Famously known for playing the titular character in Dredd and Leonard McCoy in the Star Trek reboot series, Karl Urban is an actor who has been active in the entertainment industry since 1990. The New Zealand actor has also appeared in the Riddick films and played John Grimm in Doom. To learn more about the New Zealand star, such as his net worth, his career, and family background, keep reading.
Biography
Karl-Heinz Urban was born on the 7th of June 1972 in Wellington, New Zealand. He was introduced to acting right from his childhood days. He found love with the New Zealand cinema at a young age and his interest in the film industry never waned since then. Alongside his education, which started at St Mark’s Church School and continued all the way to Wellington College, he was taking professional acting jobs. The handsome actor secured his first acting role at the age of eight. Since then, he has appeared in many TV shows and did a number of commercials in his early acting days.
Career
Karl Urban’s first international production was Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. He made a few other appearances in New Zealand productions before he made the move to Hollywood in 2002 for the film, Ghost Ship.
Although his name is not exactly on the lips of the mainstream audience as a famous actor, he’s appeared in a lot of top movies, not limited to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Bourne Supremacy, Star Trek and Red.
Although he later found a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Skurge in the movie Thor: Ragnarok, he had his first comic book role as Judge Dredd in the movie, Dredd. The 2012 movie was well received by critics and the audience.
Karl Urban’s television roles continued in Hollywood with Almost Human, playing Detective John Kennex in a show about LAPD cops paired with lifelike robots in a futuristic setting. Some of his most recent works also include a remake of a Belgian film, The Loft and a role as the antagonist in Disney’s remake of his classic movie, Pete’s Dragon.
So far, Karl Urban has been featured in 29 movies and appeared in over 50 episodes of 17 television shows. He also has a video game credit for the Star Trek game to his name.
Outside of his acting responsibilities, Karl Urban is a philanthropist. He lends his image and voice to a cause in New Zealand, KidsCan, that supports poor children in the country. The program has so far supported over 16,000 children and it continues to take on more. The program provides shelter, food, and clothing for children.
Wife
In 2004, Karl Urban married his longtime partner, Natalie Wihongi. The couple lived a beautiful life together, sharing many great moments, including being proud parents of two sons, Hunter who was born in the 16th of December 2000 and Indiana, born in January 2005 and was named after the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. Unfortunately, sometimes it is not meant to last and the couple got separated in June 2014.
He’s currently in a relationship with actress, . The couple has been dating since 2014.
Net Worth
Karl Urban might not be the most recognizable face in Hollywood, but his filmography which includes multiple commercially successful projects affords him a very impressive net worth. He is currently believed to be worth $20 million which is considered to be from starring in movies such as Star Trek and The Lord of the Rings where merchandise sales and cast salaries are considered to be high.
Other Facts About Karl Urban
1. He Has German Origins
Although known to be an internationally recognized actor from the Oceania continent, Karl Urban has German ancestry. His father is a German who immigrated to New Zealand. Karl Urban’s German heritage reflects in his name, Karl-Heinz Urban.
2. He Started Acting Very Early
Although his full acting career did not start until 1990, Karl started acting when he was 8 with an appearance in an episode of the New Zealand show, Pioneer Woman. He, however, put his acting career on hold to complete his education.
3. Awards
Karl Urban started his career in New Zealand and has appeared in several New Zealand productions including Out of the Blue for which he was awarded the Best Supporting Actor award by the Qantas Film and Television Award in 2008.
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