Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and television series such as Xena: Warrior Princess. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship. Since then, he has starred in many high-profile movies, including as Éomer in two films of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2002–2003), Vaako in two films of the Riddick film series (2004–2013), Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat II, Dr Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the Star Trek reboot film series (2009–2016), Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy (2004), John "Reaper" Grimm in Doom (2005), Judge Dredd in Dredd (2012), Gavin Magary in Pete's Dragon (2016), and Skurge in Marvel Studios' Thor: Ragnarok (2017). In 2013, he starred in the sci-fi series Almost Human. From 2019 to 2026, he starred as Billy Butcher in Amazon Prime Video's superhero series The Boys and voiced a character in the 2022 film The Sea Beast.
Early life Urban was born on 7 June 1972 in Wellington, New Zealand. His father, a German immigrant, owned a leather goods store, and his mother once worked for Film Facilities in Wellington. Through his mother, the young Urban was exposed to classic New Zealand cinema and developed an interest in the film industry. Urban attended St Mark's Church School, where he showed an early love for public performance. His first acting role came at age eight, when he had a single line in one episode of the New Zealand television series Pioneer Woman. Though continuing to take part in school stage productions, he did not act professionally again until after high school.
He attended Wellington College in 1986–1990. He then enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington in the Bachelor of Arts programme but left after one year to pursue a career in acting. Over the next few years, he appeared in several local TV commercials in addition to theatre roles in the Wellington area. Eventually, he moved to Auckland where he was offered many guest roles in TV shows (one of which was playing a heroin addict in the police drama Shark in the Park). Urban then moved briefly to Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia in 1995 before returning to New Zealand the following year.
Career Urban's first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship. Since then, he has worked on many high-profile movies, including the second and third installments of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Two Towers and The Return of the King) as Éomer, The Bourne Supremacy (as Russian Federal Security Service agent Kirill), The Chronicles of Riddick, Star Trek and Doom. The Hollywood Reporter speculated that Urban was one of several actors being considered for the part of British secret service agent James Bond in Casino Royale, directed by fellow New Zealander Martin Campbell.
Urban played John "Reaper" Grimm in Universal Pictures' Doom (based on the first-person shooter video game Doom), which was released on 21 October 2005. In 2007, he starred in the Viking adventure Pathfinder. A longtime fan of Westerns, he starred as Woodrow Call in Comanche Moon, a television miniseries that aired in early 2008 as a prequel to the Lonesome Dove miniseries based on Larry McMurtry's book series of the same name.
In the 2009 film Star Trek, he played Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, a role originated by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek TV series.And Karl Urban as McCoy! , 17 October 2007Urban, Pine join Abrams' 'Star Trek', 18 October 2007Karl Urban: From Comanche Moon's Old West to Star Trek's Exciting Future, 11 January 2008Urban Talks Trek Characters and Production Design, 11 January 2008 A fan of the Star Trek franchise since childhood, Urban actively pursued a role in the film. His performance was widely embraced by the Star Trek fan community for its faithfulness to the spirit of Kelley's McCoy. Urban reprised the role in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness and the 2016 film Star Trek Beyond.
Urban next appeared as CIA agent William Cooper in Red, adapted from the graphic novel of the same name and co-starring Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren.Interview: Karl Urban on the set of RED, 15 July 2010 He portrayed Black Hat, a villainous priest-turned-vampire, in the film adaptation of the Korean manhwa Priest, released in 3-D in 2011.
In 2012, Urban starred as law-enforcing comic book character Judge Dredd in the film Dredd. In an interview with Shave magazine, Urban described it as a "high-octane, action-fueled film... about the day in the life of Dredd". The film was directed by Pete Travis, with a script by Alex Garland. Though it underperformed at the box office, Dredd was well received by critics.
In 2013, Urban starred as Detective John Kennex in Almost Human, a TV series created by J. H. Wyman. The series was set 35 years into the future when cops in the L.A.P.D. are paired up with lifelike androids. Urban played a detective who has a dislike for robots but ends up being teamed up with one with emotional feelings. Urban next appeared in the ensemble thriller The Loft, a remake of the Belgian film of the same name. It was filmed in New Orleans and Belgium by the director of the 2008 original, Erik Van Looy. In January 2015, Urban replaced Michael C. Hall as the main antagonist in the 2016 remake of Pete's Dragon. In 2017, he played Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok. Also in 2017, Urban played a psychotic cop in the action thriller Acts of Vengeance opposite Antonio Banderas and Robert Forster. Urban had a cameo as a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. He voiced the lead role in The Sea Beast in 2022.
Since 2019, Urban has starred as William "Billy" Butcher in the Amazon Prime Video series The Boys. He stars as Johnny Cage in the Mortal Kombat II film.
Personal life In September 2004, Urban married his longtime partner, Natalie Wihongi, who was his makeup artist for the 2000 television film The Privateers. Together they have two sons, Hunter and Indiana. His second son, Indy, was named for the eponymous hero of the Indiana Jones franchise, which he has stated is one of his favourite movie series. They lived in the Herne Bay area of Auckland, New Zealand. The couple separated in June 2014.
From 2014 to 2018, he was in a relationship with actress Katee Sackhoff.
Philanthropy Urban serves as a celebrity ambassador for KidsCan, a charity that currently supports over 16,000 disadvantaged children in New Zealand by providing them with essentials such as food, clothing, and shoes.
In May 2022, UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand welcomed Urban as an official Ambassador to support in raising awareness on children's rights both in New Zealand and around the world.
On 1 June 2020, Urban was part of Josh Gad's YouTube series Reunited Apart which reunites the cast of popular movies through video-conferencing, and promotes donations to non-profit charities. Other contributors were Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, and Elijah Wood, plus writer Philippa Boyens and director Peter Jackson.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1992 Chunuk Bair Wellington Soldier1998 Heaven Sweeper Via Satellite Paul2000 The Irrefutable Truth about Demons Harry Ballard The Price of Milk Rob2002 Ghost Ship Daryl Munder The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Éomer 2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best CastCritics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting EnsembleNational Board of Review Award for Best CastScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast2004 The Chronicles of Riddick Siberius Vaako The Bourne Supremacy Kirill 2005 Doom John "Reaper" Grimm Nominated—Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Bloodiest Beatdown (with Dwayne Johnson) 2006 Out of the Blue Nick Harvey Won—Qantas Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor 2007 Pathfinder Ghost2009 Star Trek Leonard McCoy Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best CastDenver Film Critics Society Award for Best CastNominated—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting EnsembleNominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Black Water TransitTony Kaye Says Unreleased 'Black Water Transit' Is "Not Finished Yet" , 28 April 2011 Earl Pike2010 And Soon the Darkness Michael Red William Cooper 2011 Priest Black Hat 2012 Dredd Judge Dredd2013 Star Trek Into Darkness Leonard McCoy Riddick Siberius Vaako Cameo Walking with Dinosaurs Zack 2014 The Loft Vincent Stevens2016 Star Trek Beyond Leonard McCoy Pete's Dragon Gavin Magary 2017 Thor: Ragnarok Skurge the Executioner Acts of Vengeance Officer Hank Strode Hangman Detective Will Ruiney 2018 Bent Danny Gallagher 2019 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Stormtrooper Cameo 2020 Butcher: A Short Film William "Billy" Butcher Short film 2022 The Sea Beast Jacob Holland Voice role 2026 The Bluff Capt. Francisco Connor Mortal Kombat II Johnny Cage I, Object Frank Also producer
Television Year Title Role Notes 1990 Shark in the Park Rohann Murdoch 6 episodes 1992 Homeward Bound Tim Johnstone Unknown episodes1993 White Fang David Episode: "Tough Kid"1993–1994 Shortland Street Paramedic Jamie Forrest Recurring 1995 Riding High James Westwood Unknown episodes 1996–1998 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Cupid; Julius Caesar Episode: "The Green-Eyed Monster"; "Render Unto Caesar" 1996–2001 Xena: Warrior Princess Mael Episode: "Altared States" (season 1) Julius Caesar 8 episodes (season 2–4, 6) Cupid 2 episodes (season 2) Kor Episode: "Lifeblood" (season 5) 1997 Amazon High Kor Television film 2000 The Privateers Captain Aran Dravyk Television film 2008 Comanche Moon Woodrow F. Call Miniseries 2013–2014 Almost Human John Kennex 13 episodes 2014 Short Poppies Alex Turnbull Episode: "Mary Ledbetter" 2019–2026 The BoysWilliam "Billy" Butcher Lead role, 40 episodes. Also producer.Nominated—Best Actor in a Superhero Series, Critics' Choice Super AwardsNominated—Best Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama, Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards 2023 Gen V Episode: "Guardians of Godolkin" 2024 Ark: The Animated Series Bob Voice role
Video games Year Title Voice role Notes 2013 Star Trek Leonard McCoy Also likeness 2023 "Let's get to Work" Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon live-action trailer 2024 Ark: Survival Ascended Bob Bob's Tall Tales downloadable content
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