Originally from Wellington, New Zealand, Karl Urban now lives in Auckland. Born on June 7, 1972, he is the son of a leather goods manufacturer (who had hoped that Karl would follow in his footsteps). His first acting role was when he was 8 -- he had a line on a television show. However, he did not act again until after high school. He was offered a role in the NZ drama "Shortland Street" (1992), as he was preparing to attend Victoria University. After appearing on the show for the 1993-1994 season he attended the university for one year, then left to pursue his acting career. Over the next few years, he landed several theater roles in the Wellington area. Eventually, he moved to Auckland where a number of guest roles in NZ television followed. One of his first roles was that of a heroin addict in the drama "Shark in the Park" (1989). He was in a movie as well, entitled Once in Chunuck Bay (AKA Chunuk Bair (1992)). Other television roles followed, including a guest starring role in the series "White Fang" (1993). Karl's biggest role yet is Éomer in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
