Chris Hemsworth
Birthdate: Aug 11, 1983
Birthplace: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Few major Hollywood actors are so closely identified with a single role as Chris Hemsworth (birthname: Christopher Hemsworth). The bottom line? Hemsworth is Thor, one of the most prominent characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a role so all-encompassing that it accounts for nearly half of his feature film credits and an even greater percentage when including all of his Thor-related short videos, game videos, and animated series.
He returned in 2022 for his ninth Thor film, under Taika Waititi’s direction, Thor: Love and Thunder, with Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Waititi, Jaimie Alexander, and Karen Gillan. After five years working in Australian TV, including the long-running series Home and Away (2004-2007), Chris Hemsworth landed the role of Capt. Kirk’s son in the movie reboot directed by J.J. Abrams, Star Trek (2009). Hemsworth soon after won the intensely competitive casting of Thor (2011) in the launch of one of the biggest MCU franchises, fundamentally altering the course of his career.
From 2011 to 2022, Hemsworth appeared in many MCU movies as Thor, as either a star or as part of the ensemble. That was the case with Joss Whedon’s The Avengers (2012), the inaugural entry in the saga of the key MCU superheroes with Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner. Hemsworth resumed his leading man berth in Thor: The Dark World (2013) with the regular ensemble of Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, and Jaimie Alexander. Hemsworth reunited with writer-director Whedon for Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), with new cast members Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, and Anthony Mackie.
Hemsworth’s third movie in the lead was director Taika Waititi’s first studio movie, Thor: Ragnarok (2017), with new cast members Cate Blanchett and Jeff Goldblum. Hemsworth’s Thor muscled to the center of the biggest double-bill yet in the MCU: Co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo’s Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), with new cast members Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin.
Five after the previous Thor adventure, Hemsworth returned as the big guy in Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022, again directed by Waititi. The combined worldwide box office for the MCU movies starring and co-starring Hemsworth has earned a worldwide gross (prior to the release of Thor: Love and Thunder) of $9.6 billion. Chris Hemsworth has played roles in two other series: First, as Eric the Huntsman in the Brothers Grimm-inspired Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), with Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, and Ian McShane, and the prequel-sequel The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016), with new cast members Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain.
The pair of films globally earned a combined $510 million. The second non-Thor series for Hemsworth is Netflix’s black ops action thriller, Extraction (2020), written by Avengers co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo, followed by Extraction 2 (2023), both of which Hemsworth served as star and producer. Beyond the franchises, Chris Hemsworth’s standalone movies have naturally tended toward the action-thriller vein but generally failed to catch fire at the box office, suggesting that outside of his role as Thor, Hemsworth is not necessarily a bankable star.
The highlights in this group include Michael Mann’s most recent feature, the thriller Blackhat (2015), a fascinating and complex film that was, unfortunately, a box-office bomb; Ron Howard’s deep sea adventure dramatizing the true events that inspired Moby-Dick, In the Heart of the Sea (2015), with Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson; yet another big-time release and box-office bomb for Hemsworth (albeit not as a star) was Paul Feig’s panned reboot of Ghostbusters (2016), with Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Andy Garcia.
Hemsworth also played a featured role in Drew Goddard’s flashy neo-noir drama (and another box-office failure), Bad Times at the El Royale (2018), with Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, and Jon Hamm; Hemsworth starred in the attempted new generation reboot of the Men in Black series, Men in Black: International (2019), with co-star Tessa Thompson, which fell far short of anticipated box office returns.
Hemsworth’s 2022 Netflix production (he starred and produced) was the science fiction thriller, Spiderhead, directed by Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, co-starring Miles Teller, and based on a short story, Escape from Spiderhead, by lauded author George Saunders. Hemsworth’s next major non-Thor movie is the Mad Max spinoff, Furiosa (2024), co-written and directed by George Miller and co-starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Yahya Abdul-Mateen.
Chris Hemsworth was cast as the voice of Optimus Prime/Orion Pax in Paramount Animation’s and Hasbro Entertainment’s Transformers One (2024), the first Transformers animated feature since The Transformers: The Movie (1986), and with the voices of Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm under Josh Cooley’s direction, and released by Paramount Pictures. Hemsworth then co-starred with Sam Rockwell in a secretly filmed spy action movie, Project X (date to be announced), directed by Matthew Vaughn and produced by Marv Studios.
Personal Details
Melbourne-born Chris Hemsworth was raised by his teacher-mother, Leonie, and his social services counselor-father, Craig Hemsworth. His brothers are movie stars Liam and Luke Hemsworth. His family moved multiple times, settling near Melbourne, where Hemsworth attended school. Hemsworth attended the secondary college, Heathmont College. He has been married to Spanish actor/model Elsa Pataky since 2010; the couple has three children, Sasha, Tristan, and India Rose. His height is 6’ 3”. His estimated current net worth is $130 million.*
Filmography
actor
Previous (18)
- 2024 | Transformers OneasOrion Pax
Transformers One
The untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but who once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever.
- 2024 | Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaasDementus
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
The origin story of renegade warrior Furiosa before her encounter and teamup with Mad Max.
- 2022 | Thor: Love and ThunderasThor
Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster to fight Gorr the God Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct.
- 2019 | Men in Black: InternationalasAgent H
Men in Black: International
The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization.
- 2019 | Avengers: EndgameasThor
Avengers: Endgame
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to reverse Thanos' actions and restore balance to the universe.
- 2018 | Bad Times at the El RoyaleasBilly Lee
Bad Times at the El Royale
1969. Four strangers check in at the El Royale Hotel. The hotel is deserted, staffed by a single desk clerk. Some of the new guests' reasons for being there are less than innocent and some are not who they appear to be.
- 2018 | Avengers: Infinity WarasThor
Avengers: Infinity War
The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
- 2018 |
- 2017 | Thor: RagnarokasThor
Thor: Ragnarok
Imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, Thor must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.
- 2016 | The Huntsman: Winter’s WarasThe Huntsman/Eric
The Huntsman: Winter’s War
Eric and fellow warrior Sara, raised as members of ice Queen Freya's army, try to conceal their forbidden love as they fight to survive the wicked intentions of both Freya and her sister Ravenna.
- 2015 | In the Heart of the SeaasOwen Chase
In the Heart of the Sea
A recounting of a New England whaling ship's sinking by a giant whale in 1820, an experience that later inspired the great novel Moby-Dick.
- 2015 | Avengers: Age of UltronasThor
Avengers: Age of Ultron
When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to Earth's mightiest heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plan.
- 2015 |
- 2013 | Thor: The Dark WorldasThor
Thor: The Dark World
When the Dark Elves attempt to plunge the universe into darkness, Thor must embark on a perilous and personal journey that will reunite him with doctor Jane Foster.
- 2013 |
- 2012 |
- 2012 | Snow White and the HuntsmanasThe Huntsman
Snow White and the Huntsman
In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.
- 2012 | The Cabin in the WoodsasCurt
The Cabin in the Woods
Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin, where they get more than they bargained for, discovering the truth behind the cabin in the woods.
Some Facts About Chris Hemsworth
Wage Increase: While Chris Hemsworth earned $150,000 for his starring role in the original Thor, he received $20 million in 2022 for his ninth Thor movie, Thor: Love and Thunder.
Distinguished Aussie: Hemsworth was made a Member of the Order of Australia for the 2021 birthday of Queen Elizabeth.
Fitness Man: Chris Hemsworth’s fitness practice drew such a following: he made a fitness app providing workouts, nutrition, and wellness practices.
