiwi playing an Englishman. It's a pretty bizarre mix-up," said Starr.[13] Season one was released in July 2019 onAmazon Prime, on which it had strong viewership.[14] Season two ofThe Boys was released in September 2020. Season three was released in June 2022.[15] Both installments received consistent praise and success.[16][17]
Starr’s performance emerged as a stand-out element of the show and established him as an actor, although he was originally dismissive of the role.[18][19] In an interview withThe New York Times, he confessed,
"There wasn't a hell of a lot for me to go on, other than 'Bad Superman.' So I did the audition almost out of anger. Threw it down, sent it in and went, there's your audition."[20]
Carrie Witmer ofUproxx praised Starr by writing, "he creates fear, excitement, and comedy with a nightmarish stare or a menacing smile."[21] Hannah Gearan ofScreen Rant called Starr "The Best Part of The Boys", stating that he provides a "chilling performance with a measured dialogue delivery that still makes Homelander seem grounded."[22] Michael Ordoña ofLos Angeles Times referred to Homelander as "TV's most intriguing villain."[23] Amhara Chamberlayne ofHollywood Insider ranked Starr's Homelander among all-time great villains, and compared his role to characters likeKing Joffrey,Stringer Bell, andGustavo Fring.[18] Since the release of the first season, audiences and critics alike have campaigned for Starr to receive anEmmy Award.[24][25][26][27]Variety ranked Starr's Homelander among its 100 greatest TV performances of the 21st century.[28]
Subsequently, Starr portrayed Homelander inThe Boys spin-off series, including the animatedThe Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022) in a voice role, and had a cameo inGen V (2023). The same character appeared as a DLC in the video gameCall of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) which was voiced by and modeled after Starr.[29] The likeness of the character also made an appearance in 2024 video gameMortal Kombat 1.[30] On the film front, he worked in two feature films in 2023. The first being the action dramaThe Covenant starringJake Gyllenhaal. Next, Starr played the major part of a controlling father in the horrorCobweb. Joshua Rivera ofPolygon applauded Starr and expressed that, "Starr excels at portraying disturbed men who have learned to wear normalcy like a mask."[31]
The fourth season ofThe Boys premiered on Amazon Prime Video on June 13, 2024, and achieved the highest viewership of all the seasons.[32] Starr's performance received positive acclaim once again.[33][34] He presented the award forBest Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the2024 Primetime Emmy Awards, alongsideGiancarlo Esposito andKathy Bates.[35] He won twoCritics' Choice Super Awards in 2023, for Best Actor in a Superhero Series and Best Villain in a Series,[36] and aSaturn Award in 2025 forBest Supporting Actor on Television.[37]
Starr is set to return as Homelander in the fifth season ofThe Boys.[38] He will appear in the action thriller filmG20.[39]
On 4 March 2022, it was reported that Starr was arrested inAlicante,Spain, after assaulting a 21-year-old man at a local pub. He was sentenced to a 12-month suspended prison sentence and paid $5,530 in restitution to avoid prison time.[40]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | In My Father's Den | Gareth | |
| Without a Paddle | Billy Newwood | ||
| 2005 | The World's Fastest Indian | Jeff | |
| 2006 | No. 2 | Shelly | |
| 2010 | After the Waterfall | John Drean | |
| 2012 | Wish You Were Here | Jeremy King | |
| 2019 | American Sausage Standoff | Mike Dankworth McCoid | |
| 2023 | The Covenant | Eddie Parker | |
| Cobweb | Mark | ||
| 2025 | G20 | Rutledge | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Mesas | Episode: "Hooves and Harlots" |
| 1996 | David | Episode: "The Giant Killer" | |
| 2000–2002 | Shortland Street | Stratford Wilson | Guest role |
| 2000 | Street Legal | Darren | |
| 2001–2003 | Mercy Peak | Todd Van der Velter | Recurring role (21 episodes) |
| 2003 | Terror Peak | Jason | |
| Hard Out | Stevo | ||
| Skin & Bone | Seymour Collins | Lead role, Television film | |
| 2004 | Serial Killers | Dean Crocker | 1 episode |
| Not Only But Always | LA Cab Driver | Television film | |
| 2005–2010 | Outrageous Fortune | Jethro and Van West | Main role |
| 2008 | The Jaquie Brown Diaries | Himself | Episode: "Brown Love" |
| 2010 | Spies and Lies | Sydney Ross | Television film |
| 2011 | Rush | Charlie Lewis | Main role (season 4) |
| Bliss | Tom Mills | Television film | |
| 2012 | Tricky Business | Matt Sloane | Main role |
| Lowdown | Stuart King | 5 episodes | |
| 2013–2016 | Banshee | John "Lucas Hood" Smith | Lead role, 38 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Banshee Origins | Two-part television film | |
| 2016 | American Gothic | Garrett Hawthorne | Main role |
| 2019–present | The Boys | John Gillman / Homelander | Main role, 32 episodes |
| 2020 | Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun | Stray Man | Episode: "Housemates" |
| 2022 | The Boys Presents: Diabolical | John Gillman / Homelander (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | Gen V | John Gillman / Homelander | Episode: "Guardians of Godolkin" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II | John Gillman / Homelander | Playable DLC Character; Voice and likeness |
| 2024 | Mortal Kombat 1 | Playable DLC Character; Likeness only[41] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman | John Gillman / Homelander | Guest role;web series promotingThe Boys |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Qantas Television Awards | Best Actor in TV Drama | Outrageous Fortune | Won | [42] |
| 2006 | Air New Zealand Screen Awards | Best Performance by an Actor | Nominated | [43] | |
| 2007 | Air New Zealand Screen Awards | Won | |||
| 2008 | Qantas Film and Television Awards | Performance by an Actor in General Television | Won | [44] | |
| 2009 | Qantas Film and Television Awards | Nominated | [45] | ||
| 2011 | Aotearoa Film & Television Awards | Best Performance by an Actor | Spies and Lies | Nominated | [46] |
| Best Lead Actor in a Feature Film | After the Waterfall | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Wish You Were Here | Won | |
| 2013 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Won | ||
| 2021 | Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actor in a Superhero Series | The Boys | Won | [47] |
| Best Villain in a Series | Won | ||||
| 2022 | Saturn Awards | Best Actor in a Streaming Television Series | Nominated | [48] | |
| 2023 | Critics' Choice Awards | Best Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | [49] | |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actor in a Superhero Series | Won | [50] | ||
| Best Villain in a Series | Won |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Die-hard fans ofThe Boys will note that sadly Antony Starr (the voice of the live-action character) did not voice this rendition of the flying 'hero'.
Die-hard fans ofThe Boys will note that sadly Antony Starr (the voice of the live-action character) did not voice this rendition of the flying 'hero'.
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