Karl Urban facts for kids
Karl-Heinz Urban (born on June 7, 1972) is an actor from New Zealand. He started his acting journey in New Zealand TV shows and movies, including Xena: Warrior Princess. He got his first role in Hollywood in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship.
Since then, Karl Urban has starred in many popular movies. He played Éomer in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Leonard McCoy in the Star Trek movies. He was also Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy (2004), Judge Dredd in Dredd (2012), and Skurge in Marvel Studios' Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Since 2019, he has been known for playing Billy Butcher in the superhero TV series The Boys on Amazon Prime Video.
Quick facts for kids
Karl Urban
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Urban at the 2022 South by Southwest
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| Born |
Karl-Heinz Urban
7 June 1972 Wellington, New Zealand
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| Education | St Mark's Church School,Wellington College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1990-present |
| Spouse(s) |
Natalie Wihongi
(m. 2004; separated 2014) |
| Partner(s) | Katee Sackhoff (2014–2018) |
| Children | 2 |
| Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
Early Life and First Roles
Karl Urban was born in Wellington, New Zealand. His father owned a leather shop. His mother worked for a film company, which helped Karl get interested in movies.
He went to St Mark's Church School. There, he loved performing for others. His very first acting job was at age eight. He had one line in a New Zealand TV show called Pioneer Woman. He kept acting in school plays but did not act professionally again until after high school.
He attended Wellington College from 1986 to 1990. After that, he started studying at Victoria University of Wellington. However, he left after one year to focus on acting. For a few years, he appeared in TV commercials and theatre plays in Wellington. Later, he moved to Auckland and got many guest roles in TV shows.
Becoming a Hollywood Star
Karl Urban's first big role in Hollywood was in the 2002 horror movie Ghost Ship. After that, he worked on many well-known films.
Playing Éomer in The Lord of the Rings
He played Éomer in the second and third The Lord of the Rings movies: The Two Towers and The Return of the King. These movies were very popular around the world.
Action Roles and Sci-Fi Films
Urban also appeared in The Bourne Supremacy as a Russian agent named Kirill. He was in The Chronicles of Riddick and Doom. In 2007, he starred in the Viking adventure movie Pathfinder.
In 2009, he played Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the Star Trek movie. This role was first played by DeForest Kelley in the original TV series. Karl Urban was a big fan of Star Trek since he was a kid. He really wanted this role. Fans loved his performance because it felt true to the original character. He played Dr. McCoy again in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016).
He also played a CIA agent named William Cooper in Red (2010). In 2011, he was Black Hat, a villainous priest, in the movie Priest.
Playing Judge Dredd
In 2012, Karl Urban starred as the comic book character Judge Dredd in the movie Dredd. He described the film as a "high-octane, action-fueled film." Even though it did not make a lot of money at the box office, critics really liked Dredd.
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In 2013, Urban starred in the TV series Almost Human. He played Detective John Kennex. The show was set in the future where police officers work with lifelike robots. Urban's character did not like robots but ended up working with one that had feelings.
He also appeared in The Loft (2014) and Pete's Dragon (2016). In 2017, he played Skurge in Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok. He also had a small role as a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). In 2022, he voiced the main character, Jacob Holland, in the animated movie The Sea Beast.
Starring in The Boys
Since 2019, Karl Urban has been starring as William "Billy" Butcher in the Amazon Prime Video series The Boys. This show is about a group of people who try to take down corrupt superheroes. He also made a guest appearance as Billy Butcher in the spin-off series Gen V in 2023.
Personal Life
In September 2004, Karl Urban married Natalie Wihongi. She was a makeup artist he met while working on a TV film. They have two sons, Hunter and Indiana. His second son was named after the Indiana Jones movies, which are some of Karl's favorites. The couple announced they were separating in June 2014. From 2014 to 2018, he was in a relationship with actress Katee Sackhoff.
Helping Others
Karl Urban is an ambassador for KidsCan. This charity helps over 16,000 children in New Zealand who are in need. KidsCan provides them with important things like food, clothes, and shoes.
In May 2022, UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand also made Karl Urban an official Ambassador. He helps raise awareness about children's rights in New Zealand and around the world.
In June 2020, Karl Urban joined many of his Lord of the Rings co-stars, including Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, and Elijah Wood, for a special online reunion. This event was part of a YouTube series called Reunited Apart. It helped raise money for charities.
Film and Television Roles
Karl Urban has been in many films and TV shows. Here are some of his notable roles:
Film Roles
- 1992: Chunuk Bair as Wellington Soldier
- 2002: Ghost Ship as Munder
- 2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as Éomer
- 2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as Éomer
- 2004: The Chronicles of Riddick as Siberius Vaako
- 2004: The Bourne Supremacy as Kirill
- 2005: Doom as John "Reaper" Grimm
- 2007: Pathfinder as Ghost
- 2009: Star Trek as Leonard McCoy
- 2010: Red as William Cooper
- 2011: Priest as Black Hat
- 2012: Dredd as Judge Dredd
- 2013: Star Trek Into Darkness as Leonard McCoy
- 2016: Star Trek Beyond as Leonard McCoy
- 2016: Pete's Dragon as Gavin Magary
- 2017: Thor: Ragnarok as Skurge the Executioner
- 2019: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as Stormtrooper (cameo)
- 2022: The Sea Beast as Jacob Holland (voice role)
- 2025: Mortal Kombat II as Johnny Cage (post-production)
Television Roles
- 1990: Shark in the Park as Rohann Murdoch (6 episodes)
- 1993–1994: Shortland Street as Paramedic Jamie Forrest (recurring role)
- 1996–2001: Xena: Warrior Princess as Cupid and Julius Caesar (various episodes)
- 2008: Comanche Moon as Woodrow F. Call (miniseries)
- 2013–2014: Almost Human as John Kennex (13 episodes)
- 2019–present: The Boys as William "Billy" Butcher (lead role, also producer)
- 2023: Gen V as William "Billy" Butcher (guest role)
- 2024: Ark: The Animated Series as Bob (voice role)
See also
In Spanish: Karl Urban para niños
