Sam Worthington

Sam Worthington graduated from Sydney’s prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1998. Upon graduation, he continued in the theater with a production of “Judas Kiss,” directed by Neil Armfield for Company B at the Belvoir Street Theater.

With smaller roles in international films such as “Hart’s War,” “The Great Raid” and “Rogue,” Worthington screen tested for the role of James Bond in “Casino Royale.” Although he did not land the much-coveted part, it proved to be the perfect dress rehearsal for the following year. After an exhaustive casting search, James Cameron cast Worthington to star in “Avatar”—Cameron’s first narrative film since his 1997 Oscar®-winning blockbuster “Titanic.” “Avatar” is now the highest grossing film of all time with $2.74 billion worldwide. It received several nominations for the 2010 Academy Awards® including Best Picture and Director. The film won 2010 Golden Globes® in the Best Motion Picture – Drama category as well as for Best Director.

Worthington appeared as Perseus in Warner Bros.’ “Clash of the Titans,” directed by Louis Leterrier. The film has grossed $491 million worldwide. He starred opposite Christian Bale in Warner Brothers’ much-anticipated prequel to the Terminator franchise “Terminator Salvation.” The film grossed $370 million worldwide. Worthington is also featured in “Tell Me” opposite Keira Knightley, which revolves around a husband and wife, both of whose fidelity is tested over the course of 36 hours.

Building upon his theater background, Worthington has continued to work steadily in both film and television. He made his feature-film debut with the Australian film “Bootmen” as Adam Garcia’s brooding older brother. His performance garnered him an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award Nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 2000. Additional Australian film credits include “Dirty Deeds” with John Goodman, Toni Collette and Sam Neill; “Getting’ Square” with David Wenham; and Geoffrey Wright’s contemporary adaptation of “Macbeth,” in which he played the title character. It was Worthington’s layered performance in Cate Shortland’s critically-acclaimed and commercially successful “Somersault” which distinguished him from his peers. He earned an AFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and a Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Nomination for Best Actor – Male in 2004. The film made a clean sweep of the AFI Awards, winning in all 13 film categories—the first time this had ever occurred in the awards’ history.

Worthington’s television credits include some of Australia’s most acclaimed productions: “Love My Way,” which won an AFI for Best Television Drama Series, and “The Surgeon,” which was nominated for an AFI for Best Telefeature or Miniseries. He also starred in “Delivery Man,” one of the episodes of “Two Twisted,” a “Twilight Zone”-like anthology series produced by Bryan Brown.

Miramax Films