Sam Worthington Biography

SAM WORTHINGTON

Date of Birth: August 2, 1976

Australian Sam Worthington initially had no intention of becoming an actor. A high school dropout at 17, he accompanied his girlfriend to an audition for Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art. Ironically, she didn't gain entrance to the prestigious program, but Worthington, who decided on an impulse to give it a shot himself, did. After graduating in 1988 at the age of 22, he received critical acclaim in his first professional theatrical role.

Combining talent with rugged good looks and a bit of good luck often equals success, and Worthington is no exception. He soon found roles on Australian television, and in 2000 made his American television debut with a guest appearance on the hit series JAG. The same year, he made his film debut in the critically acclaimed Australian movie Bootmen, for which he received an Australian Film Institute nomination for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role."

Continuously honing his craft, Worthington appeared in a number of films, including big budget motion pictures such as Hart's War (2002), starring Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell, but his big break came in 2004 with the film Somersault. Not only did he win Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Australian Film Institute Awards, but the film took home trophies in every category in which it was nominated—a total of 13 awards, setting a new record.

Worthington continues to impress with the roles he chooses—playing the title role in Geoffrey Wright's Macbeth (2006), as Keira Knightley's husband in Last Night (2009), and introducing a new character to the latest Terminator installment—Terminator Salvation (2009), opposite Christian Bale. It seems that 2009 was Worthington's year to shine—he also had a leading role in James Cameron's science fiction epic Avatar, starring alongside Sigourney Weaver.

Strange as it may seem, Worthington says when he was about 30, he sold most of his possessions and ended up with approximately $2,000 to his name. He bought a car with the proceeds and was living in it before he successfully auditioned for his role in Avatar. He then found a place to live. He's certainly come a long way since then. He starred in a string of movies in 2012: Man on a Ledge, Drift, Wrath of the Titans, and Thunder Run.

More recently, he starred alongside Jennifer Aniston in Cake (2015), Jim Sturgess in Kidnapping Mr. Heineken (2015), Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge (2016), and Octavia Spencer in The Shack (2017). It has also been announced that there will be three sequels to Avatar set for 2018, 2020 and 2022 releases respectively, for which Worthington will reprise his role of Jake Sully.

Currently in demand internationally, Worthington divides his time between the U.S., Europe and his native Australia. He was dating fashion stylist Natalie Marks, but the pair split in January 2011.

Filmography:

Avatar 4 (2022)
Avatar 3 (2020)
Avatar 2 (2018)
Hunter's Prayer (2017)
The Titan (2017)
The Shack (2017)
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Everest (2015)
Kidnapping Mr. Heineken (2015)
Cake (2015)
The Keeping Room (2014)
Sabotage (2014)
Ten (2014)
Wrath of the Titans (2012)
Hunter Killer (2012)
Man on a Ledge (2012)
Texas Killing Fields (2011)
Last Night (2010)
Clash of the Titans (2010)
The Debt (2010)
Avatar (2009)
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Rogue (2007)
Macbeth (2006)
Fink! (2005)
The Great Raid (2005)
Blue Poles (2004)
Somersault (2004)
Thunderstruck (2004)
Gettin' Square (2003)
Dirty Deeds (2002)
Hart's War (2002)
A Matter of Life (2001)
Bootmen (2000)