Sharlto Copley

Early life and education

Sharlto Copley was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He attended St. Andrew's Preparatory School in Makhanda and then Redhill School in Morningside, Johannesburg. His father, Bruce Copley, was formerly a university professor. His brother, Donovan,

Career

Soon after leaving high school, Copley met Neill Blomkamp, who is six years younger. Copley allowed Blomkamp to use computers at his production company to help the company pitch various projects and allow Blomkamp to pursue his passion and talent for 3D animation and design.

In Blomkamp's District 9 (2009), Copley played the lead role of Wikus van der Merwe, an Afrikaner bureaucrat assigned to move a race of extraterrestrial creatures stranded on Earth. In the film, the aliens, popularly and derogatorily referred to as "prawns", must be moved from District 9, a military-guarded slum in Johannesburg, South Africa, to an internment camp outside the city. Copley improvised all of his dialogue. At the 2009 IGN Summer Movie awards, Copley won Favorite Hero and Best Performance.

In 2010, Copley produced, wrote, and directed an insert for the South African Film and Television Awards called "Wikus and Charlize", featuring fellow South African star Charlize Theron. The clip features Copley as Wikus attempting to track down Charlize Theron in Hollywood to help him present the Award for Best Afrikaans Pop album.

Copley then starred alongside Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in the feature film adaptation of The A-Team, which was produced by Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. Copley used a Southern American dialect for his portrayal of A-Team member H. M. Murdock, and employed other dialects, including Scottish, English, Australian and Swahili, as part of the character's rapid-fire style. Dwight Schultz, who played Murdock in the original TV series, praised Copley's performance and said Copley was the only actor he knew of who was "true to his character."

Copley guest-co-hosted WWE Raw on 7 June 2010, along with his A-Team co-stars Cooper and Jackson.

In 2013, Copley played fictional astronaut James Corrigan in Europa Report, the story of a crew of international astronauts sent on a private mission to Jupiter's fourth moon. The same year, Copley portrayed the villain Agent Kruger in Elysium, a science fiction film written and directed by Blomkamp, starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster.

Copley played villain Adrian Pryce in Spike Lee's Oldboy, a remake of the 2003 South Korean film of the same name. He also starred opposite Angelina Jolie in the 2014 Disney film Maleficent and played King Stefan, Princess Aurora's father. He also provided the voice, reference work, and interaction with the cast as Chappie, the titular character of the 2015 film Chappie, also directed by Neill Blomkamp.

In 2015, Copley was announced to star as Christian Walker in the superhero TV series Powers. He later provided the voiceover for the e-tron GT concept promotional video by Audi Sport GmbH.

Also in 2015, Copley played the supporting character Jimmy in the film Hardcore Henry.

In March 2018, Copley starred in the crime comedy film Gringo as Mitch Rusk. Copley portrayed the titular character of a biographical film about Ted Kaczynski titled Ted K in 2021.

In 2022 he starred in the American thriller Beast, and guest-starred in the TV series Russian Doll.

In 2024 he guest-starred in season 12 of Curb your Enthusiasm (2024), and in 2025 played Leo Bonhart in season 4 of the Netflix TV series The Witcher.

Personal life

Copley started dating actress and model Tanit Phoenix in January 2012. They wed on 15 February 2016, in Cape Town. The couple have a daughter. He filed for divorce in June 2023, after the couple had lived apart since 30 October 2021.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Web

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. Marks, Lisa. (26 July 2010). "Interview with A-Team star Sharlto Copley". The Scotsman.
2. link. (27 September 2013 SKF Sweden Evolution Business and Technology Magazine article, 7 June 2006)
3. link. (22 April 2013 . Overtone.co.za (16 October 2008). Retrieved on 22 September 2013.)
4. [http://www.hotwater.co.za/ Hotwater Official Site] {{Webarchive. link. (18 January 2018 . Hotwater.co.za. Retrieved on 22 September 2013.)
5. link. (10 December 2008)
6. {{youTube. cSON9w5Pm8o. Sharlto and Neill sitdown interview Part 1
7. (12 May 2010). "MTV Movie Awards Nominees Announced; New Category for Horror". Dreadcentral.com.
8. (12 August 2009). "District 9 director Neill Blomkamp". A.V. Club.
9. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090923024859/http://movies.ign.com/summerawards/2009/favorite-hero.html IGN Summer Movie Awards Favorite Hero]. IGN Retrieved on 22 September 2013
10. [https://web.archive.org/web/20091218171638/http://bestof.ign.com/2009/movies/best-performance.html IGN Movies Best Performance of 2009]. IGN Retrieved on 22 September 2013.
11. (5 September 2012). "Wikus From District 9 Hunting Down a Different Beast – Charlize Theron!". DreadCentral.
12. [https://archive.today/20130210005241/http://www.zimbio.com/Quinton+'Rampage'+Jackson/articles/b_3a4RynGWV/Team+starring+Liam+Neeson+Bradley+Cooper+Jessica The A-Team starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson, Sharlto Copley & Quinton Rampage Jackson]. Zimbio.com (3 December 2010)
13. Schultz, Dwight. (22 June 2010). "Dwight's opinion about the A-team movie".
14. Child, Ben. (13 December 2010). "Matt Damon in talks to star in Neill Blomkamp's Elysium". The Guardian.
15. Rosenberg, Adam. (6 January 2010). "'District 9' Director Neill Blomkamp Drops A Few Hints About His Next Project".
16. Wales, George. (2 May 2012) [http://www.totalfilm.com/news/sharlto-copley-will-play-oldboy-villain Sharlto Copley will play Oldboy villain] {{Webarchive. link. (8 November 2014 . Totalfilm.com. Retrieved on 22 September 2013.)
17. Frei, Vincent. (2015-03-18). "CHAPPIE: Chris Harvey - VFX Supervisor - Image Engine".
18. (18 August 2014). "Sharlto Copley Set As Lead Christian Walker In 'Powers', Michelle Forbes Is Retro Girl". Deadline.
19. (February 2022). "The Power of a Sports Car {{!}} Audi Sport". [[Audi Sport GmbH.
20. Tartaglione, Nancy. (May 11, 2016). "STX Partners With Amazon On Nash Edgerton Action Comedy; Will Sell In Cannes". [[Penske Business Media]].
21. "Sharlto Copley on 'Gringo' and Why 'The A-Team' Tank Sequence Is Possible - Collider".
22. "Beast, Full Cast and Crew (IMDB)".
23. Pollacco, Laura. (30 July 2024). "'The Witcher' Season 4 All Cast and Characters Confirmed".
24. [http://www.iol.co.za/ios/news/tanit-a-team-star-set-up-home-in-us-1.1539838#.Ugr6xMsayK0 Tanit, A-Team star set up home in US – Independent on Saturday. News] {{Webarchive. link. (9 December 2015 . IOL.co.za (1 July 2013). Retrieved on 22 September 2013.)
25. "Tanit and Sharlto: Happily Ever After - Grazia South Africa".
26. "Exciting news for Sharlto Copley and Tanit Phoenix!".
27. Walters, Mike. (28 June 2023). "'District 9' Star Sharlto Copley Files for Divorce from Model Wife Tanit Phoenix". Yahoo!.
28. "Hardcore Henry (2016)". [[British Film Institute]].
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36. (31 January 2010). "Precursor: Online Film & Television Association Nominations".
37. (31 December 2009). "2009 Online Film Critics Society Award nominees".
38. (2 September 2010). "2010 Scream Award Nominations - Screen Rant".
39. "Teen Choice Awards 2010: First Round Of Nominees Announced".