Karl Urban's Real Name: Karl-Heinz Urban

Quick answer: Karl Urban's full name is Karl-Heinz Urban. Biography.com and the German TV guide Prisma both give it. He was born June 7, 1972, in Wellington, New Zealand, to German immigrant parents, and the Library of Congress records the same date and birthplace. He is best known as Éomer in The Lord of the Rings, "Bones" McCoy in the Star Trek reboots, and Billy Butcher in The Boys (Biography.com; LOC).

Real name and early life

Biography.com says Karl-Heinz Urban was born in Wellington to parents who had emigrated from Germany. Prisma adds that they ran a leather-goods factory in New Zealand and that Urban speaks German as well as English. Biography.com reports that he was pressured to join his father's leather business but was drawn instead to his mother's field: she worked for a film production and equipment rental company.

He first appeared on television at eight, then wrote his own plays and acted at school. He graduated from Wellington College in 1990 and enrolled at Victoria University but left to act full-time.

Career highlights

In New Zealand he had a recurring role in Shark in the Park (1990) and appeared in the war film Chunuk Bair (1992). In 1994 he joined the soap Shortland Street as Jamie Forrest, whom Biography.com calls the show's first openly gay character. American audiences met him in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, where his roles included Cupid and Julius Caesar.

Peter Jackson saw his performance in The Price of Milk and cast him as the warrior Éomer in The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003). He followed with action roles, including The Bourne Supremacy (2004). In 2009 he played Leonard "Bones" McCoy opposite Chris Pine's Kirk in Star Trek, a role he told the Tulsa World changed how casting directors saw him. He appeared in Red (2010) and Priest (2011) and played the title role in Dredd (2012).

In 2019 he began playing the vigilante Billy Butcher in Prime Video's superhero series The Boys. Biography.com says his performance helped drive the show's popularity over multiple seasons. Prisma's filmography includes Mortal Kombat II.

Prisma says he met makeup artist Natalie Wihongi while filming The Privateers in 2000 and married her four years later. Biography.com says they have two sons, Hunter and Indiana, and announced their separation in 2014.

Name notes for searchers

He was born Karl-Heinz Urban and is credited as Karl Urban. Karl-Heinz is a German compound first name. The LOC heading is simply "Urban, Karl, 1972-," with no variant forms.