Travis Fimmel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image

Travis Fimmel (born 15 July 1979) is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel television series Vikings (2013–2017). He also starred in HBO science fiction series' Raised by Wolves as Marcus and in Dune: Prophecy as Desmond Hart.

Early life and education

Fimmel was born in Echuca, Victoria, Australia and was raised in Lockington.[1][2] The youngest of three brothers, he is the son of Jennie, a recreation officer for disabled people, and Chris, a cattle farmer.[2]

Aspiring to be a professional Australian rules footballer, Fimmel moved to Melbourne to play for the St Kilda Football Club in the AFL, but a broken leg sidelined him before the season began.[3]

He was accepted into RMIT University for an architecture course, but later deferred to travel abroad.[4][5]

Modelling

Fimmel was spotted working out at a gym in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn by the flatmate of Matthew Anderson, a talent scout for the Chadwick Models agency.[6] He headed to the United States and was signed on the spot with agency LA Models in 2002 after walking into their office broke and barefoot.[7] Cast by Jennifer Starr, he became the first male model to secure a six-figure deal to model exclusively for Calvin Klein for a year, and the last to be personally contracted by the brand's eponymous designer.[8][9] He fronted CK's Crave men's fragrance campaign and modelled the brand's famous underwear.[10]

He was named one of the world's sexiest bachelors by America's People magazine in 2002, and was highly in demand as a male model.[11][12] He appeared on multiple magazine covers, including Esquire, Rogue, Empire, At Large, Good Weekend, Numero Homme, and America's TV Guide.[13]

He turned down an offer from Australia's Seven Network to be a guest judge on the TV series Make Me a Supermodel in 2012.[14]

In March 2025, he became the face of the Saudi perfume brand Laverne.[15]

Acting career

2001–2012: early work

Fimmel began his acting career by appearing in the music videos for Janet Jackson's song "Someone to Call My Lover"[16] and "I'm Real" (original version) by Jennifer Lopez, both in 2001.[17]

He studied under Ivana Chubbuck, the Hollywood acting coach of movie stars Brad Pitt and Jared Leto.[18] He took two years to pluck up the courage to audition for his first role, saying "half of acting is overcoming your fears [and] letting yourself be vulnerable in front of people".[4]

He landed the title lead in The WB series Tarzan in 2003, described by CNN as one of the "five hottest things happening in entertainment right now", in which he did most of his own stunts.[19][20][21] The series was cancelled after eight episodes. In addition, he appeared in two television pilots: The WB's drama Rocky Point with Lauren Holly in 2005,[22] and the Fox crime thriller Southern Comfort with Madeleine Stowe in 2006.[23]

In 2008, he portrayed a murderer in the Australian movie Restraint, and a party boy in Surfer, Dude with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. In 2010, he portrayed a compassionate cowboy in Pure Country 2: The Gift and a forensic photographer in Australian horror film Needle, co-starring Ben Mendelsohn.[24]

He depicted a talented classical pianist in Ivory, an independent film that was an Official Selection in the 2010 Montreal World Film Festival and the Strasbourg International Film Festival.[25] The film was produced by Gray Frederickson and co-starred Martin Landau and Peter Stormare.[26]

Fimmel played Helweg, a prison guard, in the 2010 film The Experiment, in a role reportedly offered to Elijah Wood, who pulled out of shooting for reasons unknown.[27] The film is based on a real-life experiment on volunteers by Stanford University that was cut short after spinning out of control, with "guards" exhibiting sadistic behaviour and "prisoners" suffering depression.[28]

Fimmel starred opposite Patrick Swayze in A&E's 2009 series The Beast.[29] He played rookie undercover FBI agent Ellis Dove partnered with a hardened veteran cop, Swayze's Charles Barker. Production ceased after 13 episodes due to Swayze's death from pancreatic cancer.[30] He played fugitive Mason Boyle in two episodes of NBC's 2010 action-adventure Chase, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.[31][32]

He appeared in FX's TV pilot crime drama Outlaw Country in 2011 with Luke Grimes.[33]

Fimmel played the lead in 2012's Harodim with Peter Fonda as a former intelligence officer trained in black ops tracking down the world's most wanted terrorist, who is compromised by his own chain of command.[34]

He co-starred with Billy Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria in the 2012 redneck Southern comedy flick The Baytown Outlaws, playing one of the three hapless Oodie brothers who bites off more than he can chew when he agrees to help a woman get her godson back from her deadbeat ex-husband.[35]

2013–2019: breakthrough and film work

Fimmel was signed as the lead character for four seasons in the critically acclaimed drama television series Vikings, co-starring Alexander Ludwig, Katheryn Winnick, Gabriel Byrne, Gustaf Skarsgard, and Linus Roache.[36] Premiering in 2013, the show gained a cult following and chronicles "the extraordinary and ferocious world of the mighty Norsemen who raided, traded and explored during The Middle Ages."[37] He played a character loosely based on Ragnar Loðbrók, the legendary Viking leader who is frustrated by the unadventurous tendencies of his local chieftain and strikes out to pillage new lands.[38][39][40][41] USA Today described Fimmel's performance as "engaging", while The Huffington Post called it his "breakout role".[40][42][43]

Fimmel starred as military commander Anduin Lothar in Warcraft in 2016, a live-action film adaptation of the Warcraft video game franchise. It was reported that a horse spooked by a wind fan collapsed on Fimmel while performing one of his own stunts but he emerged unscathed.[44][45]

He was cast as a quirky hipster in the romantic comedy Maggie's Plan with Ethan Hawke, Greta Gerwig, Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader and Julianne Moore, and a loving but irresponsible father in Lean on Pete with Charlie Plummer and Steve Buscemi.[46][47]

He was named as the Actor of the Year in GQ AustraliaTemplate:'s 2017 Men of the Year Awards.[48]

Fimmel was the lead actor in Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan, playing the role of Major Harry Smith who led soldiers under his command against the Viet Cong during the Battle of Long Tan in the Vietnam War. It is based on the historic account of 108 Australian and New Zealand soldiers who defeated an estimated 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers in a rubber plantation near Nui Dat on 17 August 1966.[49][50][51]

He co-stars as a deputy sheriff opposite fellow Australian Margot Robbie in the indie film Dreamland. Set in the 1930s Dust Bowl, the story follows a teenage boy on his quest to beat out the FBI to capture a fugitive bank robber in order to claim a bounty and save the family farm.[52][53]

2020–present: television and film balance

In 2020, Fimmel featured as a TV presenter in Here Are the Young Men, which was adapted from a novel about three Dublin high school graduates whose epic binge to mark the end of an era is blighted by catastrophe.[54]

From 2020 to 2022, he appeared in HBO Max's science fiction drama Raised by Wolves from director Ridley Scott and Scott Free Productions, which marked Fimmel's return to television.[55][56][57] It was a role that earned him a nomination for Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series at the Critics' Choice Super Awards.[58] The dystopian narrative depicts him as an atheist soldier with a mysterious backstory in a new society created after a war sparked by religious differences decimates Earth.[59]

In a review of his role as a killer-for-hire in the 2021 action-crime thriller Die in a Gunfight, Forbes states that Fimmel "steals every scene he’s in and has what could be the most compelling and morally tangled [character] arc of anyone in the entire story".[60]

Fimmel played a genius, reclusive and kooky inventor in the science fiction, neo-noir film Zone 414. It co-starred Guy Pearce and was set in a colony of state-of-the-art humanoid robots and drew comparisons to Blade Runner.[61]

He also appeared in indie drama Delia's Gone, co-starring Marisa Tomei, based on a short story about a black man with an intellectual disability who is accused of his sister's murder and embarks on a journey to clear his name and find out who's responsible.[62][63]

In One Way, Fimmel plays a mysterious passenger who meets a lifelong criminal played by Colson Baker, aka Machine Gun Kelly, who has stolen from the biggest mob boss in town and boards a bus to flee.[64] He also appeared in Fool's Paradise, a comedy by Charlie Day about a fool for love who becomes an accidental celebrity only to lose it all.[65][66]

Featuring in AMC+ western series That Dirty Black Bag, he was credited as a producer, and co-starred with Dominic Cooper, Douglas Booth and Aidan Gillen from Game of Thrones. It shows a clash between an apparently incorruptible sheriff with a dark past and a taciturn bounty killer trapped by a desire for vengeance that cannot be fulfilled.[67][68][69]

Fimmel plays cold-case detective in the Stan Original mini-series Black Snow.[70] His performance in Season 1 earned him a nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Drama in the 2024 AACTA Awards.[71] In March 2024, Black Snow was renewed for a second series with Fimmel reprising the role.[72][73] Season 2 aired from 1 January 2025 with Fimmel directing an episode.[74]

He was cast in Stan's satirical series Caught with Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Matthew Fox, Lincoln Younes, and real-life Channel 9 TV presenters Karl Stefanovic and Ally Langdon. The storyline centres around four irreverent Australian soldiers mistaken for Americans in a war-torn country who realise that they can be social media famous when they produce a hostage video that goes viral.[75]

Helping to bring the bestselling novel Boy Swallows Universe to Netflix, Fimmel stars as a drug-dealing stepdad.[76] The story is based on a semi-autobiographical memoir by Trent Dalton.[76]

He co-starred with Gerard Butler in the 2023 CIA thriller Kandahar, with a script written by a former military intelligence officer and based on his real-life experiences in Afghanistan.[77]

Fimmel was cast in the western film Rust, but production was temporarily suspended in New Mexico when a prop gun with a live bullet allegedly fired by co-star Alec Baldwin killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and led to involuntary manslaughter charges.[78] Fimmel plays bounty hunter Fenton "Preacher" Lang who joins a US Marshal in pursuit of Baldwin's character, outlaw Harland Rust.[79]

Fimmel plays mysterious soldier Desmond Hart in the 2024 TV series Dune: Prophecy.[80]

Personal life

Fimmel's favourite recreational activities include Australian rules football, fishing, camping, horse riding, surfing, riding motorbikes and going to the beach.[81][82][83][84][85]

Fimmel is known for his preference for going barefoot, a trait incorporated into his character Anduin Lothar in Warcraft.[84]

Fimmel played a celebrity cricket match in the 2009 Australia vs England Hollywood Ashes with fellow Australian actors Jesse Spencer from House, Cameron Daddo, celebrity chef Curtis Stone, INXS bass guitarist Garry Gary Beers and cricket fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz.[86][87]

Fimmel has expressed a desire to return to farm life in Australia once he is finished with Hollywood.[88]

Business ventures

In 2022, Fimmel founded his own beer brand Travla with the winner of the fourth series of MasterChef Australia, Andy Allen, and ex Essendon Football Club CEO Xavier Campbell as executive director and one of the CEOs.[89][90]

Filmography

Key
Template:Dagger Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2008 Surfer, Dude Johnny Doran
Restraint Ronald "Ron" Jason Beron
2010 Pure Country 2: The Gift Dale Jordan
Needle Marcus Rutherford
Ivory Jake
The Experiment Helweg
2011 Supremacy Garrett Tully Short film
2012 The Baytown Outlaws McQueen Oodie
Harodim Lazarus Fell
2015 Maggie's Plan Guy Childers
2016 Warcraft Anduin Lothar
2017 Lean on Pete Ray Thompson
2019 Finding Steve McQueen Harry Barber
Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan Major Harry Smith
Dreamland George Evans
2020 Here Are the Young Men TV Presenter
2021 Die in a Gunfight Wayne McCarthy
Zone 414 Marlon Veidt
2022 Delia's Gone Stacker Cole
One Way Will
2023 Kandahar Roman Chalmers [91]
2024 Rust Fenton "Preacher" Lang [92][93]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2003 Tarzan John Clayton / Tarzan Main role, 8 episodes
2005 Rocky Point Taj Walters Television pilot
2006 Southern Comfort Bobby
2009 The Beast Ellis Dove/Carlson Main role, 13 episodes
2010 Chase Mason Boyle 2 episodes
2012 Outlaw Country Feron Television movie
Black Box Ted Episode: "AZEP: The Reawakening"
2013−2017 Vikings Ragnar Lothbrok Main role (seasons 1–4); 45 episodes
2020–2022 Raised by Wolves Caleb / Marcus Main role, 18 episodes
2022 That Dirty Black Bag Anderson 3 episodes
2023– Black Snow James Cormack Main role (seasons 1-2), 12 episodes
2023 Caught Dingo 2 episodes [94]
2024 Boy Swallows Universe Lyle Orlik 3 episodes [95]
Dune: Prophecy Desmond Hart Main role [96]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2013 IGN Awards Best TV Hero Vikings Nominated [97]
2021 Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series Raised by Wolves Nominated [98]
2024 AACTA Awards Best Lead Actor in Drama Black Snow Nominated [99]
2024 Logie Awards Best Supporting Actor Boy Swallows Universe Nominated [100]
2025 AACTA Awards Best Supporting Actor in Drama Boy Swallows Universe Nominated [101]

See also

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ a b Lee, Luaine 'The Beast's' Travis Fimmel is Happy Down on the Farm The Denver Post, 28 January 2009
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Lewis, Felicity Model Hunter Template:Webarchive, The Age Melbourne Magazine, 29 February 2008
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Epaminondas, George, Naked in New York, The Age, 27 January 2002
  9. ↑ Blasberg, Derek, In Conversation: Calvin Klein, Gagosian Quarterly, 23 February 2018
  10. ↑ Who Magazine [1] Template:Webarchive, Retrieved 9 April 2024
  11. ↑ People magazine, 24 June 2002
  12. ↑ Herald Sun, Former Calvin Klein Model Travis Fimmel Films Horror Movie with Jessica Marais, Luke Wilson" 21 December 2009 [2]
  13. ↑ With Stars In Their Eyes, The Age, 20 August 2003. Template:Webarchive 21 August 2003
  14. ↑ The Daily Telegraph Don't Make Me A Supermodel Judge: Travis Fimmel Template:Webarchive 6 July 2008
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Hello Magazine, [3] Template:Webarchive Retrieved 25 March 2011
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Looper [4] Template:Webarchive 24 May 2021
  19. ↑ Hello! Magazine Profile: Travis Fimmel Template:Webarchive Retrieved 9 May 2011
  20. ↑ CNN, Five of the Hottest Things Happening in Entertainment Right Now Template:Webarchive 18 September 2003
  21. ↑ McDaniel, Mike From Jockeys to the Jungle, 20 July 2003
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ The Telegraph, Ben Mendelsohn ties the knot with British writer and Hollywood 'it' girl Emma Forrest in Los Angeles 10 June 2012
  25. ↑ Official Website [5] Template:Webarchive Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  26. ↑ Price, Matthew, [6] The Oklahoman, Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  27. ↑ Sony Lockdown on 'Experiment' Template:Webarchive The Hollywood Reporter, 4 August 2009
  28. ↑ Zimbardo, Philip Simulation Experiment of the Psychology of Imprisonment Conducted at Stanford University, Retrieved 18 March 2012
  29. ↑ Salem, Rob Watching, Waiting and Hoping for Swayze Template:Webarchive, 12 January 2009
  30. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald Patrick Swayze Dead Template:Webarchive 15 September 2009
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Kroll, Justin Travis Fimmel to Star in FX's 'Outlaw Country' Template:Webarchive, 9 September 2010
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ McClintock, Pamela Billy Bob Thornton Redneck Comedy 'Baytown Disco' Adds Three New Stars Template:Webarchive Hollywood Reporter, 28 April 2011
  36. ↑ Looper [7] Template:Webarchive 21 January 2021
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley 'Glee's' Jessalyn Gilsig to Co-Star in History Channel's 'Vikings' Drama Hollywood Reporter, 28 June 2012
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ a b Prudom, Laura Vikings On History: Travis Fimmel Previews The Journey Of Ragnar Lothbrok Template:Webarchive The Huffington Post, 4 March 2013
  41. ↑ Vikings Renewed for Season 2 by History Template:Webarchive, The Huffington Post, Retrieved 5 April 2013
  42. ↑ Bianco, Robert Vikings takes the pillage, raises it to derring-do Template:Webarchive USA Today, 26 February 2013
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ SBS Broadcasting [8] Template:Webarchive Retrieved 27 January 2024
  47. ↑ The New York Times [9] Template:Webarchive 5 April 2018
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  53. ↑ The Guardian [10] Template:Webarchive 10 December 2020
  54. ↑ Screen Daily [11] Template:Webarchive 8 November 2019
  55. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  56. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  57. ↑ Decider [12] 5 September 2020
  58. ↑ Deadline [13] Template:Webarchive 19 November 2020
  59. ↑ Rotten Tomatoes [14] Template:Webarchive 3 September 2020
  60. ↑ Forbes [15] 15 July 2021
  61. ↑ Polygon [16] Template:Webarchive 3 September 2021
  62. ↑ Delia's Gone Official Website [17] Template:Webarchive Retrieved 26 January 2024
  63. ↑ Deadline [18] Template:Webarchive 21 October 2020
  64. ↑ Screen Rant [19] Template:Webarchive Retrieved 2 September 2022
  65. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  66. ↑ Movie Web [20] 24 January 2023
  67. ↑ Rotten Tomatoes [21] Template:Webarchive Retried 26 January 2024
  68. ↑ Coming Soon Dot Net [22] Template:Webarchive 18 November 2021
  69. ↑ IMDB [23] Retrieved 26 January 2024
  70. ↑ Deadline [24] Template:Webarchive 11 July 2022
  71. ↑ AACTA [25] Template:Webarchive Retrieved 26 January 2024
  72. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  73. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  74. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  75. ↑ Nine [26] Template:Webarchive Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  76. ↑ a b Netflix Life [27] Template:Webarchive 11 January 2024
  77. ↑ The Hollywood Reporter [28] Template:Webarchive 24 May 2023
  78. ↑ Express UK [29] 25 January 2024
  79. ↑ Deadline [30] Template:Webarchive 14 September 2021
  80. ↑ Variety [31] Template:Webarchive 8 November 2022
  81. ↑ Tai, Elizabeth Partners in Crime Drama Template:Webarchive 10 May 2009
  82. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  83. ↑ Ellis, James Travis Fimmel Template:Webarchive Metro UK, Retrieved 2 May 2011
  84. ↑ a b Warcraft: 8 things we learnt from director Duncan Jones Template:Webarchive 22 June 2016
  85. ↑ Facts Dot Net [32] Template:Webarchive 7 October 2023
  86. ↑ The Daily Telegraph Travis Fimmel Shows Off His Body at Hollywood Ashes Template:Webarchive 11 May 2009
  87. ↑ Aussies Defeat England in Hollywood Ashes 2009 Template:Webarchive 14 May 2009
  88. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  89. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  90. ↑ The Weekend Edition [33] Template:Webarchive 28 February 2023
  91. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  92. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  93. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  94. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  95. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  96. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  97. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  98. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  99. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  100. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  101. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Travis_Fimmel&oldid=3998437"