Manu Bennett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Manu Bennett
Bennett at Phoenix Comic Fest 2018
Born	Jonathan Manu Bennett (1969-10-10) 10 October 1969 (age 55) Rotorua, New Zealand
Other names	Jon Bennett
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–present
Children	3

Jonathan Manu Bennett (born on October 10, 1969) is an actor from Australia and New Zealand. He is well-known for playing characters in exciting fantasy stories. Some of his famous roles include Crixus in the TV show Spartacus, Allanon in The Shannara Chronicles, and Slade Wilson / Deathstroke in Arrow. He also played Azog the Defiler in The Hobbit trilogy of movies.

Manu Bennett's Early Life

Manu Bennett was born in New Zealand in 1969. His mother, Jean Bennett, was an Australian bikini model. His father, Ted Bennett, was a singer from New Zealand. When Manu was a baby, his family moved to Australia.

Manu's father has Māori heritage, from the Te Arawa and Ngāti Kahungunu tribes. His mother has Scottish roots. Manu grew up mostly in Sydney and Newcastle, Australia. He went to Merewether High School there.

In 1986, Manu went back to New Zealand to attend Te Aute College. He played rugby for the school's top team. After returning to Australia, he was chosen for the New South Wales Schoolboys Rugby Union Team.

Manu was also interested in dancing and piano. He decided to stop playing rugby to study dance and drama at university. Later, he received a scholarship to study acting in Los Angeles at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Manu has shared that a difficult personal experience led him to acting. He found that acting was a way for him to express his feelings and helped him through tough times.

Manu Bennett's Acting Career

Manu Bennett started his acting career in 1993. His first professional role was in the teen TV show Paradise Beach. After that, he appeared in other Australian TV dramas. These included Water Rats, All Saints, and Beastmaster.

In 1996, Manu performed in a play called Lady Chatterley's Lover. He played the main character, Oliver Mellors. In 1999, he got his first main role in a movie called Tomoko, filmed in Tokyo.

In 2000, Manu appeared in Xena: Warrior Princess as Marc Antony. He also showed his dancing skills as a salsa teacher in the Australian film Lantana.

Manu returned to New Zealand in 2000. He acted in the popular TV show Shortland Street. Then he played a police officer who became a lawyer in Street Legal. He also worked with his cousin, director Michael Bennett, on the Māori TV series Mataku. He also worked with Richard Taylor from Weta Workshop on Creature Quest.

In 2002, Manu tried out for a role in the Tomb Raider movie sequel, The Cradle of Life. However, actor Gerard Butler got the part instead. In 2003, Manu hosted a New Zealand reality show called Going Straight.

In 2006, Manu was cast in the movie The Marine with wrestling star John Cena. In 2007, he appeared in The Condemned with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Also in 2006, Manu played Deputy Billy Kitka in the US film 30 Days of Night.

From 2010 to 2013, Manu starred in the American TV series Spartacus. This show was about the brave gladiator Spartacus. Manu played a very important character named Crixus, who was the Champion of Capua. He was the only actor who appeared in all four seasons of the show.

In 2012, Manu played the villain Azog the Defiler in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. He continued to play this character in the next two movies of the trilogy. In 2012, Manu was also cast as Slade Wilson in the first season of Arrow. By March 2013, he became a regular cast member for the second season. He later made several guest appearances in other seasons of the show.

In May 2014, Manu shared that he had lost two roles to actor Jason Momoa. These roles were in Stargate Atlantis and the 2011 film Conan the Barbarian.

In December 2014, Manu was cast as the druid Allanon in the MTV television series The Shannara Chronicles.

Manu Bennett's Personal Life

Manu Bennett and Karin Horen have three children together. The couple shared that they separated in 2017.

Filmography

Bennett at Wizard World comic con in 2013

Movies

Television Shows

Audio Roles

Video Games

See also

In Spanish: Manu Bennett para niños