Sharlto Copley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sharlto Copley
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Copley at the 2024 WonderCon
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| Born | November 27, 1973 Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
Sharlto Copley (born November 27, 1973) is a talented actor from South Africa. He is well-known for his exciting roles in many science fiction movies. Some of his most famous films include District 9, Elysium, and Chappie. He also played King Stefan in the fantasy adventure movie Maleficent. Sharlto Copley is married to South African actress and supermodel Tanit Phoenix.
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Early Life and Education
Sharlto Copley was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He went to school at St. Andrew's Preparatory School and Redhill School. His father, Dr. Bruce Copley, was a university professor. Sharlto also has a brother, Donovan, who is a singer in a band called Hot Water.
How Sharlto Copley Started Acting
After finishing high school, Sharlto Copley met Neill Blomkamp. Neill was six years younger than Sharlto. Sharlto let Neill use computers at his production company. This helped Neill develop his skills in 3D animation and design. This friendship later led to them working together on many exciting film projects.
Playing Wikus in District 9
In 2009, Sharlto Copley starred in Neill Blomkamp's movie District 9. He played the main character, Wikus van der Merwe. Wikus is a government worker who has to move a group of aliens. These aliens are stuck on Earth and live in a slum in Johannesburg. In the movie, the aliens are often called "prawns." Sharlto made up most of his character's lines as he went along, which is called improvising. For his role, he won awards like "Favorite Hero" and "Best Performance."
Sharlto Copley's Role in The A-Team
In 2010, Sharlto Copley joined the cast of The A-Team movie. He acted alongside stars like Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper. Sharlto played the character H.M. Murdock. He used a special accent for this role, a Southern American dialect. He also used other accents, like Scottish and Australian, to show Murdock's quick-changing personality. The actor who played Murdock in the original TV show, Dwight Schultz, praised Sharlto's performance.
Other Exciting Movie Roles
Sharlto Copley has played many different characters. In 2013, he was in the science fiction film Europa Report. He played James Corrigan, an astronaut on a mission to Jupiter's moon. The same year, he played the bad guy, Agent Kruger, in Elysium. This was another science fiction movie directed by Neill Blomkamp, starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster.
In 2014, Sharlto starred with Angelina Jolie in Disney's Maleficent. He played King Stefan, who is Princess Aurora's father. He also provided the voice for the main robot character in the 2015 film Chappie, which was also directed by Neill Blomkamp.
Sharlto Copley also played Christian Walker in the superhero TV series Powers from 2015 to 2016. In 2016, he played a supporting character named Jimmy in the action film Hardcore Henry. More recently, in 2022, he starred in the movie Beast as Martin Battles.
Personal Life
Sharlto Copley has been in a relationship with actress and supermodel Tanit Phoenix since 2012. They got married on February 15, 2016, in Cape Town, South Africa. They have one daughter together. Sharlto Copley lives in both Cape Town and Los Angeles.
Filmography
Sharlto Copley has been in many films and TV shows. Here are some of them:
Films
- 2006: Yellow as Soldier (short film)
- 2006: Alive in Joburg as Sniper (short film)
- 2009: District 9 as Wikus van de Merwe
- 2010: The A-Team as Captain H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock
- 2013: Europa Report as James Corrigan
- 2013: Elysium as Agent M. Kruger
- 2013: Oldboy as Adrian Pryce
- 2014: Maleficent as King Stefan
- 2015: Chappie as Chappie (voice and policeman)
- 2016: Hardcore Henry as Jimmy
- 2016: Free Fire as Vernon
- 2018: Gringo as Mitch Rusk
- 2021: Ted K as Ted Kaczynski
- 2022: Beast as Martin Battles
- 2023: Boy Kills World as Glen van der Koy
- 2024: Monkey Man as Tiger
- 2025: Heads of State as Agent Coop
Television Shows
- 2015–2016: Powers as Christian Walker (20 episodes)
- 2022: Russian Doll as Chez (3 episodes)
- 2024: Curb Your Enthusiasm as Michael Fouchay (2 episodes)
Video Games
- 2016: Payday 2 as Jimmy (voice and face, from Hardcore Henry)
Awards and Recognitions
Sharlto Copley has been recognized for his acting. For his role in District 9, he won the IGN Movie Award for "Favorite Summer Hero" in 2009. He was also nominated for several other awards, including "Best Newcomer" at the Empire Awards.
See also
In Spanish: Sharlto Copley para niños
