Chris Hemsworth Chris Hemsworth is the Australian actor who played , the father of , in J . J . Abrams ' in . Some of his lines from this film were later used in the sequel , . Before making the transition to Hollywood , he was best known in his native Australia for his Logie Award - winning role as Kim Hyde in the Australian soap opera . Though he first achieved recognition in the United States for his performance in the opening minutes of " Star Trek " , he has since acquired a higher profile for playing Marvel Comics character Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films which includes " Thor " ( 2011 ) , " Marvel ' s The Avengers " ( 2012 ) , " Thor : The Dark World " ( 2013 ) , and " Avengers : Age of Ultron " ( 2015 ) . For his work on " Star Trek " , Hemsworth received a Boston Society of Film Critics Award in 2009 in the category Best Ensemble Cast . The virtual collectible card battle game " " is using his picture for card # 76 , Acting Captain G . Kirk . Early life and career . Hailing from Phillip Island near Melbourne , Hemsworth starred as King Arthur in the short - lived Australian children ' s show " Guinevere Jones " . He then guest - starred on several other shows before winning his role on " Home and Away " . He also appeared in the Australian version of the dance competition series " Dancing with the Stars " , but he and his dance partner , Abbey Ross , were the sixth couple eliminated . In 2007 , Hemsworth shot an independent film called " Ca $ h ! " ( formerly " Root of All Evil " ) with Mike Starr . Although " Star Trek " was released first , " Ca $ h ! " was Hemsworth ' s first feature film and his first American production . It was released in March 2010 . After " Star Trek " . Hemsworth had completed shooting on " Star Trek " and was back in Australia by 9 December 2007 . Regarding his time in Hollywood , the actor says " " I got lucky , I guess - right place , right time . " " Hemsworth ' s voice was used in an audio flashback in the sequel " Star Trek Into Darkness " . After completing his work on " Star Trek " , Hemsworth landed a supporting role in " A Perfect Getaway " , a thriller released by MGM in August 2009 . This film starred Timothy Olyphant , who was considered for a role in 2009 ' s " Star Trek " . Hemsworth starred in the MGM horror / thriller film " The Cabin in the Woods " , which was co - written and produced by . The film was directed and co - written by Drew Goddard , who worked with " Star Trek " director and producer J . J . Abrams as a writer and producer on the series " Alias " and " Lost " and as writer of the film " Cloverfield " . Although filmed in 2009 , " The Cabin in the Woods " was not released until 2012 . Hemsworth also appeared in the short film " Ollie Klublershturf vs the Nazis " opposite " Star Trek " co - star Rachel Nichols . This project was written by " Star Trek " producer Damon Lindelof and cast by " Star Trek " casting director , Alyssa Weisberg . Lindelof and Weisberg also served as producers on the film . Marvel films . It was announced on 16 May 2009 that Hemsworth had been cast in the role of Thor , the mythical God of Thunder , in the film " Thor " , based on the Marvel Comics character . Directed by Kenneth Branagh , filming on " Thor " ended on 6 May 2010 , and the film was released by Paramount Pictures exactly one year later . The film featured cameos from comic book writers J . Michael Straczynski , Stan Lee , and Walter Simonson . The film also starred Idris Elba . Hemsworth reprised the role of Thor in the 2012 release " Marvel ' s The Avengers " , in which his character joins forces with others to form the titular superhero team . Damion Poitier made an appearance in the post - credits scene of " The Avengers " ( which featured Kenneth Tigar in a small role ) . Hemsworth also reprised his role as Thor in the sequels " Thor : The Dark World " ( 2013 , with Alice Krige ) and " Avengers : Age of Ultron " ( 2015 ) ( both with Elba again ) and uncredited in " Doctor Strange " , starring Benedict Cumberbatch . Other films . Hemsworth played The Huntsman in " Snow White and the Huntsman " ( 2012 , with Chris Obi ) and returned to the role in the 2016 sequel " The Huntsman : Winter ' s War " . He also starred in " Red Dawn " , a 2012 remake of the 1984 thriller of the same name . His co - stars in this film included Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Brett Cullen . Hemsworth ' s other films include the bio - pic " Rush " ( 2013 ) , in which he stars as Formula One driver , and the drama " In the Heart of the Sea " ( 2014 ) , both directed by and ' s crime thriller " Blackhat " ( 2015 ) . In 2016 , Hemsworth joined the cast of the reboot of the science fiction comedy " Ghostbusters " . He played Kevin , the male secretary to the all - female Ghostbusters . Most recently , Hemsworth starred as Captain Mitch Nelson in " 12 Strong " , released in 2018 .