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: Help:IPA, �aˈladri.ɛl is a Character (arts), 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 ...

in the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001-2003), Yorgi in ''

XXX XXX may refer to: Codes and symbols * 30 (number), Roman numeral XXX * XXX, designating pornography ** XXX, an X rating#United_States, X rating ** .xxx, an internet top-level domain intended for pornographic sites * XXX, a symbol of the straight ...

'' (2002),

Guy de Lusignan Guy of Lusignan (c. 1150 – 18 July 1194) was a French Poitevin knight, son of Hugh VIII of Lusignan and as such born of the House of Lusignan. He was king of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1192 by right of marriage to Sibylla of Jerusalem, and Kin ...

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 Trevor Goodchild is a fictional character featured in the 1990s animated television series, ''Æon Flux'', the 2005 ''Æon Flux'' live-action film, and the 2005 ''Æon Flux'' video game. Character overview Chairman Trevor Goodchild is usually see ...

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 premiered ...

'' (2005), Hora in ''

Romulus, My Father ''Romulus, My Father'' is a biographical memoir, first published in 1998, written by the Australian philosopher Raimond Gaita. The memoir outlines the life of his father, Romulus Gaita (1922 – May 1996). Plot Romulus Gaita fled his hometown ...

'' (2007), Nico in '' Dead Europe'' (2012), Jack Barts in '' Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'' (2012), Teddy Rensen in '' The Equalizer'' (2014), and Quinn on the U.S. television series '' Into the Badlands''. Earlier in his career, he played

Leonard Dodds The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the New Zealand soap opera '' Shortland Street'' in 1993, by order of first appearance. Rachel McKenna Rachel McKenna was the spoilt teenage daughter of CEO - Michael (Paul Gittins) a ...

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 The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...

nominee, winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in ''Romulus My Father''. He was also nominated for Best Male Actor in a Play at the

2008 Helpmann Awards The 2008 Helpmann Awards were presented on 28 July 2008 at the Lyric Theatre, Sydney. The ceremony was hosted by Jonathan Biggins and Julia Zemiro Julia Zemiro () (born 14 April 1967) is a French-born Australian television presenter, radio ...

, 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 t ...

, 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 re ...

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 ''Shark in the Park'' is a New Zealand police procedural. It revolved around the professional and private lives of a group of officers at a Wellington police station under the command of Inspector Brian "Sharky" Finn. The title came from the i ...

'', 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 ...

''; and from 1997 to 2001, he had a recurring role on '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', portraying the character

Borias This is a list of significant characters from the television programs ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', its prequel '' Young Hercules'', and '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. Main characters * Hercules (portrayed by Kevin Sorbo as an adult, Ian B ...

. 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 ''

'' (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 by ...

'' (2003), Jarda in ''

The Bourne Supremacy ''The Bourne Supremacy'' is the second Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum, first published in 1986. It is the sequel to Ludlum's bestseller '' The Bourne Identity'' (1980) and precedes Ludlum's final Bourne novel, '' The Bourne Ultima ...

'' (2004),

in ''

'' (2005), and

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 nation ...

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 ''

'', 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 '' Dead Europe''. 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 his ...

'' with

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Forest Whitaker, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award ...

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 S ...

, and portrayed Jimmy Laszlo in the

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. It ...

police drama '' Rogue'', starring opposite

Thandie Newton Melanie Thandiwe Newton ( ; born 6 November 1972), formerly credited as Thandie Newton, is a British actress. Newton has received various awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for ...

. In 2014, he had roles in the films ''

Noah Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...

'', ''

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 A ...

'', and '' Sin City: A Dame to Kill For'', and as Nicolai Itchenko in '' The Equalizer''. 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 Channe ...

's scripted miniseries '' Klondike''. Csokas then portrayed

General Thomas Gage General (United Kingdom), General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army general officer and Colonialism, colonial official best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as British Comman ...

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 Disney ...

'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 pl ...

'' in 2015. In May 2015, Csokas joined the cast of

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

's martial arts drama '' Into the Badlands'', 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 reprised i ...

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 Jeff Nichols (born December 7, 1978) is an American film director and screenwriter from Little Rock, Arkansas. He studied filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Nichols is most known for his films ''Take Shelter'' (20 ...

-directed drama film '' Loving'', and starred alongside

Vera Farmiga Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' The Conjuring 2'' (2016), '' Annabelle Co ...

in the comedy-drama ''

Burn Your Maps ''Burn Your Maps'' is a 2016 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Jordan Roberts, based on the short story of the same name by Robyn Joy Leff. The film stars Vera Farmiga, Jacob Tremblay, Suraj Sharma, Ramón Rodríguez, Virginia M ...

''. 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 ''Voice from the Stone'' is a 2017 American supernatural psychological thriller film directed by Eric D. Howell and written by Andrew Shaw, based on the novel of the same name by Silvio Raffo. The film tells about a young patient of a female psyc ...

'' 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 Eva Gaëlle Green (, ; born ) is a French actress and model. The daughter of actress Marlène Jobert, she began her career in theatre before making her film debut in Bernardo Bertolucci's '' The Dreamers'' (2003). She achieved international reco ...

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