Karl Urban
| Karl Urban | |
|---|---|
 Karl Urban speaking at the 2015 Phoenix Comicon at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Born |
Karl-Heinz Urban 7 June 1972[1] Wellington, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse(s) | Natalie Wihongi (2004–2014) |
| Children | 2 |
Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. He is best known for playing Julius Caesar and Cupid in Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Éomer in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Vaako in second and third installments of the Riddick film series, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond, and Judge Dredd in Dredd. He won acclaim for his performances in New Zealand films The Price of Milk and Out of the Blue. He also played the main character John Kennex in the short-lived television series Almost Human.
Early life
Urban was born in Wellington, New Zealand. His father, a German immigrant, owned a leather goods store, and his mother once worked for Film Facilities in Wellington. Through his mother, the young Urban was exposed to classic New Zealand cinema, and developed an interest in the film industry.[2] Urban attended St Mark's Church School, 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 the New Zealand television series Pioneer Woman. Though continuing to take part in school stage productions, he did not act professionally again until after high school.
He attended Wellington College in 1986–1990. He then enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington in the Bachelor of Arts program but left after one year to pursue a career in acting. Over the next few years, he appeared in several local TV commercials in addition to theater roles in the Wellington area. Eventually he moved to Auckland, where he was offered many guest roles in TV shows (one of which was playing a heroin addict in the police drama Shark in the Park). Urban then moved briefly to Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia in 1995, before returning to New Zealand the following year.[3]
Career
New Zealand roles
Urban was seen on the internationally syndicated American/New Zealand TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and on its spin-off Xena: Warrior Princess, in which he played the recurring roles of both Cupid and Julius Caesar from 1996 to 2001. He also made an appearance as Mael in the episode "Altared States", from the first season of Xena. Both programs were filmed in New Zealand. In 2001, he appeared in the offbeat rural romance The Price of Milk, for which he received his first nomination at the New Zealand Qantas Film and Television Awards. Urban later won acclaim for his portrayal of policeman Nick Harvey in Out of the Blue, a dramatization of New Zealand's Aramoana massacre, for which he won the Qantas Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2008.
International roles
Urban's first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship. Since then, he has worked on many high-profile movies, including the second and third installments of the The Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Two Towers and The Return of the King), The Bourne Supremacy (as Russian Federal Security Service agent Kirill), The Chronicles of Riddick, Star Trek and Doom.
The Hollywood Reporter speculated that Urban was one of several actors being considered for the part of British secret service agent 007 in Casino Royale, directed by fellow New Zealander Martin Campbell.[4] However he was unable to make the audition because of filming commitments. The role eventually went to Daniel Craig.
Urban played John "Reaper" Grimm in Universal Pictures' Doom (based on the first-person shooter video game Doom), which was released on 21 October 2005. In 2007, he starred in the Viking adventure Pathfinder. A longtime fan of Westerns,[5] Urban appeared as Woodrow Call in Comanche Moon, the CBS miniseries prequel to Lonesome Dove, in January 2008.
In 2009, he played Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, a role famously originated by DeForest Kelley, in the eleventh Star Trek film.[6][7][8][9] A fan of the Star Trek franchise since childhood, Urban actively pursued a role in the film.[10] His performance was widely embraced by the Star Trek fan community for its faithfulness to the spirit of Kelley's McCoy.[11]
In 2009, Urban appeared as himself in the documentary film Reclaiming the Blade, discussing his sword-wielding experience in films such as The Lord of the Rings.[12]
Urban next appeared as CIA agent William Cooper in Red, adapted from the DC Comics graphic novel of the same name and co-starring Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren.[13] He portrayed Black Hat, a villainous priest-turned-vampire, in the film adaption of the Korean manhwa Priest, released in 3-D in 2011.[14]
In 2012, Urban starred as law-enforcing comic book hero Judge Dredd in the film Dredd. In an interview with Shave 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.[15] Though it underperformed at the box office, Dredd was well received by critics.[16]
He reprised his role of "Bones" McCoy in the sequel to Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, which was released on 15 May 2013.
In 2013, Urban starred as Detective John Kennex in Almost Human, a TV series created by J. H. Wyman. The series was set 35 years into the future when cops in the L.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 thriller The Loft, a remake of the Belgian film of the same name. It was filmed in New Orleans and Belgium by the director of the 2008 original, Erik Van Looy.[17]
In May 2016, Urban was cast as Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok.[18]
Personal life
Urban married Natalie Wihongi (who was his makeup artist on The Privateers)[19] in September 2004. Together they have two sons: Hunter, born November 2000, and Indiana ("Indy"), born January 2005[20] and named for the eponymous hero of the Indiana Jones franchise,[21] the first movie of which he has cited as one of his favorites.[22] They lived in Auckland, New Zealand. The couple announced their separation in June 2014.[23] He has been dating actress Katee Sackhoff since November 2014.[24][25]
Urban serves as a celebrity ambassador for KidsCan, a charity which currently supports over 16,000 disadvantaged children in New Zealand by providing them with essentials such as food, clothing, and shoes.[26]
Filmography
Film
Television
| 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 | Paramedic Jamie Forrest | Unknown episodes |
| 1995 | Riding High | James Westwood | Unknown episodes |
| 1996 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Cupid | Episode: "The Green-Eyed Monster" |
| 1996 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Mael | Episode: "Altared States" |
| 1997 | Amazon High | Kor | Television movie |
| 1997–2001 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Julius Caesar | 8 episodes |
| 1997 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Cupid | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Julius Caesar | Episode: "Render Unto Caesar" |
| 2000 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Kor | Episode: "Lifeblood" |
| 2000 | The Privateers | Capt. Aran Dravyk | Television movie |
| 2008 | Comanche Moon | Woodrow F. Call | 3 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Almost Human | John Kennex | 13 episodes |
| 2014 | Short Poppies | Alex Turnbull | Episode: "Mary Ledbetter" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Star Trek | Leonard McCoy | Voice and likeness |
References
- ↑ "Miami Herald: Search Results". 7 June 2009.
- ↑ "Biography". Karlurbanonline.com. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- ↑ Greg Dixon (15 July 2000). "Karl Urban – The price of fame". The New Zealand Herald.
- ↑ Archived 1 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Karl Urban rewinds TV favorites, 10 January 2008
- ↑ And Karl Urban as McCoy!, 17 October 2007
- ↑ Urban, Pine join Abrams' 'Star Trek', 18 October 2007
- ↑ Karl Urban: From Comanche Moon's Old West to Star Trek's Exciting Future, 11 January 2008
- ↑ Urban Talks Trek Characters and Production Design, 11 January 2008
- ↑ "Karl Urban Was Ready For Star Trek". TrekMovie.com. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- ↑ "Happy Birthday, Karl Urban". TrekMovie.com. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- ↑ Karl Urban at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Interview: Karl Urban on the set of RED, 15 July 2010
- ↑ "SD Comic-Con '10: Karl Urban Goes Vampirific in 'Priest' -". Bloody Disgusting!.
- ↑ "Interview: Karl Urban". Shave (magazine). Retrieved 2010-09-10.
- ↑ "Dredd Wraps Its Theatrical Run". comicbook.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- ↑ Extraterrestre (2011-06-08). "Erik Van Looy's Loft Receives Second Remake in Three Years". Twitchfilm.com. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ↑ "Marvel Studios Confirms Stellar New Cast Members of the Highly Anticipated 'Thor: Ragnarok' - News - Marvel.com".
- ↑ "Karl Urban Online". Karl Urban Online. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- ↑ "Star Trek beams back". Waikato Times. 24 May 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ↑ "Empire Online". Empire Online. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ↑ Atchity, Matt (2010-07-23). "Five Favorite Films with Karl Urban". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ↑ "Karl Urban and wife separate". The New Zealand Herald.
- ↑ Glucina, Rachel (January 1, 2015). "The Diary: Karl Urban's new romance gets serious". New Zealand Herald.
- ↑ "Comic-Con 2016: Star Sightings: Katee Sackhoff & Karl Urban". E! News. July 2016.
- ↑ "Patrons and Ambassadors". KidsCan. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- ↑ Tony Kaye Says Unreleased 'Black Water Transit' Is "Not Finished Yet", 28 April 2011
- ↑ "Hey brothers and sisters, I'm finally on Snapchat taking you on the set of @marvel #Thor3 Follow along". Instagram @markruffalo. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karl Urban. |
- Karl Urban on Twitter
- Karl Urban at the Internet Movie Database
- Karl Urban at the TCM Movie Database
- Karl Urban at AllMovie
- Karl Urban Interview at www.sci-fi-online.com
- Karl Urban Online, a fan site