Sam Worthington
Sam Worthington | |
|---|---|
 Worthington at the Drift Movie Media Event at Event Cinemas, Bondi Junction 2013. | |
| Born | Samuel Henry John Worthington 2 August 1976 |
| Nationality | Australia |
| Alma mater | National Institute of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor, writer |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Home town | Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
Samuel Henry John Worthington[1] (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor and writer. He is best known for playing Jake Sully in the Avatar film series, Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation, and Perseus in Clash of the Titans as well as its sequel Wrath of the Titans. He then transitioned to more dramatic roles, appearing in Everest (2015), Hacksaw Ridge (2016), The Shack (2017), Manhunt: Unabomber (2017), and Fractured (2019). He also voiced the protagonist, Captain Alex Mason, in the video games Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) and Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012).
In 2004, Worthington received Australia's highest film award for his lead role in Somersault.
Early life[edit]
Worthington was born to English parents in Godalming, Surrey, in South East England, and moved to Perth, Western Australia when he was six months old. He grew up in Warnbro, a suburb of Rockingham. His mother, Jeanne J. (née Martyn), is a housewife, and his father, Ronald W. Worthington, is a power plant employee.[2] He has a sister, Lucinda.[3][4]
He attended John Curtin College of the Arts, a school specialising in the dramatic arts, located in Fremantle, Western Australia, where he studied drama but did not graduate. When he left the college, his father gave him $400 and sent him on a one-way trip to Cairns, Queensland, telling him to "work his way home". He began working on construction and odd jobs, eventually settling in Sydney. At age 19, while working as a bricklayer, he auditioned for the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and was accepted with a scholarship.[5]
Career[edit]
2000–2003[edit]
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Worthington played a small role alongside Adam Garcia in the Aussie dance film Bootmen (2000). He played a lead role in the low budget Aussie comedy gettin’ square.
2004–2008[edit]
Worthington had a major role in Somersault (2004) and played the lead in a modern Australian retelling of Macbeth (2006). He won the AFI Award for Best Lead Actor for his role in Somersault. He was well known in Australia for his role as Howard in the acclaimed Australian TV series Love My Way, in which he played the main love interest of the female lead.
Worthington's international film career began with a series of small roles in Hollywood production The Great Raid (2005), which was filmed in Australia. He auditioned for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale but lost the role to Daniel Craig.[6] He starred in the Australian creature-feature film Rogue (2007), as a man named Neil, which gained a 100 percent fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes.[7]
2009–2019[edit]
In Terminator Salvation, Worthington plays cyborg Marcus Wright who assists the humans despite their suspicions of him. Shot prior to the release of Terminator Salvation, the James Cameron-directed science-fiction film Avatar was Worthington's next project. In the film, he played Jake Sully, a paraplegic US Marine who, assigned to control an alien body called an avatar through a neural link, finds himself at the centre of a war between his own species and the indigenous Na'vi people of the moon Pandora. The film went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time, grossing more than $2.73 billion ($3.3 billion adjusted for inflation) in box-office receipts worldwide, before being overtaken by Avengers: Endgame.[8] In November 2010, Worthington told GQ Australia[9] that he went to audition, but wasn't told what it was for and got annoyed. So he did his part, left, forgot about it – and was called back. "I was a bit pissed off, and I think that came across," he says. "I think Jim saw a spark and liked it because that's Sully's character – a guy who doesn't like to be bullied and a guy who just wants to set things right."[10]
He provided voice work for Captain Alex Mason, the protagonist character in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops. Some gamers criticised Worthington's inability to mask his Australian accent, as in Avatar.[11] In November 2010, The Hollywood Reporter named Worthington as one of the young male actors who are "pushing – or being pushed" into taking over Hollywood as the new "A-List".[12]
He was selected as one of the entrants to the Who's Who in Australia 2011 edition.[13]
In 2012, Worthington starred in the sequel to Clash of the Titans, called Wrath of the Titans, alongside Liam Neeson. As in the first film, Worthington played the demigod and son of Zeus, Perseus. He also reprised his role as Alex Mason in Call of Duty: Black Ops II.[14] Also in 2012, Worthington starred as Nick Cassidy in Man on a Ledge, a suspense-thriller film directed by Asger Leth.
Worthington also portrays Jim Fitzgerald in the Discovery Channel television series, Manhunt: Unabomber.[15]
In 2019, Worthington starred as Ray Monroe in the Netflix thriller film Fractured.[16]
Personal life[edit]
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Worthington has said that when he was about 30, he sold most of his possessions and ended up with around $2,000 to his name. He says he bought a car with the proceeds and was living in it before he successfully auditioned for his role in the film Avatar.[17] He then found a place to live.[18]
On 18 October 2013, Worthington had confirmed rumours of a relationship with fellow Australian, model Lara Bingle.[19][20] They married on 28 December 2014 and had a son, Rocket Zot, in 2015.[21] In October 2016, Bingle and Worthington had their second child, another son, Racer.[22]
Worthington is a Christian.[23]
Arrest[edit]
On 23 February 2014, Worthington was arrested in New York City for assault, after punching a paparazzo, Sheng Li, who allegedly kicked Bingle in the shin. Video footage of the incident depicts Worthington referring to Bingle as his "wife", furthering speculation about the pair's marital status.[24] Worthington was initially released on a desk appearance ticket, while Li was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment, assault and harassment.[25]
On 26 February 2014, Worthington appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court, where he was ordered to stay away from Li for six months. The case was adjourned until 8 May 2014, with the actor to face charges of assault in the third degree, attempted assault and harassment.[26]
On 1 April 2014, Li blamed Bingle for starting the fight and called for her to be arrested.[27] Later that month, Worthington secured a conditional discharge deal on a misdemeanour assault charge, therefore avoiding any jail time, while the charges against Li were dismissed "in the interest of justice".[28] Li then filed a $3.7 million civil lawsuit against Worthington, which was settled out of court before going to trial in September 2015.[29]
Filmography[edit]
Films[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Bootmen | Mitchell Okden | |
| 2001 | A Matter of Life | Our Hero | Short film |
| 2002 | Hart's War | Cpl. B.J. "Depot" Guidry | |
| Dirty Deeds | Darcy Ryan | ||
| 2003 | Gettin' Square | Barry "Wattsy" Wirth | |
| 2004 | Enzo | - | Short film; Director, Writer, Music and Cinematography |
| Somersault | Joe | ||
| Thunderstruck | Ronnie | ||
| 2005 | The Great Raid | Pfc. Lucas | |
| Fink! | Able | ||
| 2006 | Macbeth | Lord Macbeth | |
| 2007 | Rogue | Neil Kelly | |
| 2009 | Terminator Salvation | Marcus Wright | |
| Avatar | Jake Sully | ||
| 2010 | Clash of the Titans | Perseus | |
| Last Night | Michael Reed | ||
| Love & Distrust | Miles | Segment: "Blue Poles" | |
| 2011 | The Debt | Young David Peretz | |
| Texas Killing Fields | Detective Mike Souder | ||
| 2012 | Man on a Ledge | Nick Cassidy | |
| Wrath of the Titans | Perseus | ||
| 2013 | Drift | JB | |
| 2014 | Sabotage | James "Monster" Murray | |
| Cake | Roy Collins | ||
| The Keeping Room | Moses | ||
| 2015 | Paper Planes | Jack Webber | |
| Kidnapping Freddy Heineken | Willem Holleeder | ||
| Everest | Guy Cotter | ||
| 2016 | Hacksaw Ridge | Captain Glover | |
| 2017 | The Shack | Mack Philips | |
| The Hunter's Prayer | Stephen Lucas | ||
| 2018 | The Titan | Rick Janssen | |
| 2019 | Fractured | Ray Monroe | |
| 2020 | Dreamland | TBD | Post-production |
| 2022 | Avatar 2 | Jake Sully | Filming |
| 2024 | Avatar 3 | Jake Sully | Filming |
| TBA | The Georgetown Project | Post-production | |
| Lansky | David Stone | Post-production |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | JAG | Dunsmore | Episode: "Boomerang: Part 1" |
| Water Rats | Phillip Champion | Episode: "Able to Leap Tall Buildings" | |
| Blue Heelers | Shane Donovan | Episode: "Bloodlines" | |
| 2004 | Love My Way | Howard Light | 10 episodes |
| 2005 | The Surgeon | Dr. Sam Dash | 8 episodes |
| 2006 | Two Twisted | Gus Rogers | Episode: "Delivery Man" |
| 2015 | Deadline Gallipoli | Phillip Schuler | 4 episodes; miniseries Executive Producer |
| 2017 | Manhunt: Unabomber | Jim Fitzgerald |
Video games[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Call of Duty: Black Ops | Alex Mason | |
| 2012 | Call of Duty: Black Ops II | Alex Mason | |
| 2018 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 | Alex Mason | Specialist HQ and Blackout Character |
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | AFI Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | Bootmen | Nominated |
| 2002 | FCCA Award | Best Supporting Actor – Male | Dirty Deeds | Won |
| 2004 | AFI Award | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Somersault | Won |
| FCCA Award | Best Actor – Male | Somersault | Won[30] | |
| IF Award | Best Actor | Somersault | Won | |
| 2009 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Fresh Face Male | Terminator Salvation | Nominated |
| Australians in Film Breakthrough Award | Australians in Film[31] | Avatar | ||
| 2010 | Saturn Award | Best Actor | Avatar | Won |
| Australian Film Institute International Award for Best Actor | Best Actor | Avatar | Won | |
| Empire Award | Best Actor | Avatar | Won | |
| Giffoni Award | Won | |||
| Kid's Choice Awards | Cutest Couple (shared with Zoe Saldana) | Avatar | Nominated | |
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Fight (shared with Stephen Lang) | Avatar | Nominated | |
| Best Kiss (shared with Zoe Saldana) | Avatar | Nominated | ||
| ShoWest Award | Male Star of the Year | Won | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Fight (shared with Stephen Lang) | Avatar | Nominated | |
| Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi | Avatar | Won | ||
| Choice Movie Actor: Fantasy | Clash of the Titans | Nominated |
References[edit]
- ^ "Incident 123082579" (PDF). E! Online. Atlanta, Georgia, Police Department. 3 November 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
- ^ "Avatar first reviews, Sam Worthington next Hollywood star in the making". The Daily Telegraph. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
- ^ Lipworth, Elaine (4 February 2012). "Sam Worthington on 'Man on a Ledge'". Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Jeanne J. Worthington". MyHeritage. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Sam Worthington Interview for Terminator". Screencrave.com. 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 8 October 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
- ^ "Bard arse". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 September 2006.
- ^ "Rogue". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ "Worldwide Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
- ^ "Sam Worthington". GQ. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), GQ Australia November 2010, Sam Worthington
- ^ "How an Australian Man Nearly Ruined Black Ops for Me".
- ^ Blank, Emily; Schutte, Lauren. "Hollywood's A-List Redefined". (slide 9 of 10 in slideshow) The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
- ^ "Who's Who pack now boasts Siddle, Hamish and Andy and the Masterchef judges". heraldsun.com.au. 9 December 2010.
- ^ John Gaudiosi (13 November 2012). "'Call of Duty: Black Ops II': Treyarch's Dave Anthony on Directing Sam Worthington, Michael Keaton (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
- ^ McLennan, Cindy (28 March 2017). "Manhunt: Unabomber: Scripted Discovery Series Debuts in August". TV Series Finale.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (12 November 2018). "Sam Worthington Set As Lead In Brad Anderson-Directed Netflix Film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ "Watch The Jay Leno Show Online at Hulu". Hulu.
- ^ "I was living in my car before 'Avatar': Sam Worthington".
- ^ "Aussie actor 'smitten' with Bingle".
- ^ "Sam Worthington says he is smitten with new squeeze Lara Bingle".
- ^ Anya Leon (27 March 2015). "Sam Worthington and Lara Bingle Welcome Son Rocket Zot". People. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
- ^ Ellie McDonald (1 November 2016). "CONFIRMED! Lara and Sam Worthington have welcomed their second son". Woman's Day. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
- ^ "Actor Sam Worthington Says 'The Shack' Helped Him Understand Relationship With God (Interview)". www.christianpost.com.
- ^ "So are Sam Worthington and Lara Bingle really married?". News.com.au. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ "'Avatar' actor Sam Worthington arrested in NYC". Yahoo. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- ^ "Sam Worthington ordered to stay away from photographer". Sydney Morning Herlad. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ "Photographer blames 'Avatar' star's girlfriend for starting fight". Reuters. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
- ^ Peter Mitchell (9 May 2014). "Paparazzo walks free as Sam Worthington assault case dropped". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
- ^ Ebony Bowden (4 September 2015). "Sam Worthington settles $5 million lawsuit with photographer over scuffle". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
- ^ "Urban Cinefile FCCA AWARDS 2004 WINNERS". www.urbancinefile.com.au.
- ^ "Australians in Film Breakthrough Awards". Australians in Film. Archived from the original on 3 July 2012.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sam Worthington. |
- 1976 births
- Australian Christians
- Australian male film actors
- Australian male television actors
- English emigrants to Australia
- National Institute of Dramatic Art alumni
- Living people
- Naturalised citizens of Australia
- People educated at John Curtin College of the Arts
- 20th-century Australian male actors
- 21st-century Australian male actors
- Male actors from Surrey
- Male motion capture actors
- People from Godalming
- Male actors from Perth, Western Australia
- Best Actor AACTA Award winners