Marton Paul Csokas (, ; born 30 June 1966) is a New Zealand actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the

Toi Whakaari Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is New Zealand's national drama school. It was established in 1970 and is located in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Te Whaea: National Dance & Drama Centre. Toi Whakaari offers training in acting, costume constru ...

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 () 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 the Noldor and the Teler ...

in the ''

Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually developed into ...

'' trilogy (2001–2003), Yorgi in ''

XXX XXX may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''XXX'' (film series), American action film series ** ''XXX'' (2002 film), an action film starring Vin Diesel ** '' XXX: State of the Union'', 2005 ** '' XXX: Return of Xander Cage' ...

'' (2002),

Guy de Lusignan Guy of Lusignan ( 1150 – 18 July 1194) was King of Jerusalem, first as husband and co-ruler of Queen Sibylla from 1186 to 1190 then as disputed ruler from 1190 to 1192. He was also Lord of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194. A French Poitevin kni ...

in '' Kingdom of Heaven'' (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 adult animated avant-garde science-fiction adventure television series that aired on MTV from November 30, 1991 until October 10, 1995. It premiered on MTV's '' Liquid Television'' experimental animation show as ...

'' (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 o ...

'' (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 of the same name. The film has received mixed reviews. Cast * Ewen Leslie as Isaac * Marton Csokas as Nico * ...

'' (2012), Jack Barts in '' Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'' (2012), Nicolai Itchenko A.K.A. Teddy Rensen in ''

The Equalizer ''The Equalizer'' is an American vigilante action thriller multimedia franchise initially co-created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. It originated with a CBS television series from 1985 to 1989 starring Edward Woodward. The concept ...

'' (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 ...

on the New Zealand soap opera ''

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand Prime time, prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital. The show was first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992 and is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, be ...

''. 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 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 ...

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 and was broadcast live on Bio. (Foxtel's biography channel). Nominees (winners are bolded) T ...

, 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 middle-aged couple Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they rece ...

Early life

Csokas was born in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

, the son of Margaret Christine (

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

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 in ...

'', as Terry Mercer in the episode "Technical K.O.". He also portrayed Leonard Rossi-Dodds in the long-running soap opera ''

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

Broken English Broken English is a term often used to describe non-standard, non-traditionally spoken or alternatively-written version of the English language. This term is often considered derogatory and has been used to invalidate non-standard or "low pre ...

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

Borias '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' is an American television series based on the tales of the classical Greek hero, produced from January 16, 1995, to November 22, 1999. It had two spin-off series: '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', which ran from 19 ...

. 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 American buddy action comedy film directed by David McNally from a screenplay by Steve Bing and Scott Rosenberg with a story by Bing and Barry O'Brien. It is also produced by Jerry Bruckheimer with music by Trevor ...

'' (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 Ultim ...

'' (2004),

in ''

'' (2005), and

in '' Kingdom of Heaven'' (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 ( 23 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 Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) is a professional organisation of film and television practitioners in Australia. The academy's aim is "to identify, award, promote, and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements i ...

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 chess piece in the game * Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral Pawn or The Pawn may also refer to: Places * Pa ...

'' with

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Best Actor Award at the ...

and

Michael Chiklis Michael Charles Chiklis (; born August 30, 1963) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama ''The Shield'' (2002–2008), for which he won the Primet ...

, and portrayed Jimmy Laszlo in the

DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...

police drama ''

Rogue A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior or strikes out on an independent and possibly destructive path. Rogue, rogues, or going rogue may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * ...

'', starring opposite

Thandiwe Newton Melanie Thandiwe Newton ( ; born 6 November 1972), formerly credited as Thandie Newton ( ), is a British actress. She has received various awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award, and a BAFTA Award, as well as nominations for two Golden Globe ...

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

Noah Noah (; , also Noach) appears as the last of the Antediluvian Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baháʼí literature, ...

'', ''

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. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel En ...

'', 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 that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

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

General Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator best known for his many years of service in North America, including serving as Commander-in-Chief, North America during the early days o ...

History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

'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 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 known for his portrayal of Will McGill on the first two seasons of the Australian drama series'' The Secret Life of Us'' (2001–02), and for playing Owen Lars in t ...

and

Ruth Negga Ruth Negga ( ; born 4 May 1981) is an Irish actress known for her roles in the AMC television series ''Preacher'' (2016–2019) and the film '' Loving'' (2016). For her portrayal of Mildred Loving in the latter, Negga received a nomination for ...

in the

Jeff Nichols Jeff Nichols (born December 7, 1978) is an American film director and screenwriter. His films are characterized by their Southern United States backdrop and ambience. He is also known for his longstanding collaboration with actor Michael Shannon ...

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

Vera Farmiga Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress. Farmiga began her professional acting career on stage in the original Broadway production of '' Taking Sides'' (1996). After expanding to television and film, her breakthrough ...

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, best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she received nominations for four Primetime E ...

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. It is based on the novel of the same name by Silvio Raffo. The film tells about a young patient of a femal ...

'' 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 as far south ...

'' with

Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress. An icon of the Swinging London, Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role of Meredith in the 1966 film ''Georgy Girl'', which starred Lynn ...

and in the historical drama film ''

The Last Duel Last Duel may refer to: * ''The Last Duel'' (1981 film), Taiwanese martial arts drama; original title 英雄對英雄 * ''Last Duel'' (video game), 1988 Japanese vertical scrolling shooter by Capcom *'' The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal ...

'' 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

Eva Green Eva Gaëlle Green (; ; born ) is a French British-based actress, known for appearing in blockbuster and independent films, in which she often portrays eccentric, villainous, and complex characters. The daughter of actress Marlène Jobert, she ...

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 expatriate male actors in the United States New Zealand stage actors