Marton Paul Csokas (, hu, Csókás Márton Pál; born 30 June 1966) is a Hungarian-New Zealand actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the Toi Whakaari drama school, he has worked extensively in Australia and Hollywood, along with his native country, and often portrays villainous roles. His notable roles include

Celeborn Galadriel (IPA: �aˈladri.ɛl is a character created by J. R. R. Tolkien in his Middle-earth writings. She appears in '' The Lord of the Rings'', '' The Silmarillion'', and ''Unfinished Tales''. She was a royal Elf of both ...

in the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001-2003), Yorgi in '' XXX'' (2002), Guy de Lusignan in ''

Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven may refer to: Religious * Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Matthew) ** Kingship and kingdom of God, or simply Kingdom of God, the phrase used in the other gospels * Kingdom of Heaven (Daviesite), a schismatic sect, founded by Will ...

'' (2005), Trevor Goodchild in ''

Æon Flux ''Æon Flux'' is an American avant-garde science fiction adventure animated television series that aired on MTV from November 30, 1991, until October 10, 1995, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premier ...

'' (2005), Hora in '' Romulus, My Father'' (2007), Nico in ''

Dead Europe ''Dead Europe'' is a 2012 Australian drama film directed by Tony Krawitz. It is an adaptation of the 2005 novel by Christos Tsiolkas with the same name. Peter Galvin from SBS gave the film three stars out of five, noting that the film is "dar ...

'' (2012), Jack Barts in '' Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'' (2012), Teddy Rensen in ''

The Equalizer ''The Equalizer'' is an American spy thriller multimedia franchise initially co-created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, and originating with a CBS television series from 1985 to 1989, starring Edward Woodward. The concept was thereafte ...

'' (2014), and Quinn on the U.S. television series ''

Into the Badlands ''Into the Badlands'' may refer to: * ''Into the Badlands'' (film), a 1991 television film; * ''Into the Badlands'' (TV series), a 2015–2019 television series {{Disambiguation ...

''. Earlier in his career, he played Leonard Dodds on the New Zealand soap opera ''

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously ...

''. Csokas is a three-time AACTA Award nominee, winning

Best Actor in a Supporting Role Best Actor in a Supporting Role may refer to: * AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role * BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role * Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male * Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a S ...

for his performance in ''Romulus My Father''. He was also nominated for Best Male Actor in a Play at the 2008 Helpmann Awards, for his portrayal of George in Belvoir's revival of ''

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of a middle-aged couple, Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they receive ...

Early life

Csokas was born in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of ...

, the son of Margaret Christine (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Rayner), a nurse, and Márton Csókás I, who worked as a mechanical engineer for E. Hayes & Sons. His father was Hungarian and his mother had English, Irish, and Danish ancestry. Csokas graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1989 with a Diploma in Acting.

Career

Csokas made his acting debut in 1990 on the New Zealand drama series '' Shark in the Park'', as Terry Mercer in the episode "Technical K.O.". He also portrayed Leonard Rossi-Dodds in the soap opera ''

'' from 1993 until 1995. In 1996, he starred in the romantic drama film ''

Broken English Broken English is a name for a non-standard, non-traditionally spoken or alternatively-written version of the English language. These forms of English are sometimes considered as a pidgin if they have derived in a context where more than one l ...

''; and from 1997 to 2001, he had a recurring role on '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', portraying the character Borias. Csokas also portrayed Lord Celeborn in '' The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001) and '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (2003), Yorgi in '' XXX'' (2002), Mr. Smith in ''

Kangaroo Jack ''Kangaroo Jack'' is a 2003 buddy comedy film produced by Castle Rock Entertainment and Jerry Bruckheimer Films, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, directed by David McNally with a screenplay by Steve Bing and Scott Rosenberg from a story b ...

'' (2003), Jarda in '' The Bourne Supremacy'' (2004), Trevor Goodchild in ''

'' (2005), and Guy de Lusignan in ''

'' (2005). Csokas' stage credits include plays by

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

and

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

in the 1990s in New Zealand, and ''

'' (2007) and '' Peribáñez'' (2006) with Company B in Australia. In 2007, he portrayed Hora in the drama film '' Romulus, My Father'', for which he won an

AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. It has been awarded annually since 1974. Previous winners ReferencesAfi.org.au — AFI Award Winners {{Australia ...

and a Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2012, he appeared in the drama film ''

''. For his role in ''Dead Europe'', he was again nominated for an

. In 2013, Csokas co-starred in the crime-thriller ''

Pawn Pawn most often refers to: * Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous piece in the game * Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral Pawn may also refer to: Places * Pawn, Oregon, an h ...

'' with

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After making his fil ...

and

Michael Chiklis Michael Charles Chiklis ( born August 30, 1963) is an American actor, television director, television producer and musician. He is best known for his role as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama ''The ...

, and portrayed Jimmy Laszlo in the

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California, El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary ...

police drama ''

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'', starring opposite Thandie Newton. In 2014, he had roles in the films ''

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'', ''

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (internationally titled ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro'') is a 2014 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The film was directed by Marc Webb and produced by Avi ...

'', and '' Sin City: A Dame to Kill For'', and as Nicolai Itchenko in ''

''. Also in 2014, he starred as the superintendent in the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Chan ...

's scripted miniseries '' Klondike''. Csokas then portrayed General Thomas Gage in

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Dis ...

's three-part miniseries ''

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It p ...

'' in 2015. In May 2015, Csokas joined the cast of AMC's martial arts drama ''

Into the Badlands ''Into the Badlands'' may refer to: * ''Into the Badlands'' (film), a 1991 television film; * ''Into the Badlands'' (TV series), a 2015–2019 television series {{Disambiguation ...

'', playing the role of Quinn, the most powerful baron in the badlands. The show was canceled in 2019 after three seasons. In 2016, he co-starred with

Joel Edgerton Joel Edgerton (born 23 June 1974) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his appearance in the '' Star Wars'' films ''Attack of the Clones'' (2002) and '' Revenge of the Sith'' (2005) as a young Owen Lars, a role he reprise ...

and

Ruth Negga Ruth Negga ( ; born 7 January 1981) is an Ethiopian-Irish actress known for the AMC television series ''Preacher'' and the film ''Loving''. For her portrayal of Mildred Loving in the latter, Negga received several major nominations from the Ac ...

in the Jeff Nichols-directed drama film ''

Loving Loving may refer to: * Love, a range of human emotions * Loving (surname) * ''Loving v. Virginia'', a 1967 landmark United States Supreme Court civil rights case Film and television * ''Loving'' (1970 film), an American film * ''Loving'' (1 ...

'', and starred alongside Vera Farmiga in the comedy-drama '' Burn Your Maps''. Csokas starred alongside

Emilia Clarke Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke (born 23 October 1986) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal as Daenerys Targaryen in ''Game of Thrones''. She has received various accolades, including an Empire Award, a Saturn Award, ...

in the supernatural thriller '' Voice from the Stone'' released in April 2017. He also starred in ''Mark Felt The Man Who Brought Down the White House'' with Liam Neeson. In 2021 Csokas appeared in ''

Juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

'' with

Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress, known for her work in European arthouse films in English, French, and Italian. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role ...

and in the historical drama film '' The Last Duel'' directed by Ridley Scott.

Personal life

Csokas holds dual New Zealand and Hungarian citizenship. From 2005 to 2009, he was in a romantic relationship with his ''Kingdom of Heaven'' co-star Eva Green.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video game

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Csokas, Marton 1966 births Living people New Zealand male film actors New Zealand male television actors New Zealand male soap opera actors New Zealand male video game actors New Zealand male voice actors New Zealand people of Hungarian descent New Zealand people of English descent New Zealand people of Danish descent New Zealand people of Irish descent People educated at King's College, Auckland People from Invercargill Toi Whakaari alumni 20th-century New Zealand male actors 21st-century New Zealand male actors New Zealand expatriates in the United States People with acquired Hungarian citizenship New Zealand stage actors