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Taylor Kitsch

Taylor Kitsch can be seen fighting to save Earth in Universal Pictures' Battleship, directed by Peter Berg. The alien-invasion flick's cast is rounded out by Liam Neeson, Rihanna and Alexander Skarsgård. Berg previously directed Kitsch on NBC's critically acclaimed sports drama Friday Night Lights (based on Berg's 2004 feature film), in which Kitsch plays the role of Tim Riggins, a troubled Texas high-school fullback who struggles to find his identity while wrestling with personal demons. Up next, Kitsch will reteam with Berg on Lone Survivor, the gritty reallife story of four Navy SEALs tasked with the mission to capture or kill a notorious Taliban leader.

Prior to enlisting with Berg for his tour of duty on Battleship, Kitsch starred in the title role of Disney's 2012 live-action film John Carter, a sweeping actionadventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars), which was released on March 9, 2012. Based on the novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs and directed by two-time Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton (WALL-E, Finding Nemo), Kitsch plays John Carter, who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions among the inhabitants of the planet, which include Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter discovers that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

In 2010, Kitsch was seen on the big screen in Steven Silver's The Bang Bang Club. Starring as Kevin Carter, Kitsch played one of four young photojournalists whose graphic images drew the world's attention to the last stages of apartheid in South Africa. Based on a true story, this gripping drama portrays the stresses, tensions and moral dilemmas of working in situations of extreme conflict. The film premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and was screened on April 21 at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Its theatrical release was on the following day, April 22, 2011. In 2012, Kitsch received a Genie Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his work on the film.

Kitsch, who grew up in British Columbia, Canada, began his career in 2002, when he moved to New York to study with renowned acting coach Sheila Grey. He landed his first major feature film back on familiar ground (Vancouver) the very next year in David R. Ellis' cult classic Snakes on a Plane, starring Samuel L. Jackson.

His additional feature film credits include Renny Harlin's horror flick The Covenant; Betty Thomas' comedy John Tucker Must Die; and Gavin Hood's 2009 sci-fi action-adventure, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, in which he starred as Gambit alongside Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds and his John Carter costar, Lynn Collins.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2012.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Taylor Kitsch Facts

OccupationActor
BirthdayApril 9, 1981 (42)
SignAries
BirthplaceKelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Height6' (1m83)  How tall is Taylor Kitsch compared to you?

Selected Filmography

Not available.