Arnold Vosloo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arnold Vosloo
Vosloo in 2009
Born	(1962-06-16) 16 June 1962 (age 63) Pretoria, Transvaal Province, South Africa
Citizenship	South Africa United States (since 1988)
Education	Technikon Pretoria
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Nancy Mulford ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 1991)​ Sylvia Ahí ​ (m. 1998)​

Arnold Vosloo (born 16 June 1962) is a famous actor from South Africa and the United States. He started his acting journey on stage and in South African movies like Boetie Gaan Border Toe (1984). Later, he moved to the United States and became well-known for playing bad guys. His most famous roles include Imhotep in The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001).

Vosloo has also appeared in many other popular films such as Hard Target (1993), Agent Cody Banks (2003), Blood Diamond (2006), and Silverton Siege (2022). He played Zartan in the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) movies. On TV, he was the terrorist Habib Marwan in the fourth season of 24 (2005), Amit Hadar on NCIS (2009–10), and Rudy Tafero on Bosch (2017).

Early Life and Training

Arnold Vosloo was born on 16 June 1962, in Pretoria, South Africa. His family was very involved in acting; both his parents were stage actors. His father even managed a drive-in movie theater. Arnold has one sister.

After finishing high school, he decided to study drama. He took acting classes at the Technikon Pretoria, which helped him prepare for his career.

Arnold Vosloo's Acting Career

Vosloo began his acting career in South African theatre. He won several awards for his performances in plays like Don Juan and Hamlet. He quickly became a regular actor at the State Theatre in Pretoria. He also won an award for a TV show called Meisie van Suid-Wes.

Moving to Film and International Roles

In 1984, Vosloo started acting in movies. He won more awards for films such as Boetie gaan Border toe, a comedy about the Border War. He also starred in Circles in a Forest (1990) and the sequel Boetie op maneuvers (1986).

When he moved to the United States, Vosloo continued acting in theatre. He appeared in plays in Chicago and New York, including Salomé with Al Pacino. His first American movie was Gor (1987). He later took over the main role in the Darkman sequels, Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1994) and Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (1996), playing the character Darkman.

Famous Villain Roles

Arnold Vosloo is especially known for playing villains. He was the bad guy in the John Woo film Hard Target (1993), which starred Jean-Claude Van Damme. His most famous villain role is Imhotep, an ancient Egyptian high priest, in The Mummy (1999) and its sequel The Mummy Returns (2001). He also played François Molay, a henchman for the main villain, in the 2003 film Agent Cody Banks.

In 2004, a ride called The Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride opened at Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood. Vosloo and Brendan Fraser, who starred in The Mummy films, were there to promote these new rides, where they both appear.

Television and Other Projects

Besides movies, Vosloo has guest-starred in many TV shows. These include American Gothic (1995), Charmed (2000), Alias (2004), and NCIS (2009). He had a big role in the fourth season of 24 (2005) as the terrorist leader Habib Marwan. He also appeared in Chuck (2009) as a spy.

In 2004, Vosloo returned to South Africa to make the film Forgiveness. This movie is about a former policeman who tries to make peace with the family of someone he harmed during the Apartheid era. He also played Colonel Coetzee in the 2006 film Blood Diamond, which was partly filmed in South Africa.

Vosloo has also lent his voice and appearance to video games. He was the main hero, Saul Myers, in the video game Boiling Point: Road to Hell (2005). He played Zartan, a master of disguise, in the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) movies.

Personal Life

Arnold Vosloo became a United States citizen in 1988. He was married to Nancy Mulford from 1988 to 1991. On 16 October 1998, he married Silvia Ahí, who works in marketing. Vosloo and Ahí are spokespersons for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which helps animals.

Vosloo once joked that people sometimes confuse him with American actor Billy Zane. He said that when people asked if he was "the guy in Titanic," he would playfully say, "Of course, of course!"

Filmography

Television

Video games

See also

In Spanish: Arnold Vosloo para niños