Travis Fimmel (born 15 July 1979) is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as Ragnar Lothbrok in the

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 ...

television series ''

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

'' (2013–2017). He also starred in

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

science fiction series' '' Raised by Wolves'' as Marcus and in '' Dune: Prophecy'' as Desmond Hart.

Early life and education

Fimmel was born in

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative cen ...

, Victoria, Australia and was raised in Lockington. The youngest of three brothers, he is the son of Jennie, a recreation officer for disabled people, and Chris, a cattle farmer. Aspiring to be a professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er, Fimmel moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

to play for the

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates fro ...

in the AFL, but a broken leg sidelined him before the season began. He was accepted into

RMIT University The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (abbreviated as RMIT University) is a public research university located in the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia., section 4(b) Established in 1887 by Francis Ormond, it is the seventh-o ...

for an architecture course, but later deferred to travel abroad.Lee, Luain
'The Beast's' Travis Fimmel is Happy Down on the Farm
The Denver Post, 28 January 2009

Modelling

Fimmel was spotted working out at a gym in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn by the flatmate of Matthew Anderson, a talent scout for the Chadwick Models agency. He headed to the United States and was signed on the spot with agency LA Models in 2002 after walking into their office broke and barefoot. Cast by Jennifer Starr, he became the first male model to secure a six-figure deal to model exclusively for Calvin Klein for a year, and the last to be personally contracted by the brand's eponymous designer. He fronted CK's Crave men's fragrance campaign and modelled the brand's famous underwear. He was named one of the world's sexiest bachelors by America's ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' magazine in 2002, and was highly in demand as a male model.''People'' magazine, 24 June 2002 He appeared on multiple magazine covers, including ''Esquire'', ''Rogue'', ''Empire'', ''At Large'', ''Good Weekend'', ''Numero Homme'', and America's ''TV Guide''. He turned down an offer from Australia's

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

to be a guest judge on the TV series '' Make Me a Supermodel'' in 2012. In March 2025, he became the face of the Saudi perfume brand Laverne.

Acting career

2001–2012: early work

Fimmel began his acting career by appearing in the music videos for Janet Jackson's song " Someone to Call My Lover" and " I'm Real" (original version) by

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

, both in 2001. He studied under Ivana Chubbuck, the Hollywood acting coach of movie stars Brad Pitt and

Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in Jared Leto filmography, a variety of roles, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Jared Leto, numerous accolade ...

. He took two years to pluck up the courage to audition for his first role, saying "half of acting is overcoming your fears ndletting yourself be vulnerable in front of people". He landed the title lead in

The WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...

series '' Tarzan'' in 2003, described by CNN as one of the "five hottest things happening in entertainment right now", in which he did most of his own stunts. In addition, he appeared in two television pilots:

's drama ''Rocky Point'' with Lauren Holly in 2005, and the Fox crime thriller ''Southern Comfort'' with Madeleine Stowe in 2006. In 2008, he portrayed a murderer in the Australian movie '' Restraint'', and a party boy in '' Surfer, Dude'' with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. In 2010, he portrayed a compassionate cowboy in '' Pure Country 2: The Gift'' and a forensic photographer in Australian horror film '' Needle'', co-starring Ben Mendelsohn. He depicted a talented classical pianist in ''Ivory'', an independent film that was an Official Selection in the 2010

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (), commonly abbreviated MWFF in English or FFM in French, was an annual film festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1977 to 2019.Strasbourg International Film Festival. The film was produced by Gray Frederickson and co-starred Martin Landau and Peter Stormare. Fimmel played Helweg, a prison guard, in the 2010 film '' The Experiment'', in a role reportedly offered to Elijah Wood, who pulled out of shooting for reasons unknown. The film is based on a real-life experiment on volunteers by

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

that was cut short after spinning out of control, with "guards" exhibiting sadistic behaviour and "prisoners" suffering depression. Fimmel starred opposite Patrick Swayze in A&E's 2009 series '' The Beast''. He played rookie undercover FBI agent Ellis Dove partnered with a hardened veteran cop, Swayze's Charles Barker. Production ceased after 13 episodes due to Swayze's death from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

.Sydney Morning Heral
Patrick Swayze Dead
15 September 2009 He played fugitive Mason Boyle in two episodes of NBC's 2010 action-adventure '' Chase'', produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. He appeared in FX's TV pilot crime drama ''Outlaw Country'' in 2011 with Luke Grimes.Kroll, Justi
Travis Fimmel to Star in FX's 'Outlaw Country'
, 9 September 2010 Fimmel played the lead in 2012's '' Harodim'' with Peter Fonda as a former intelligence officer trained in black ops tracking down the world's most wanted terrorist, who is compromised by his own chain of command. He co-starred with

Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker, singer and songwriter. He received international attention after writing, directing and starring in the independent film, independent Drama (film and television), drama f ...

and Eva Longoria in the 2012 redneck Southern comedy flick '' The Baytown Outlaws'', playing one of the three hapless Oodie brothers who bites off more than he can chew when he agrees to help a woman get her godson back from her deadbeat ex-husband.

2013–2019: breakthrough and film work

Fimmel was signed as the lead character for four seasons in the critically acclaimed drama television series ''

'', co-starring Alexander Ludwig, Katheryn Winnick, Gabriel Byrne, Gustaf Skarsgard, and

Linus Roache Linus William Roache (born 1 February 1964) is a British actor. He played Executive ADA List of Law & Order characters#Michael Cutter, Michael Cutter in the NBC dramas ''Law & Order'' (2008–2010) and ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2011 ...

. Premiering in 2013, the show gained a cult following and chronicles "the extraordinary and ferocious world of the mighty

Norsemen The Norsemen (or Northmen) were a cultural group in the Early Middle Ages, originating among speakers of Old Norse in Scandinavia. During the late eighth century, Scandinavians embarked on a Viking expansion, large-scale expansion in all direc ...

who raided, traded and explored during The Middle Ages." He played a character loosely based on Ragnar Loðbrók, the legendary

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

leader who is frustrated by the unadventurous tendencies of his local chieftain and strikes out to pillage new lands.Prudom, Laur
Vikings On History: Travis Fimmel Previews The Journey Of Ragnar Lothbrok
''The Huffington Post'', 4 March 2013
, ''The Huffington Post'', Retrieved 5 April 2013 ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' described Fimmel's performance as "engaging", while ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'' called it his "breakout role". Fimmel starred as military commander Anduin Lothar in '' Warcraft'' in 2016, a live-action film adaptation of the '' Warcraft'' video game franchise. It was reported that a horse spooked by a wind fan collapsed on Fimmel while performing one of his own stunts but he emerged unscathed. He was cast as a quirky hipster in the romantic comedy '' Maggie's Plan'' with

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...

, Greta Gerwig, Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader and

Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress and children's author. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent ...

, and a loving but irresponsible father in '' Lean on Pete'' with Charlie Plummer and Steve Buscemi. He was named as the Actor of the Year in '' GQ Australia''s 2017 Men of the Year Awards. Fimmel was the lead actor in '' Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan'', playing the role of Major Harry Smith who led soldiers under his command against the Viet Cong during the Battle of Long Tan in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. It is based on the historic account of 108 Australian and New Zealand soldiers who defeated an estimated 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers in a rubber plantation near Nui Dat on 17 August 1966. He co-stars as a deputy sheriff opposite fellow Australian Margot Robbie in the indie film '' Dreamland''. Set in the 1930s Dust Bowl, the story follows a teenage boy on his quest to beat out the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

to capture a fugitive bank robber in order to claim a bounty and save the family farm.

2020–present: television and film balance

In 2020, Fimmel featured as a TV presenter in '' Here Are the Young Men'', which was adapted from a novel about three Dublin high school graduates whose epic binge to mark the end of an era is blighted by catastrophe. From 2020 to 2022, he appeared in HBO Max's science fiction drama '' Raised by Wolves'' from director

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

and Scott Free Productions, which marked Fimmel's return to television. It was a role that earned him a nomination for Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series at the Critics' Choice Super Awards. The dystopian narrative depicts him as an atheist soldier with a mysterious backstory in a new society created after a war sparked by religious differences decimates Earth. In a review of his role as a killer-for-hire in the 2021 action-crime thriller '' Die in a Gunfight'', ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' states that Fimmel "steals every scene he’s in and has what could be the most compelling and morally tangled haracterarc of anyone in the entire story". Fimmel played a genius, reclusive and kooky inventor in the science fiction,

neo-noir Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term ...

film '' Zone 414''. It co-starred Guy Pearce and was set in a colony of state-of-the-art humanoid robots and drew comparisons to '' Blade Runner''. He also appeared in indie drama '' Delia's Gone'', co-starring Marisa Tomei, based on a short story about a black man with an intellectual disability who is accused of his sister's murder and embarks on a journey to clear his name and find out who's responsible. In '' One Way'', Fimmel plays a mysterious passenger who meets a lifelong criminal played by Colson Baker, aka Machine Gun Kelly, who has stolen from the biggest mob boss in town and boards a bus to flee. He also appeared in '' Fool's Paradise'', a comedy by Charlie Day about a fool for love who becomes an accidental celebrity only to lose it all. Featuring in

AMC+ AMC+ is an American subscription video on demand streaming service owned by AMC Networks that was launched on June 11, 2020. The service is a premium bundle that includes the live feeds and program libraries of the company's television networks ...

western series '' That Dirty Black Bag'', he was credited as a producer, and co-starred with Dominic Cooper, Douglas Booth and Aidan Gillen from ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

''. It shows a clash between an apparently incorruptible sheriff with a dark past and a taciturn bounty killer trapped by a desire for vengeance that cannot be fulfilled.IMD

Retrieved 26 January 2024 Fimmel plays cold-case detective in the Stan (streaming service), Stan Original mini-series '' Black Snow''. His performance in Season 1 earned him a nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Drama in the 2024

AACTA Awards 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 cinema of Australia, film and ...

. In March 2024, ''Black Snow'' was renewed for a second series with Fimmel reprising the role. Season 2 aired from 1 January 2025 with Fimmel directing an episode. He was cast in Stan's

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

series ''Caught'' with Susan Sarandon,

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...

, Matthew Fox, Lincoln Younes, and real-life Channel 9 TV presenters Karl Stefanovic and Ally Langdon. The storyline centres around four irreverent Australian soldiers mistaken for Americans in a war-torn country who realise that they can be

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

famous when they produce a hostage video that goes viral. Helping to bring the bestselling novel '' Boy Swallows Universe'' to

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

, Fimmel stars as a drug-dealing stepdad.Netflix Lif

11 January 2024 The story is based on a semi-autobiographical memoir by Trent Dalton. He co-starred with Gerard Butler in the 2023 CIA thriller '' Kandahar'', with a script written by a former military intelligence officer and based on his real-life experiences in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. Fimmel was cast in the western film '' Rust'', but production was temporarily suspended in

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

when a prop gun with a live bullet allegedly fired by co-star

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...

killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and led to

involuntary manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

charges. Fimmel plays bounty hunter Fenton "Preacher" Lang who joins a US Marshal in pursuit of Baldwin's character, outlaw Harland Rust. Fimmel plays mysterious soldier Desmond Hart in the 2024 TV series '' Dune: Prophecy''.

Personal life

Fimmel's favourite recreational activities include

, fishing, camping, horse riding, surfing, riding motorbikes and going to the beach.Tai, Elizabet
Partners in Crime Drama
10 May 2009Warcraft: 8 things we learnt from director Duncan Jones
22 June 2016 Fimmel is known for his preference for going barefoot, a trait incorporated into his character Anduin Lothar in '' Warcraft''. Fimmel played a celebrity

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

match in the 2009 Australia vs England Hollywood Ashes with fellow Australian actors Jesse Spencer from ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

'', Cameron Daddo, celebrity chef Curtis Stone,

INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as the Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney. The founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, gu ...

bass guitarist Garry Gary Beers and cricket fast bowler

Michael Kasprowicz Michael Scott Kasprowicz (born 10 February 1972) is a former Australian international cricketer, who played all formats of the game. He is a right arm fast bowler. He represented Queensland and played in the English county scene at first cla ...

.''The Daily Telegraph'
Travis Fimmel Shows Off His Body at Hollywood Ashes
11 May 2009Aussies Defeat England in Hollywood Ashes 2009
14 May 2009 Fimmel has expressed a desire to return to farm life in Australia once he is finished with Hollywood.

Business ventures

In 2022, Fimmel founded his own beer brand ''Travla'' with the winner of the fourth series of ''

MasterChef Australia ''MasterChef Australia'' is an Australian competitive cooking reality show based on the original British ''MasterChef (British TV series), MasterChef''. It is produced by Endemol Shine Australia and screens on Network 10. Restaurateur and ch ...

'', Andy Allen, and ex Essendon Football Club CEO Xavier Campbell as executive director and one of the CEOs.The Weekend Editio

28 February 2023

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
Official website - Travla Beer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fimmel, Travis Living people 21st-century Australian male actors Australian expatriates in England Australian expatriate male actors in the United States Australian male film actors Australian male models Australian male television actors Australian people of German descent Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Male actors from Victoria (state) People from Echuca Australian company founders Drink company founders Year of birth missing (living people)