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Stuart Townsend

 
Actor: Stuart Townsend
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  • Occupation: Actor, Writer, Director
  • Active: '90s-2000s
  • Major Genres: Drama
  • Career Highlights: Battle in Seattle, Mauvaise Passe, Chaos Theory
  • First Major Screen Credit: Shooting Fish (1997)

Biography

With the kind of dark, coolly seductive looks that lend themselves to playing either ladies' men or raving psychos, Stuart Townsend is one of the more compelling actors to have emerged from Ireland during the 1990s. A native of Dublin, Townsend was born to pro golfer Peter Townsend and Lorna Townsend, a well-known former model who died in 1994. He first became interested in performing through his then-girlfriend, who was studying at the Gaiety School of Acting. Townsend also enrolled at the school and made his stage debut in the school's production of Tear Up the Black Sail. He made his professional stage debut in John Crowley's True Lines. In 1996, Townsend broke onto the screen with his role in Gillies MacKinnon's Trojan Eddie. Portraying a seductive young man who steals away a bride from her groom on their wedding day, Townsend was afforded the opportunity to work with the legendary Richard Harris. His exposure in the film led to his first starring role, in Shooting Fish (1997), a successful comedy which cast him as a sweet-natured con man. That same year, Townsend had a supporting role in Carine Adler's acclaimed drama Under the Skin, engaging in emotional dysfunction and phone sex with the film's heroine. He also made a terrifying impression in the Irish crime thriller Resurrection Man, playing a psychotic killer. Townsend subsequently extended his talents to period drama, portraying an impoverished Jew in 19th century Silesia in Simon Magus (1998) and essaying a dual role in the 16th- and 20th century-set The Venice Project (1999). In 1999, he was also visible in Michael Winterbottom's Wonderland, an ensemble drama that screened at that year's Cannes Film Festival. The turnover to the new millennium found Townsend with some big shoes to fill as he stepped into the role of Anne Rice's staple bloodsucker Lestat (originally portrayed by Tom Cruise in Neil Jordan's Interview With the Vampire (1994)) in 2002. Baring his fangs alongside co-star and title character Aaliyah (who perished in an airplane crash shortly before the film opened in theaters) {$Townsend recieved a fair amount of praise for his role in the film, which was previously rumored to have been heading for a straight to video release. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Stuart Townsend
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Not to be confused with Stuart Townend.
 This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2008)
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Stuart Townsend

Townsend at the Beverly Hills Special Screening of "Battle in Seattle" - September 22, 2008.
Born Stuart Peter Townsend
15 December 1972 (1972-12-15) (age 37)
Howth, County Dublin, Ireland
Domestic partner(s) Charlize Theron (2001-present)

Stuart Townsend (born on 15 December 1972 in Howth, County Dublin) is an Irish actor and director. His most notable portrayals are of the characters Lestat de Lioncourt in the 2002 film adaptation of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned, and Dorian Gray in the 2003 film adaptation of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Contents

Career

Like fellow Irish actor Colin Farrell, he attended the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin where he made his non-professional stage debut in the school's production of Tear Up The Black Sail. His professional stage debut was in 1994's True Lines, directed by John Crowley, who later directed Intermission. True Lines was first performed in Kilkenny; it later moved to the Dublin Theatre Festival and on to Bush Theatre in London.

Townsend's early movie roles were in Irish short films such as "Godsuit" and "Summertime". His first part in a feature length film was Trojan Eddie, a 1996 UK/Irish co-production. In 1997 he landed a lead role in the British film Shooting Fish.

After his appearance as the outrageous seducer in the title role of About Adam, he started to be noticed in the United States by critics and the public alike. In mid-2000, he briefly returned to the London stage in the Tennessee Williams play Orpheus Descending, starring as Val Xavier, alongside Helen Mirren as Lady Torrance.

In recent years he has appeared in big budget films including Queen of the Damned, opposite Aaliyah, as the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt; and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as Dorian Gray.

Townsend was hired to play the part of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, but was replaced the day before principal photography began.[1] According to Townsend:[1]

“ 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. ”

In 2005 Townsend starred alongside Gabrielle Union in Night Stalker, the remake of the 1974 ABC TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. He played the part of Carl Kolchak, an investigative reporter looking into his wife's murder. Night Stalker was abruptly cancelled by ABC after six episodes due to bad viewing figures. Again, he was cited as "too young" by many reviewers and fans of the original series comparing him to Darren McGavin in the original series.

The same year Townsend played a guest starring role on NBC's Will & Grace as the pansexual pastry chef of Karen Walker who seduces her, Will Truman, and later Karen's maid Rosario. He also made an uncredited cameo in 2005's live-action Æon Flux film. Townsend recently starred alongside Ryan Reynolds in the comedy Chaos Theory.

Townsend made his directorial debut with the 2007 film Battle in Seattle which is a realistic portrayal of the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 World Trade Organisation which was successfully undermined by anti-globalization protesters. Despite the films A-list cast, including Charlize Theron (Townsend's partner of many years), Ray Liotta, Woody Harrelson and others, not to mention its being well received by critics, the film enjoyed only limited release and no blockbuster support.

Personal life

Townsend's father, Peter, was a golfer, who played in the 1969 and 1971 Ryder Cups.[2] His brother Dylan Townsend is a professional model.

Townsend has been with actress Charlize Theron since meeting her on the set of 2002's Trapped. The couple live together in Los Angeles and England. They consider themselves married without an actual marriage. "We didn't have a ceremony," he added. "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."[3]

Filmography

Television

Year Film 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 4 episodes

Films

Year Film Role Notes
1993 Godsuit John Slattery Main Role
1996 Trojan Eddie Dermot Main Role
1997 Shooting Fish Jez Main Role
Under the Skin Tom Main Role
1998 Resurrection Man Victor Kelly Main Role
1999 Simon Magus Dovid Bendel Main Role
Wonderland Tim Main Role
The Venice Project Lark/Gippo the Fool Main Role
mauvaise passe Tom Main Role
2000 About Adam Adam Main Role
2002 Queen of the Damned Lestat de Lioncourt Main Role
Trapped William Jennings Main Role
2003 Shade Vernon Main Role
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Dorian Gray Supporting Role
2004 Head in the Clouds Guy Main Role
2005 The Best Man Olly Pickering Main Role
2007 Chaos Theory Buddy Endrow Main Role
2008 Battle in Seattle As Director
2009 Maggie Hill Terrence James Supporting Role
2011 Thor Fandral Supporting Role

References

  1. ^ a b Interview with the Vampire, a February 22, 2002 article from Entertainment Weekly
  2. ^ Wills, Dominic. "Stuart Townsend Biography". Film biographies. Tiscali. http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/stuart_townsend_biog.html. Retrieved 2008-02-08. 
  3. ^ Chi, Paul. "Stuart Townsend Calls Charlize Theron His Wife". People Magazine. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20055540,00.html. Retrieved 2007-09-13. 

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
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Head in the Clouds (2004 Romance Film)
Shade (2003 Crime Film)
About Adam (2000 Comedy Drama Film)

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Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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