Chris Hemsworth is an Australian actor best known for playing Thor, a superhero from Marvel Comics, in the American blockbuster ‘Thor,’ which catapulted him to international celebrity. He earned the role of Kim Hyde in the Australian drama series ‘Home and Away’ while trying his hand at acting. From 2004 until 2007, he portrayed the character and earned a name for himself. He was also a contestant on Australia’s version of “Dancing with the Stars.” In his film career, he portrayed George Kirk in the American science fiction adventure picture “Star Trek” (2009). ‘Star Trek Into Darkness,’ the 12th movie in the Star Trek film franchise, featured him as a voice actor (2013). The blockbuster popular picture ‘Thor’ gave him his big break in 2011. In the sequel to the film, ‘Thor: The Dark World,’ (2013), the Australian heartthrob resumed his role as Thor, the crown prince of Asgard, as well as in ‘The Avengers,’ (2012) and its sequel, ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015). ‘A Perfect Getaway,’ ‘Snow White and the Huntsman,’ ‘Blackhat,’ ‘Rush,’ and ‘Vacation’ are among Hemsworth’s other notable flicks.
Childhood and Adolescence
Chris Hemsworth was born in Melbourne, Australia, on August 11, 1983, as the second of three boys to Craig Hemsworth and Leonie (née van Os). His ancestors are from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Germany.
His father works as a social worker, and his mother is an English teacher. His parents raised him and his brothers between Melbourne and the Outback, in the Northern Territory, in Australia’s distant interior.
He attended Heathmont College, a well-known coeducational government secondary school in Heathmont, Victoria. After a few years, his family moved to Phillip Island, which is located south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria.
Career of Chris Hemsworth
Following graduation, he started doing little parts in TV shows such as King Arthur in the Canadian/Australian fantasy ‘Guinevere Jones’ (2002), Jamie Kane in the Australian series ‘Neighbours’ (2002), and ‘The New Vet’ in the Australian-Canadian children’s series ‘The Saddle Club’ (2003), among others.
He tried out for the role of Robbie Hunter in the 2004 Australian TV drama series ‘Home and Away,’ which was eventually given to actor Jason Smith. Later, he was summoned back to reprise his part as Kim Hyde, which required him to relocate to Sydney.
On February 17, 2004, he made his first on-screen debut as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and he stayed in the role for three and a half years, appearing in 185 episodes until quitting the show to pursue a film career.
He gained notoriety, popularity, and recognition as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and he was nominated for multiple awards as a result of his performance. In 2005, he won the ‘Logie Awards’ for ‘Most Popular New Male Talent.’
He was a contestant in the fifth season of the Australian light entertainment reality show ‘Dancing with the Stars Australia,’ which premiered on September 26, 2006. Abbey Ross, a professional dancer, was his show partner. On November 7, 2006, he was eliminated as the sixth place finisher.
He made his film debut in the 2009 blockbuster American science fiction adventure ‘Star Trek,’ directed by J. J. Abrams, in which he played George Kirk. In August 2009, he starred in the thriller adventure ‘A Perfect Getaway,’ in which he played Kale.
In March 2010, he had his first starring appearance in the American indie criminal thriller ‘Ca$h.’ Following that, he went on to show his flexibility by playing a variety of parts with a lot of pizzazz and flare.
The 2011 American superhero film ‘Thor,’ based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, was his real break in the industry. He and Tom Hiddleston auditioned for the role, which eventually went to him while Hiddleston played Loki.
Hemsworth received widespread appreciation for his portrayal of Thor, for which he acquired 20 pounds of muscle. The film was the 15th highest-grossing film of 2011, and he was nominated for multiple awards, including the ‘Teen Choice Awards’ and the ‘People’s Choice Awards.’ He reprised the legendary character of Thor in the 2012 American superhero blockbuster ‘The Avengers.’ The film was not just the highest-grossing film of the year, but also the third-highest-grossing film worldwide.
He won a ‘Teen Choice Awards’ in the category of ‘Choice Summer Movie Star: Male’ for his roles in ‘The Avengers’ and the 2012 smash American dark fantasy film ‘Snow White and the Huntsman,’ in which he played Eric, the Huntsman. In ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War,’ he reprised his role as Eric (2016).
In 2013, he reprised his role as Thor in ‘Thor: The Dark World,’ a sequel to 2011’s ‘Thor,’ provided narration as George Kirk in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness,’ a sequel to 2009’s ‘Star Trek,’ and portrayed real-life Formula One World Champion James Hunt in the sports drama film ‘Rush.’
In a yearly feature, ‘People’ magazine named him the “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2014.
Apart from playing Thor in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron,’ he played Nicholas Hathaway, a convicted computer hacker, in the action thriller mystery film ‘Blackhat,’ tickled the funny bones as Stone Crandall in the comedy flick ‘Vacation,’ and played Owen Chase in the adventure drama ‘In the Heart of the Sea.’
In the 3D supernatural comedy picture ‘Ghostbusters,’ he played Kevin Beckman, the gorgeous but dumb secretary of the Ghostbusters,’ which was released in July 2016. On March 11, 2017, the film earned him the ‘Favorite Movie Actor’ award at the ‘Kids’ Choice Awards.’
The American superhero film ‘Doctor Strange’ was released on November 4, 2016, and received critical acclaim. In the film’s mid-credits scene, Hemsworth reprised his role as Thor.
‘Thor: Ragnarok’ is set for a November 3, 2017 release in the United States; ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is set for a May 4, 2018, release in the United States; an untitled Avengers film is set for a May 3, 2019 release in North America; and a war drama film called ‘Horse Soldiers’ is set for a May 3, 2019 release in North America.
Personal History and Legacy
He began dating Spanish actress Elsa Pataky in early 2010, and the two married in December of that year during the Christmas holidays. The couple has three children: a daughter, India Rose, who was born on May 11, 2012, and twin sons, Sasha and Tristan, who were born on March 18, 2014.
He is a supporter of the Western Bulldogs in Australian football. He was a standout in the Australian Football League’s 2014 ‘Everything’s Possible’ campaign.
In 2015, he and his family moved to Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia, from Los Angeles, California.
He’s a big supporter of ‘The Australian Childhood Foundation,’ which helps children who have been neglected or abused. He is a passionate supporter of the cause, devoting both time and resources to safeguarding youngsters from such dangers.