Erik Thomson is a Scottish-born New Zealand-Australian actor. He is known for playing

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

in the television series ''

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' is an American television series filmed in New Zealand, based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles (Hercules was his Roman analogue). Starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Michael Hurst as ...

'', ''

Xena Warrior Princess ''Xena: Warrior Princess'' is an American fantasy television series filmed on location in New Zealand. The series aired in first-run syndication from September 4, 1995, to June 18, 2001. Critics have praised the series for its strong female pro ...

'' and '' Young Hercules'', Dr. Mitch Stevens in '' All Saints'' and Dave Rafter in '' Packed to the Rafters''. Thomson won an

Australian Film Institute 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 ...

for his performance in the Australian feature film ''

Somersault A somersault (also ''flip'', ''heli'', and in gymnastics ''salto'') is an acrobatic exercise in which a person's body rotates 360° around a horizontal axis with the feet passing over the head. A somersault can be performed forwards, backwards ...

''.

Early life

Erik Thomson was born in

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histor ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and his family emigrated to New Zealand when he was seven. He studied performing arts at the

New Zealand Drama School New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

and

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

and drama at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well kn ...

Career

Thomson had a number of television roles in New Zealand, starting with ''Marlin Bay'', a drama set in a casino and resort. He won a wider fan following for his occasional appearances as the god

in the series ''

'' and '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' '' Young Hercules'', all three series of which were filmed in New Zealand. In 1995, Thomson moved to Australia and landed regular roles in ''

Pacific Drive ''Pacific Drive'' is an Australian television series made by Village Roadshow in association with New World International for the Nine Network which screened for 390 episodes from 29 January 1996 to December 1997, when it concluded it was show ...

'', medical series '' All Saints'' (1999–2003) and ''

The Alice Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

'' (2005). He has had guest roles on such series as '' Wildside'' and ''

Always Greener ''Always Greener'' was an Australian television drama/ comedy series that aired on the Seven Network which followed the fortunes of two families, one from the city and the other from the country, when they decide to switch homes and start a new ...

''. From 2008 to 2013, Thomson played Dave Rafter on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

dramedy Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

series '' Packed to the Rafters''. From 2015 to 2018 he had the lead role in '' 800 Words''. Thomson's work in theatre includes roles in ''

Complete Works of Shakespeare ''Complete Works of William Shakespeare'' is the standard name given to any volume containing all the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. Some editions include several works that were not completely of Shakespeare's authorship (collaborati ...

'', ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

'', ''

Twelve Angry Men ''Twelve Angry Men'' is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a ...

'', and ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award f ...

''. Thomson's film credits include the role of soldier Simon Mollison in the 2008 film '' The Black Balloon'' with

Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, inclu ...

. He appeared in ''

'' with

Abbie Cornish Abbie Cornish (born 7 August 1982) is an Australian actress. Cornish is best known for her film roles as Heidi in ''Somersault'' (2004), Fanny Brawne in '' Bright Star'' (2009), Sweet Pea in ''Sucker Punch'' (2011), Lindy in '' Limitless'' (201 ...

and

Sam Worthington Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Jake Sully in ''Avatar'' and its sequel, ''Avatar: The Way of Water''; Marcus Wright in ''Terminator Salvation'', and Perseus in '' Clash o ...

, which scored him an AFI Award, and also featured in ''

Accidents Happen ''Accidents Happen'' is a 2009 Australian coming-of-age comedy drama film directed by Andrew Lancaster and starring Geena Davis, Harrison Gilbertson, Harry Cook, Sebastian Gregory, Joel Tobeck, and Sarah Woods. Written by Brian Carbee, base ...

'' with

Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor

. Another Thomson role is as Malcom Downer in the 2019 film '' Storm Boy'' with

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy Award, a Primetime Emm ...

, and Finn Little.

Personal life

Thomson has been married to actress

Caitlin McDougall __NOTOC__ Caitlin McDougall is an Australian actress who is best known for her roles in the television series ''Always Greener'' and ''The Alice''. Early life and education McDougall was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and grew up in regional Sout ...

since 1999, and the couple have a daughter named Eilish and a son named Magnus. they live at

Port Willunga Port Willunga is a semi-rural suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is known as Wirruwarrungga or Ruwarunga by the traditional owners, the Kaurna people, and is of significance as being the site of a freshwater spring said to be created by the ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

Awards

Thomson won an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in ''

'', and was nominated for his work in '' The Black Balloon''. For television, he has been nominated for a

Logie Award The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

five times and has won two Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor. Awards for Thomson include: (The Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor was referred to as "Best Actor" in 2016 and 2017)

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Erik 1967 births Best Supporting Actor AACTA Award winners Living people Logie Award winners Naturalised citizens of New Zealand New Zealand expatriates in Australia New Zealand male television actors People from Inverness Scottish emigrants to New Zealand Scottish expatriates in Australia Scottish male television actors