Christopher Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor and film producer. His films as a leading man have grossed over $12.1 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing film stars of all time. Hemsworth was one of the world's highest-paid actors annually from 2017 to 2019.
Hemsworth's breakthrough came as Kim Hyde on the Australian soap opera Home and Away (2004–2007), before making his Hollywood film debut in Star Trek (2009). He achieved global recognition for portraying Thor in eleven films across the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), beginning with his solo feature debut in 2011. He has since starred in other major-studio films such as Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Ghostbusters (2016), Bad Times at the El Royale (2018), Men in Black: International (2019), Extraction (2020), and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024). He earned praise for his performance as Formula One driver James Hunt in the biographical sports film Rush (2013).
Hemsworth is a prominent advocate for brain health and was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world for health in 2026. Often labeled a sex symbol, he has been referred to as one of the world's most attractive men by various media outlets.
Christopher Hemsworth was born on 11 August 1983 in Melbourne, to Leonie (née van Os), an English teacher, and Craig Hemsworth, a social-services counsellor. He has an older brother, Luke, and a younger brother, Liam; both of them also actors. His maternal grandfather is a Dutch immigrant and his maternal grandmother is of Irish descent; on his paternal line he is of English, Scottish, and German ancestry.
He was brought up both in Melbourne and in the Outback in Bulman, Northern Territory. He has said, "My earliest memories were on the cattle stations up in the Outback, and then we moved back to Melbourne and then back out there and then back again. Certainly most of my childhood was in Melbourne but probably my most vivid memories were up there [in Bulman] with crocodiles and buffalo. Very different walks of life." He attended high school at Heathmont College before his family again returned to the Northern Territory, and then moved a few years later to Phillip Island.
Hemsworth started his career by appearing in several television series. In 2002, Hemsworth starred in three episodes of fantasy television series Guinevere Jones as King Arthur, as well as making an appearance in soap opera series Neighbours and one episode of Marshall Law. The following year, he appeared in an episode of The Saddle Club. In 2004, Hemsworth auditioned for the role of Robbie Hunter in Australian soap opera Home and Away. He did not receive the part, but was subsequently recalled for the part of Kim Hyde. He moved to Sydney to join the cast, appearing in 171 episodes of the series. He left the cast of Home and Away on 3 July 2007. Hemsworth later remarked that although he became more visible after Home and Away, his work on a soap opera did not earn him respect within the film industry.
Hemsworth was a contestant on the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars Australia, partnered with professional dancer Abbey Ross. The season premiered on 26 September 2006, and after six weeks, Hemsworth was eliminated on 7 November. Hemsworth's appearance in the franchise almost cost him the role of Thor, as producers of the Marvel film franchise feared fans would be put off.
In 2009, Hemsworth played James T. Kirk's father, George Kirk, in the opening scenes of J. J. Abrams' film Star Trek. The role was initially offered to Matt Damon, who turned it down; Abrams appreciated Hemsworth taking on the role. Josh Tyler of CinemaBlend was impressed with Hemsworth, describing the actor's scene as the "best five minutes I've spent in a movie theater this year." The film was a box office success, grossing US$385.7 million. That same year, Hemsworth played Kale Garrity in the thriller A Perfect Getaway. It received mixed reviews, but Hemsworth was praised for his "appropriately intimidating" performance of a "thuggish backpacker." Paul Young of Screen Rant also praised Hemsworth's performance as "solid."
Hemsworth went on to play Sam in 2010's Ca$h alongside English actor Sean Bean, which was the first film he shot when he arrived in the United States. The film's director, Stephen Milburn Anderson, said Hemsworth had only been in the United States for six weeks when he had auditioned for the role, recalling, "Here's a guy who is young, has the right look, is a very good actor and, let's face it, he's beautiful. So I say, we need to get this guy in. I was very impressed". In November 2010, The Hollywood Reporter named Hemsworth one of the young male actors who are "pushing – or being pushed" onto the Hollywood "A-List".
2011–2015: Thor and worldwide recognition
In 2011, Sony Pictures announced that Hemsworth would star in the thriller Shadow Runner, but the film was never made. That same year, Hemsworth was cast as the superhero Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His first film in the franchise was 2011's Thor. He and castmate Tom Hiddleston, who ultimately played Loki, had each auditioned for the role, for which Hemsworth said he gained 20 pounds of muscle. With a worldwide gross of US$449.3 million, Thor was the 15th highest-grossing film of 2011. The film received positive reviews, and Hemsworth's portrayal of the God of Thunder was praised by Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times. Hemsworth reprised the role the following year for the film The Avengers (2012) as one of the six superheroes—alongside Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark / Iron Man, Chris Evans' Steve Rogers / Captain America, Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner / Hulk, Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanova / Black Widow, and Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton / Hawkeye—sent to defend Earth from his adopted brother, Loki. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over US$1.5 billion worldwide. The ensemble cast was praised for their onscreen chemistry by Peter Travers of Rolling Stone.
Hemsworth shot the horror film The Cabin in the Woods shortly after the release of Star Trek, but it went unreleased until 2012. It garnered positive reviews, and his portrayal of Alpha male jock Curt Vaughan was described by Alison Foreman of Mashable as his "sexiest" role yet. Hemsworth later starred opposite Kristen Stewart in the film Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) as the Huntsman. Although a commercial success, grossing US$396 million worldwide, it received mixed reviews. Critics were critical of Hemsworth and Stewart's onscreen chemistry, and Angela Watercutter of Wired felt the characters were "not fully fleshed-out." Hemsworth was cast as Jed Eckert in the 2012 Red Dawn remake after MGM saw dailies footage of a scene from The Cabin in the Woods; he was cast as Thor two days after being cast in Red Dawn. The film was a box-office bomb, grossing only US$50 million against a production budget of US$65 million, and received negative reviews.
In 2013, Hemsworth starred in Ron Howard's sports drama film Rush, as 1976 Formula 1 World Champion James Hunt. Henry Barnes of The Guardian was impressed with Hemsworth's performance, praising the actor for delivering the "superb script" with "some mastery." Later that year, Hemsworth reprised the role of Thor for the sequel to Thor in Thor: The Dark World (2013). Although a commercial success with a worldwide gross of US$644.6 million, the film became the lowest-rated film in the MCU franchise on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes at 66% approval rating. The chemistry between Hemsworth and Hiddleston was praised by critics; Ben Child of The Guardian wrote, "Thanks to Hiddleston and Hemsworth's impressive collective charisma, Thor: The Dark World is far from a franchise killer."
In 2015, Hemsworth starred in director Michael Mann's action thriller Blackhat, opposite Viola Davis. The film bombed at the box office and was poorly received. For many critics, a significant issue of the film was the casting of Hemsworth as a hacker; Christy Lemire of the Chicago Sun-Times remarked, "Anyone who makes [their] way in the world sitting in front of a computer screen all day is not going to look as hunky as Hemsworth." Hemsworth himself later admitted to being displeased with his performance: "I didn't enjoy what I did in the film," he commented. "It just felt flat, and it was also an attempt to do what I thought people might have wanted to see. But I don't think I'm good in that space." He reprised his role as Thor for the fourth time in the sequel to The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron. In addition to the film receiving positive reviews and grossing over US$1.4 billion worldwide, Hemsworth also won the People's Choice Awards for Favorite Action Movie Actor. Hemsworth returned to the set of Home and Away in November 2014 to film a scene as an extra and not as his character Kim Hyde. The episode which he appeared in was broadcast on 19 May 2015.