Alexander Ludwig
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Alexander Richard Ludwig (born May 7, 1992) is a Canadian actor and
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
musician. He first began his career as a child, and then received recognition as a teenager for starring in the films '' The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising'' (2007) and '' Race to Witch Mountain'' (2009). He is also known for starring as Cato in ''
The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' are a series of Young adult fiction, young adult Dystopian fiction, dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The series consists of a trilogy that follows teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and two ...
'' (2012). He is also known for his supporting roles as Shane Patton in '' Lone Survivor'' (2013), and Dorn in '' Bad Boys for Life'' (2020) and '' Bad Boys: Ride or Die'' (2024). He starred as legendary Viking Björn Ironside in the
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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. 9â ...
'' (2014–2020) and had a lead role in the Starz drama series '' Heels'' (20212023). As a musician, Ludwig released his debut album ''Highway 99'' via BBR Music Group on August 26, 2022.


Early life

Alexander Richard Ludwig was born in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada, to Sharlene (née Martin), a former actress, and Harald Horst Ludwig, a businessman and former co-chair of Lionsgate Entertainment. He has three younger siblings. Ludwig was drawn to the profession, saying in an interview, "I have a big imagination. I love performing." Despite his mother's early career as an actress, Ludwig had to convince his parents to support his desire to pursue acting as a child. His parents believed that child actors "can get sucked into a life that isn't reality." They prioritized education, and so he attended regular school while pursuing his acting dreams. "It was definitely challenging to juggle school while filming," he reflected in the same interview. "My school wasn't used to it, and I wasn't used to it. It was the most amazing experience, but it was really hard." Ludwig studied at the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
(but left before graduating), where he was in the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.


Career

Ludwig began his career at the age of nine when he featured in a Harry Potter toy commercial, a job that enabled him to sign on with an agent and obtain more commercial work. Later he was cast in movies such as '' Air Bud: World Pup'' (2000), ''MXP: Most Extreme Primate'' (2003), '' Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy'' (2005), '' Eve and the Fire Horse'' (2005), '' The Sandlot: Heading Home'' (2007). In addition to cinema, Ludwig has also worked in television. He has performed in movies made for television, such as '' A Little Thing Called Murder'' (2006), and television series such as '' The Dead Zone''. Ludwig obtained his leading role in '' The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising'' (2007) after a "gruelling audition process." By his count, he had 16 auditions before being cast. Ludwig was in '' Grown Ups 2'' with Adam Sandler. Ludwig's next lead role came in the part of Seth – one half of a teenage, alien brother-sister duo – in the film production of '' Race to Witch Mountain'' (2009), also starring
Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...
. Seth is the part originated by Ike Eisenmann in the 1975 original, '' Escape to Witch Mountain''. The film opened at number one at the box office the weekend that it premiered, with receipts estimated at $25 million. Despite his early casting success with ''The Seeker'', Ludwig indicated in an interview that it was his intention to attend university. In another interview, the actor said that the most challenging thing about filming ''The Seeker'' was trying "to juggle school while filming." He stated: "My school wasn't used to it, and I wasn't used to it. It was the most amazing experience, but it was really hard." In the movie adaptation of ''
The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' are a series of Young adult fiction, young adult Dystopian fiction, dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The series consists of a trilogy that follows teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and two ...
'', Ludwig played Cato, the fierce male tribute from District 2, the primary threat to the protagonists' lives during the 74th Hunger Games. The film was released worldwide on March 23, 2012. Ludwig won the award for Best Fight on 2012 MTV Movie Awards along with
Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress and producer. She is known for starring in both action film franchises and independent dramas, and her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide. The List of high ...
and Josh Hutcherson, as well as the award for Best Villain at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards. Ludwig released his first single "Liv It Up (Teenage Wasteland)" on March 1, 2012. In 2013, he co-starred in the films '' Lone Survivor'' and '' Grown Ups 2''. In 2014, he became a part of the main cast of the popular TV 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. 9â ...
'', playing the character of Björn Ironside, the son of Ragnar Lothbrok and Lagertha. In 2015, he had the male lead in both the horror films '' Final Girl'' and '' The Final Girls'', which are unrelated to each other. He played the pacifist hacker Dorn in 2020's '' Bad Boys for Life'', and also appeared in The Band Perry's music video for " Gentle on My Mind" alongside '' Teen Wolf'' actress Shelley Hennig. Ludwig signed with the country music label BBR Music Group/ BMG in May 2021. His self-titled EP was released on May 21, 2021. On August 18, 2022, it was announced that Ludwig would appear in
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
's music video for her single Super Freaky Girl. On August 26, 2022, Ludwig released his debut album ''Highway 99''.


Personal life

Ludwig was a competitive freestyle skier, and has participated in
skydiving Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...
. In February 2019, Ludwig disclosed issues he experienced with depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and substance abuse starting at the age of 14. In 2020, he married Lauren Dear. After suffering three miscarriages, Dear gave birth to their first child, a daughter, in April 2023. Dear gave birth to their son on June 12, 2024.


Filmography


Film


Television


Music videos


Discography


Studio albums


Extended plays


Singles


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ludwig, Alexander 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male singers 1992 births Best Actor in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian male child actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male models Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Living people Male actors from Vancouver Singers from Vancouver USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters