Karl Urban is a well distinguished New Zealander actor who earned his claim to fame in Hollywood with the role of Munder in Ghost Ship (2002). Prior to that, he was known for starring in several shows that were shot in New Zealand such as Xena: Warrior Princess (1997-2001) and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1996, 1998). He has also made many notable appearances in hit films like the second and third installment of The Lord of the Rings (2002, 2003), The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), Doom (2005), Star Trek (2009), Dredd (2012), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Karl’s outstanding acting ability has also won him many awards such as the New Zealand Film and TV Award in 2008. He is also very popular on social media with more than 150k people following him on Twitter, more than 400k followers on Instagram, and more than 100k followers on Facebook.
Sun Sign
Gemini
Nationality
Education
Karl studied at St Mark’s Church School in Wellington. Later, he attended Wellington College from 1986 to 1990.
Then, he enlisted himself at the Victoria University of Wellington to attain a degree of Bachelor of Arts. However, he dropped out one year after he joined and went on to pursue acting as a full-time career.
Manager
Karl is represented by –
- United Talent Agency
- Creative Artists Agency
- Jenny Rawlings of Principato-Young Entertainment
- McKuin Frankel Whitehead LLP
- Johnson and Laird Management
Girlfriend / Spouse
Karl has dated –
- Natalie Wihongi (2000-2014) – Professional makeup artist, Natalie Wihongi and Karl were said to have met one another for the first time in the year 2000 on the set of The Privateers (2000). She was his makeup artist for the film. Later, in September 2004, Karl and she both tied the knot with one another. However, the couple at the time had already had their first child a boy named Hunter Urban who was reportedly born on December 16, 2000. After they got married, the following year they had a second child a girl named Indiana who was born on June 28, 2005. Though the couple’s seemingly happy relationship did not last very long and in June 2014, they parted ways. In December that year, Karl also sold their Herne Bay mansion that they resided in for an astounding 6.65 million New Zealand dollars.
- (2014-Present) – Shortly after Karl’s divorce with his ex-wife Natalie Wihongi, he was seen at actress Katee Sackhoff’s parents home in Portland, Oregon. Since then, they have been spending a lot more time in public. In June 2015, Katee even referred to Karl as her ‘love’ with an emoji on Twitter when she posted a picture of the two together with the caption “Happy Birthday to my ❤️….”I’ve walked for miles” while they were at The Rolling Stones concert. It also seems like Karl’s children Hunter and Indiana have also accepted their father’s, new love.
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Baritone voice
- Triangular face shape
- Hawknose
- Dimpled cheeks
Brand Endorsements
Karl has appeared in commercials for several brands including Vizio.
Best Known For
- Being cast as Munder in Ghost Ship (2002), Éomer in the 2nd and 3rd installment of The Lord of the Rings (2002, 2003), Siberius Vaako in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy (2004), John Grimm in Doom (2005), Judge Dredd in Dredd (2012), Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Starring as Leonard McCoy in Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and Star Trek Beyond (2016)
- Portraying multiple roles in Xena: Warrior Princess from 1996 to 2001 and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1996, 1998)
First Film
Karl made his debut feature film appearance as a Wellington soldier in Chunuk Blair in 1992.
First TV Show
He made his debut TV show appearance as Rohann Murdoch in Shark in the Park in 1990.
Personal Trainer
In order to fit the description of the powerful fictional character Judge Dredd, Karl had to attain a bulky muscular physique. He trained twice a week for 14 straight weeks in the gym where his routine was focused on intense weight and strength training to put on bigger muscles. Also, he would workout where ever he went.
Apart from that, he also spent an immense amount of time learning tactical movement and shooting skills from a British military team and also read each and every Dredd comic that he could get his hands on.
As for his diet, he would consume 6 to 7 meals a day to get the nutrition required to bulk up faster.
Karl Urban Favorite Things
- Episode From Xena: Warrior Princess – Xena: Warrior Princess: A Day in the Life (1997)
- Indiana Jones Film From The Series – Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
- Films – Out of the Past (1947), Queen Margot (1994), Cool Hand Luke (1967), A Prophet (2009)
- Star Trek Beyond (2016) Equipment – Transporter
- Batman Movie – The Dark Knight (2008)
- Song by – Suspicious Minds (1969)
- Science-Fiction Films – Alien (1979), Mad Max 2 (1981), Blade Runner (1982), RoboCop (1987), Children of Men (2006)
Source – , , , , Whoosh.org, BryanReesman.com
Karl Urban Facts
- He was brought up in Wellington and later, moved to Auckland to pursue a career in acting. Then in 1995, he shifted to Bondi Beach in Australia. He lived there for a short while before moving back to New Zealand.
- Karl was quite young when his parents and teachers noticed the interest he showed for acting. He would star in almost every school theater production.
- At the age of 8, he was cast in a cameo appearance in the show Pioneer Woman. However, it wasn’t until he completed his high school that he decided to get back into the show biz for the 2nd time.
- Urban made his debut Hollywood silver screen appearance with the role of Munder in the horror movie Ghost Ship in 2002.
- In 2017, he was cast as Marvel Comics’ fictional character Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok. In the comic series, he is depicted as Skurge the executioner who was originally made to be an Asgardian supervillain.
- He was chosen to be the face for KidsCan Charitable Trust in the past.
- His daughter Indiana was named after the Indiana Jones series.
- In order to play his part in the 2nd and 3rd installment of The Lord of The Rings as Éomer a skilled horseman, he had to learn how to ride a horse. It is said that Karl spent 2 hours a day, for 5 days a week, for about 6 to 8 weeks learning to ride a horse with one hand in order to be able to wield a sword with the other. According to sources, he reportedly received a bonus payout of $400,000 for his work in the film.
- Karl is an avid indoor rock climber. Apart from that, he also enjoys going fishing, surfing, playing golf, and doing gardening.
- He is very fond of dogs and has a black labrador terrier who he named Ire after a song from ‘s album Uprising (1980).
- Karl and publisher, designer, and businessman Jack Yan were classmates in primary school.
- He is close friends with American-Danish actor as well as American actor , , and actress .
- In the past, Karl stated that he was considered to play the titular character as James Bond in Casino Royale (2006). However, due to a tight filming schedule prior to being chosen, he was unable to do the final test and the role of taken up by , who had previously denied to play the eponymous role.
- Karl is a huge fan of the Indian Jones movie series as well as the fictional character Judge Dredd. He also enjoys playing video games and in 2005, he starred in the film Doom, which was based on its eponymous game.
- He is an avid supporter of the New Zealand national rugby union team, called the All Blacks.
- Karl’s workout routine was so intense that it earned him a spot in Coach mag’s “The Best Superhero Workouts of All Time” list in 2016.
- Follow him on , , and .
Featured Image By Karl Urban / Instagram
Facts of Karl-Heinz Urban
- Gender Male
- full nameKarl-Heinz Urban
- nicknamesKarl
- birthplaceWellington, New Zealand
- Date of Birth June 07, 1972
- Age 52 years 3 months
- Horoscope Gemini
- Lucky Number 5
- Lucky Stone Agate
- Lucky Color Yellow
- Best Match for Marriage Leo, Aquarius, Libra
- ethnicity / ethnic backgroundGerman
- nationalityNew Zealander
- net worth$20 Million
- professionActor
- weight80 kg or 176.5 lbs
- height6 ft 1 in or 185.5 cm
- hair colorDark Brown
- eye colorHazel
- body type / buildAthletic
- collegeWellington College