Stuart Townsend(born 15 December 1972) is an Irish actor. He portrayedLestat de Lioncourtin thefilm adaptationofAnne Rice'sQueen of the Damned(2002), andDorian GrayinAlan Moore'sThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen(2003). In 2007, he directed the filmBattle in Seattle.
Stuart Townsend | |
|---|---|
 Townsend at the Beverly Hills special screening ofBattle in Seattleon 22 September 2008. | |
| Born | 15 December 1972 Howth,County Dublin,Ireland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Partner | Charlize Theron(2001–2009) |
| Children | 2 |
| Father | Peter Townsend |
| Relatives | Hugo Townsend(half-brother) |
Early life and career
editTownsend was born inHowth,County Dublin,the son of Lorna Hogan, an Irish model, andPeter Townsend,an Englishprofessional golfer.[1][2]His younger brother, Dylan, is also an actor.[3]
Stuart attended theGaiety School of Acting,Dublin, and made his non-professional stage debut in its 1993 production ofColin Teevan'sTear Up The Black Sail.[4]The following year he made his professional stage debut inTrue Lines,directed byJohn Crowley,which opened inKilkenny,before moving to theDublin Theatre Festivaland on to theBush Theatrein London. His early film roles were in Irish short films, includingGodsuitandSummertime,before landing a role in thefeaturelength film,Trojan Eddie,a 1996Anglo-Irishco-production. In 1997 he starred in the British film,Shooting Fish.
With his portrayal of a seducer in the title role ofAbout Adam,Townsend gained exposure in the United States. He briefly returned to the London stage in 2000, in theTennessee WilliamsplayOrpheus Descending,starring as Val Xavier, alongsideHelen Mirrenas Lady Torrance, before landing roles in several major films. He appeared inQueen of the Damnedas the vampireLestat de Lioncourt,and inThe League of Extraordinary GentlemenasDorian Gray.[5]Townsend was hired to play the part ofAragorninThe Lord of the Ringsfilm trilogy,but was replaced byViggo Mortensenthe day beforeprincipal photographybegan.[6]According to Townsend:
I was there rehearsing and training for two months, then was fired the day before filming began. After that I was told they wouldn't pay me because I was in breach of contract due to not having worked long enough. I had been having a rough time with them, so I was almost relieved to be leaving until they told me I wouldn't be paid. I have no good feelings for those people in charge, I really don't. The director wanted me and then apparently thought better of it because he really wanted someone 20 years older than me and completely different.[6]
In 2005, he starred alongsideGabrielle UnioninNight Stalker,the remake of the 1974ABCTV seriesKolchak: The Night Stalker.He portrayed Carl Kolchak, an investigative reporter looking into his wife's murder.Night Stalkerwas abruptly cancelled by ABC after six episodes due to bad viewing figures, with some critics reportedly saying he was too young compared toDarren McGavinin the original series. The same year, Townsend had a guest starring role on NBC'sWill & Graceas Karen Walker'spansexualpastry chef who seduces her, Will Truman, and then her maid, Rosario. He also made an uncredited cameo inÆon Flux(2005). Townsend starred alongsideRyan ReynoldsinChaos Theory(2007). The same year, he made his directorial debut withBattle in Seattle,a portrayal of theWTO Ministerial Conference of 1999which was protested by environmentalists, indigenous rights organizations, labor unions andanti-globalisationprotesters.[7]The film's cast includedCharlize Theron,Ray LiottaandWoody Harrelson,but enjoyed only limited release and noblockbustersupport.
Townsend was set to playFandralinKenneth Branagh'sThor,but was replaced in January 2010, due to unspecified creative differences.[8]He appeared in the ABC thriller,Betrayal,the second season ofSalem,and a 2017 episode ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit.[9]In 2021, Townsend starred in the filmsThe Martini ShotandGrace and Grit.[10][11]
Personal life
editTownsend's father,Peter,was a golfer who played in the1969and1971 Ryder Cups.[12]He has a brother, Dylan, and sister, Chloe, from his father's first marriage to Lorna Townsend, who died in 1994 of a brain haemorrhage.[13]Townsend has two half-siblings,Hugoand Ella, from his father's second marriage, to Swedish-born Sofia.[14]
Stuart dated actressCharlize Theronafter meeting her on the set of 2002'sTrapped.The couple lived together in Los Angeles and Ireland. They said they considered themselves married without an actual marriage, with Townsend stating, "We didn't have a ceremony. I don't need a certificate or the state or the church to say otherwise. So no, there's no big official story on a wedding, but we are married.... I consider her my wife and she considers me her husband."[15]Theron split from Townsend when they came back on day two of a planned ten-day holiday inMexicoin January 2010.[16][17]
In May 2015, Townsend's brother said that Stuart had settled down inCosta Rica,where he had bought some land and was living with a woman from that country, who was expecting their second child at that time.[18]In 2019, Townsend was living in Santa Monica with his wife and two children, and was arrested after a domestic dispute.[19]
Filmography
editFilms
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Godsuit | John Slattery | |
| 1996 | Trojan Eddie | Dermot | |
| 1997 | Shooting Fish | Jez | |
| Under the Skin | Tom | ||
| 1998 | Resurrection Man | Victor Kelly | |
| 1999 | Simon Magus | Dovid Bendel | |
| Wonderland | Tim | ||
| The Venice Project | Lark/Gippo the Fool | ||
| The Escort | Tom | ||
| 2000 | About Adam | Adam | |
| 2002 | Queen of the Damned | Lestat de Lioncourt | |
| Trapped | William Jennings | ||
| 2003 | Shade | Vernon | |
| The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen | Dorian Gray | ||
| 2004 | Head in the Clouds | Guy Malyon | |
| 2005 | The Best Man | Olly Pickering | |
| 2005 | Æon Flux | Monican Rebel | |
| 2007 | Chaos Theory | Buddy Endrow | |
| 2008 | Battle in Seattle | Writer and director only | |
| 2009 | Maggie Hill | Terrence James | |
| 2013 | A Stranger in Paradise | Paul | |
| 2021 | Grace and Grit | Ken Wilber | |
| 2021 | Christmas at Castle Hart | Earl Aidan Hart | |
| 2021 | Apache Junction | Jericho Ford | |
| 2023 | The Martini Shot† | Philip | Completed |
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Summertime | Andrew | Main role |
| 2005 | Will & Grace | Edward the pastry Chef | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Night Stalker | Carl Kolchak | Main role |
| 2005–2009 | Robot Chicken | Announcer, Lucky Charms Leprechaun, Ron Weasley | 4 episodes |
| 2011–2012 | XIII: The Series | XIII | Main role |
| 2013 | Betrayal | Jack McAllister | Series regular |
| 2015 | Elementary | Del Gruner | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Salem | Dr. Samuel Wainwright | 7 episodes |
| 2017 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Declan Trask | Guest |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Group | Award | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Fantafestival | Best Actor | Won | Resurrection Man |
| 2003 | Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Actor in a Film | Nominated | People's Choice Award |
| 2008 | Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Script for Film | Nominated | Battle in Seattle |
| 2013 | WorldFest | Best Actor | Won | XIII: The Series |
References
edit- ^Wills, Dominic."Stuart Townsend – Biography".TalkTalk Group.Retrieved6 May2010.
- ^Murray, Rebecca (27 August 2004)."Interview with Stuart Townsend".About.Archived fromthe originalon 11 January 2011.Retrieved8 January2019.
- ^"Dylan Townsend | Writer, Producer, Actor".IMDb.Retrieved14 November2023.
- ^"Gaiety School of Acting — News And Events".Gaiety School of Acting.Retrieved6 March2010.
- ^Staff writers (5 February 2015)."Stuart Townsend | Biography and Filmography | 1972".Hollywood.Retrieved3 August2017.
- ^abBonin, Liane (22 February 2002)."Meet Aaliyah's last leading man".Entertainment Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon 12 December 2005.Retrieved8 January2019.
- ^Vidal, John (5 December 1999)."Real battle for Seattle".The Observer.ISSN0029-7712.Retrieved17 July2023.
- ^Wigler, Josh (11 January 2010)."Stuart Townsend Leaves 'Thor,' Joshua Dallas Will Play Fandral".Archived fromthe originalon 29 April 2011.Retrieved13 January2010.
- ^Moore, Debi (14 January 2015)."Lestat and Xena Heading to Salem! Stuart Townsend, Lucy Lawless, and More Sign Up for Season 2!".Dread Central.Retrieved8 January2019.
- ^N'Duka, Amanda (15 November 2018)."Mena Suvari & Frances Fisher To Star In 'Grace and Grit' Indie".Deadline Hollywood.Retrieved8 January2019.
- ^"Castleconnell gets a Shot of Hollywood!".LoveCastleconnell.12 October 2018.Retrieved8 January2019.
- ^Wills, Dominic."Stuart Townsend Biography".Film biographies.Tiscali. Archived fromthe originalon 24 December 2008.Retrieved8 February2008.
- ^McQuaile, Jenny (29 July 2004)."Stuart's my big brother and my hero.. He raised us when our mum died; IRISH MODEL DYLAN TOWNSEND ON LIFE WITH HOLLYWOOD COUPLE".The Mirror (London, England).Retrieved7 October2013.
- ^Egan, Barry (14 February 2010)."Stuart finds his life goes on after Theron".Irish Independent.Retrieved7 October2013.
- ^Chi, Paul."Stuart Townsend Calls Charlize Theron His Wife".People.Archived fromthe originalon 4 December 2017.Retrieved13 September2007.
- ^Johnston, Max."Theron ends relationship? Charlize Theron has reportedly split from her partner of nine years".The Province — Division of Canwest Publishing Inc. Archived fromthe originalon 28 August 2015.Retrieved7 October2013.
- ^Egan, Barry (14 February 2010)."Stuart finds his life goes on after Theron".IndependentWoman.ie.Retrieved7 October2013.
- ^Staff writers (28 May 2015)."Irish actor Stuart Townsend living in Costa Rica and expecting second child, says his brother Dylan".Irish Independent.Retrieved8 January2019.
- ^Quann, Jack."Irish actor Stuart Townsend arrested in US".Newstalk.Retrieved26 August2021.
External links
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