Jai Stephen Courtney (born 15 March 1986) is an Australian actor known for his role as Varro in Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010), and for his roles in the feature films Jack Reacher (2012), A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), I, Frankenstein (2014) and Divergent (2014).
Early life
Courtney was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and grew up in Cherrybrook, a suburb of Sydney. His father, Chris, worked for a state-owned electricity company, and his mother, Karen, was a teacher at Galston Public School, where Courtney and his older sister attended. He then attended Cherrybrook Technology High School and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
Career
Courtney's first role was in a 2005 controversial short film entitled Boys Grammar which also starred Daniel Feuerriegel and Adam J. Yeend. In 2008, Courtney had a role in the Australian series Packed to the Rafters, then a guest lead in the popular All Saints, the comedy feature To Hell & Bourke and several short films. In 2010, he played Varro in Spartacus: Blood and Sand for 10 episodes, before starring in Jack Reacher in 2012 with Tom Cruise and in A Good Day to Die Hard with Bruce Willis as John McClane's son, Jack.
In 2014, he appeared in the film I, Frankenstein as Gideon, leader of the gargoyle army and in Felony as Jim Melic.
Courtney played Eric, one of the leaders of the faction Dauntless, in the film Divergent (2014). In February 2014, it was announced he would play Kyle Reese in Terminator Genisys. While filming for Terminator Genisys, Courtney will also be shooting for The Divergent Series: Insurgent, the sequel to Divergent, in which he will reprise his role. Filming on Terminator Genisys began in April/May 2014, and be released on 1 July 2015 while filming on Insurgent began on May 2014 with a release date of 20 March 2015.
Courtney's films in 2014 included Unbroken, where he played Hugh "Cup" Cuppernell, and The Water Diviner, in which he starred as Lt. Col. Cecil Hilton.
Courtney provided backing vocals on the Pinch Hitter song "All of a Sudden" from their debut album, When Friends Die in Accidents.
Personal life
As of November 2012, Courtney lives in Los Angeles. He was in a relationship with Thai-born Australian actress Gemma Pranita from 2006 to 2014.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
- Jai Courtney at the Internet Movie Database
