# Marton Csokas

Marton Paul Csokas (/ˈtʃɔːkɑːʃ/, Hungarian: Csókás Márton Pál; born 30 June 1966) is a New Zealand actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the Toi Whakaari drama school, he has worked extensively in Australia and Hollywood, along with his native country, and often portrays villainous roles.
His notable roles include Celeborn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003), Yorgi in XXX (2002), Guy de Lusignan in Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Trevor Goodchild in Æon Flux (2005), Hora in Romulus, My Father (2007), Nico in Dead Europe (2012), Jack Barts in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012), Nicolai Itchenko A.K.A. Teddy Rensen in The Equalizer (2014), and Quinn on the U.S. television series Into the Badlands. Earlier in his career, he played Leonard Dodds on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street.
Csokas is a three-time AACTA Award nominee, winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Romulus My Father. He was also nominated for Best Male Actor in a Play at the 2008 Helpmann Awards, for his portrayal of George in Belvoir's revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

## Early life

Csokas was born in Invercargill, the son of Margaret Christine (née Rayner), a nurse, and Márton Csókás I, who worked as a mechanical engineer for E. Hayes & Sons. His father was Hungarian and his mother had English, Irish, and Danish ancestry. Csokas graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1989 with a Diploma in Acting.

## Career

Csokas made his acting debut in 1990 on the New Zealand drama series Shark in the Park, as Terry Mercer in the episode "Technical K.O.". He also portrayed Leonard Rossi-Dodds in the long-running soap opera Shortland Street from 1993 until 1995. In 1996, he starred in the romantic drama film Broken English; and from 1997 to 2001, he had a recurring role on Xena: Warrior Princess, portraying the character Borias. Csokas also portrayed Lord Celeborn in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Yorgi in XXX (2002), Mr. Smith in Kangaroo Jack (2003), Jarda in The Bourne Supremacy (2004), Trevor Goodchild in Æon Flux (2005), and Guy de Lusignan in Kingdom of Heaven (2005).
Csokas' stage credits include plays by Tom Stoppard and William Shakespeare in the 1990s in New Zealand, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (2007) and Peribáñez (2006) with Company B in Australia.
In 2007, he portrayed Hora in the drama film Romulus, My Father, for which he won an AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and a Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2012, he appeared in the drama film Dead Europe. For his role in Dead Europe, he was again nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
In 2013, Csokas co-starred in the crime-thriller Pawn with Forest Whitaker and Michael Chiklis, and portrayed Jimmy Laszlo in the DirecTV police drama Rogue, starring opposite Thandiwe Newton. In 2014, he had roles in the films Noah, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and as Nicolai Itchenko in The Equalizer. Also in 2014, he starred as the superintendent in the Discovery Channel's scripted miniseries Klondike. Csokas then portrayed General Thomas Gage in History Channel's three-part miniseries Sons of Liberty in 2015.
In May 2015, Csokas joined the cast of AMC's martial arts drama Into the Badlands, playing the role of Quinn, the most powerful baron in the badlands. The show was canceled in 2019 after three seasons. In 2016, he co-starred with Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga in the Jeff Nichols-directed drama film Loving, and starred alongside Vera Farmiga in the comedy-drama Burn Your Maps. Csokas starred alongside Emilia Clarke in the supernatural thriller Voice from the Stone released in April 2017. He also starred in Mark Felt The Man Who Brought Down the White House with Liam Neeson. In 2021, Csokas appeared in Juniper with Charlotte Rampling and in the historical drama film The Last Duel directed by Ridley Scott.

## Personal life

Csokas holds dual New Zealand and Hungarian citizenship. From 2005 to 2009, he was in a romantic relationship with Eva Green.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | A Game with No Rules | Kane | Short film |
| 1994 | Jack Brown Genius | Dennis | |
| 1995 | Twilight of the Gods | Soldier | Short film |
| 1996 | Broken English | Darko | |
| 1998 | Hurrah | Raoul Trujillo | |
| 2000 | The Monkey's Mask | Nick Maitland | |
| 2000 | Accidents | Chug | Short film |
| 2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Lord Celeborn | |
| 2001 | Rain | Cady | |
| 2002 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | Poggle the Lesser (voice) | Uncredited |
| 2002 | XXX | Yorgi | |
| 2002 | Garage Days | Shad Kern | |
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Lord Celeborn | |
| 2003 | Timeline | Sir William De Kere / William Decker | |
| 2003 | Kangaroo Jack | Mr. Smith | |
| 2004 | The Bourne Supremacy | Jarda | |
| 2004 | Evilenko | Vadim Timurovic Lesiev | |
| 2005 | Æon Flux | Trevor Goodchild | |
| 2005 | Kingdom of Heaven | Guy de Lusignan | |
| 2005 | The Great Raid | Captain Redding | |
| 2005 | Asylum | Edgar Stark | |
| 2007 | Romulus, My Father | Hora | |
| 2010 | Alice in Wonderland | Charles Kingsleigh | |
| 2010 | The Tree | George Elrick | |
| 2010 | With Love... from the Age of Reason | Malcolm | |
| 2010 | South Solitary | Jack Fleet | |
| 2010 | The Debt | Young Stefan Gold | |
| 2011 | Dream House | Jack Patterson | |
| 2012 | Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | Jack Barts | |
| 2012 | Dead Europe | Nico | |
| 2012 | Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story | Yoni Netanyahu | Voice |
| 2013 | Pawn | Lieutenant Barnes | |
| 2014 | Noah | Lamech | |
| 2014 | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Dr. Ashley Kafka | |
| 2014 | Sin City: A Dame to Kill For | Damien Lord | |
| 2014 | The Equalizer | Nicolai Itchenko / Teddy Rensen | |
| 2016 | Loving | Sheriff Brooks | |
| 2016 | Burn Your Maps | Connor Firth | |
| 2016 | Dark Crimes | Kozlow | |
| 2017 | Voice from the Stone | Klaus Rivi | |
| 2017 | Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House | L. Patrick Gray | |
| 2021 | The Last Duel | Crespin | |
| 2021 | Juniper | Robert | |
| 2022 | Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher | Lord Rushworth | |
| 2022 | Chevalier | Marc René, marquis de Montalembert | |
| 2023 | Freelance | Colonel Jan Koehorst | |
| 2024 | Cuckoo | Luis | |
| 2024 | Sleeping Dogs | Dr. Joseph Wieder | |
| 2024 | House of Spoils | Marcello | |
| 2024 | Head South | Gordon | |
| 2025 | Man with No Past | Soach | |

### Television

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | Shark in the Park | Terry Mercer | Episode: "Technical K.O." |
| 1992 | The Ray Bradbury Theater | Sid | Episode: "By The Numbers" |
| 1993–1995 | Shortland Street | Leonard Rossi-Dodds | |
| 1996 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Tarlus | Episode: "Promises" |
| 1996 | G.P. | Paul Deacon | Episode: "The Ceremony of Innocence" |
| 1997–2001 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Borias | 10 episodes |
| 1999 | Water Rats | Robert Tremain | Episode: "Shark Bait" |
| 1999 | Wildside | Larry Lodans | Episode: "2.18" |
| 1999 | All Saints | Brother Thomas | Episode: "More Things in Heaven and Earth" |
| 1999 | Halifax f.p. | John Garth | Episode: "Swimming with the Sharks" |
| 2000 | The Three Stooges | Ted Healy | Television film |
| 2000 | The Lost World | Kenner | Episode: "Tourist Season" |
| 2000 | BeastMaster | Qord | 3 episodes |
| 2000 | Farscape | Br'Nee | Episode: "Bone to be Wild" |
| 2001 | Cleopatra 2525 | Krider | Episode: "No Thanks for the Memories" |
| 2001 | The Farm | Adrian Beckett | Miniseries |
| 2012 | Falcón | Javier Falcón | 4 episodes |
| 2013 | Rogue | Jimmy Laszlo | 10 episodes |
| 2014 | Klondike | The Superintendent | Miniseries; 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Covert Affairs | Ivan Kravec | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Sons of Liberty | General Thomas Gage | Miniseries; 3 episodes |
| 2015–2017 | Into the Badlands | Baron Quinn | 16 episodes |
| 2018 | Divorce | Skip Zakarian | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | The Luminaries | Francis Carver | Miniseries; 6 episodes |

### Video game

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters | Thaal Sinestro | Voice |

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result |
| Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award | 1996 | Best Actor in a Television Drama | G.P. | Nominated |
| Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award | 2007 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Romulus, My Father | Won |
| Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award | 2013 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Dead Europe | Nominated |
| Australian Film Critics Association Award | 2013 | Best Supporting Actor | Dead Europe | Nominated |
| Chapman Tripp Theatre Award | 2007 | Production of the Year | Closer | Won |
| Film Critics Circle of Australia Award | 2013 | Best Supporting Actor | Romulus, My Father | Won |
| Helpmann Award | 2008 | Best Male Actor in a Play | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Nominated |
| Joseph Jefferson Award | 2017 | Outstanding Performer in a Supporting Role in a Play | Uncle Vanya | Won |
| Sydney Theatre Award | 2007 | Best Actor in a Play | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Nominated |
| New Zealand Film Institute Award | 1998 | Best Actor | Broken English | Nominated |