Arnold Vosloo | |
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Born | Pretoria, Transvaal Province, South Africa | 16 June 1962
Citizenship |
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Education | Technikon Pretoria |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1983–present |
Spouses |
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Arnold Vosloo (born 16 June 1962) [1] is a South African and American actor. He began his career as a stage actor and starring in South African films like Boetie Gaan Border Toe (1984). After emigrating to the United States in the late 1980's, he became known for playing villainous roles, most notably as Imhotep in The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001).
Vosloo is also known for his roles in Hard Target (1993), Agent Cody Banks (2003), Blood Diamond (2006), Silverton Siege (2022), and as Zartan in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013). He played terrorist Habib Marwan in the fourth season of 24 (2005), Amit Hadar on NCIS (2009-10), Robin van Rees on Cape Town (2016) and Rudy Tafero on Bosch (2017).
An Afrikaner of Dutch and German ancestry, [2] Vosloo was born into a Pretoria acting family, his parents having been stage actors. His father ran a drive-in theater in Alberton, Gauteng. He has one sister. After high school and military service (from which he received a medical discharge), [3] he took drama courses at the Technikon Pretoria . [2]
Vosloo began his acting career in South African theatre, where he won several Dalro Awards for his performances in such plays as Don Juan , Hamlet , and Môre is 'n Lang Dag (Tomorrow is a Long Day) and quickly became a regular at Pretoria's State Theatre. He also starred in Torch Song Trilogy and won another award for the TV show, Meisie van Suid-Wes (Girl from South West). [4]
In 1984, Vosloo moved on to film where he continued Dalro Award-winning performances[ citation needed ] in films such as Boetie gaan Border toe (Boetie goes to the border, a comedy about the Border War) acting alongside fellow South African actor Frank Opperman, and Circles in a Forest (based on the book Kringe in 'n Bos by author Dalene Matthee) in 1990. Vosloo also starred in the "Boetie" sequel, Boetie op maneuvers (Boetie on maneuvers) in 1986. Next was the German three-parter Morenga (1985), Saturday Night at the Palace (based on the play by Paul Slabolepszy about racism in South Africa), Skeleton Coast (1987) and The Rutanga Tapes (1990).
Upon arriving in the U.S., Vosloo returned to the theatre where he appeared in Born in the R.S.A. at Chicago's Northlight Theatre and in the NY's Circle in the Square Uptown's short-lived production of Salomé (1992) together with Al Pacino. [5]
His American film debut was in Gor (1987). He later appeared in the two less successful sequels to the 1990 film Darkman , Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1994) and Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (1996), filling the shoes of Liam Neeson as the title character Darkman.
Vosloo is also known for portraying villains such as in the John Woo film Hard Target (1993), starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, and the title role of the 1999 film The Mummy (starring Brendan Fraser), as well as its 2001 sequel, The Mummy Returns . In both films he played Imhotep, an ancient Egyptian high priest. Vosloo also played François Molay, the main villain's henchman, in the 2003 film Agent Cody Banks .
In 2004, The Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride opened in both Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood. Vosloo and Fraser were there at both openings to promote the new rides, in which both of them star, as well as featuring a life size image of Vosloo as The Mummy.
Alongside his film career, he guest-starred in several TV series, including The Red Shoe Diaries , American Gothic (1995), Nash Bridges (1995), Charmed (2000), Alias (2004) and NCIS (2009). He was one of the main characters in Veritas: The Quest (2003). He also had a major role in the fourth season of 24 (2005), as terrorist leader Habib Marwan. Vosloo appeared in three episodes of Chuck in 2009 as Fulcrum agent Vincent.
In 2004, Vosloo returned to South Africa to make Forgiveness , about an ex-policeman who seeks out the family of the anti-Apartheid activist that he killed. He played mercenary Colonel Coetzee in the 2006 film Blood Diamond , which was partially filmed in South Africa.
Vosloo has been involved in video games: his likeness, as well as his voice, was chosen for the main hero (Saul Myers) of video game Boiling Point: Road to Hell , published in the summer of 2005 by Atari.
Vosloo portrayed the Cobra mercenary and master of disguise, Zartan, in the summer 2009 release G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra , reprising this villainous role in the 2013 release G.I. Joe: Retaliation . [6]
In 1988, Vosloo became a naturalized United States citizen[ citation needed ] after marrying his Act of Piracy and Skeleton Coast co-star Nancy Mulford; they divorced three years later. On 16 October 1998, he married Southern California native Silvia Ahí, a Mexican-American marketing director. Vosloo and Ahí are spokespersons for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, IFAW.[ citation needed ]
In an interview with Charlie Rose, Vosloo noted he looked similar to American actor Billy Zane. According to Vosloo, when people came asking him if he was "the guy in Titanic ," he would reply, "Of course, of course," as a joke. [7]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1983 | Funny People 2 | Self - actor at interview | |
1984 | Boetie Gaan Border Toe | Boetie Van Tonder | |
1985 | Morenga | V. Schiller | |
1986 | Boetie Op Manoeuvres | Boetie Van Tonder | |
1987 | Saturday Night at the Palace | Dougie | |
1987 | Gor | Norman | |
1987 | Steel Dawn | Makker | |
1988 | Skeleton Coast | 'Blade' | |
1988 | Act of Piracy | Sean Stevens | |
1989 | Reason to Die | Wesley Wilson | |
1989 | The Revenger | Mackie | |
1989 | Circles in a Forest | Saul Barnard | |
1992 | 1492: Conquest of Paradise | Guevara | |
1992 | The Finishing Touch | Mikael Gant | |
1993 | Hard Target | Pik Van Cleef | |
1995 | Darkman II: The Return of Durant | Peyton Westlake / Darkman | Direct-to-video, replacing Liam Neeson |
1996 | Darkman III: Die Darkman Die | Peyton Westlake / Darkman | Direct-to-video |
1997 | Zeus and Roxanne | Claude Carver | |
1998 | Progeny | Dr. Craig Burton | |
1999 | The Mummy | Imhotep | |
2001 | The Mummy Returns | Imhotep | |
2002 | Con Express | General Anton Simeonov | Direct-to-video |
2003 | Agent Cody Banks | François Molay | |
2003 | Endangered Species | Warden | |
2004 | Forgiveness | Tertius Coetzee | |
2006 | Waist Deep | Police Detective #1 | Uncredited |
2006 | Blood Diamond | Colonel Coetzee | |
2006 | Lasko: Death Train | Lennart | |
2007 | Living & Dying | Detective Rick Devlin | |
2008 | Odysseus: Voyage to the Underworld | Odysseus | |
2008 | Fire & Ice: The Dragon Chronicles | King Augustin | |
2009 | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | Zartan | |
2010 | Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam | Black Adam | Voice, short film; direct-to-video [8] |
2011 | All-Star Superman | Bar-El | Voice, direct-to-video [8] |
2011 | Green Lantern: Emerald Knights | Abin Sur | Voice, direct-to-video [8] |
2013 | G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Zartan | |
2013 | Odd Thomas | Tom Jedd | |
2015 | Shark Killer | Nix | |
2018 | The Harrowing | Dr. Franklin Whitney | |
2020 | Griekwastad | Colonel Dick de Waal | |
2022 | Silverton Siege | Captain Johan Langerman | |
2023 | Condor's Nest | Colonel Martin Bach |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Meisie van Suidwes | Willem Dreyer | 9-parter TV series |
1988 | Killer Instinct | Assad | Television film |
1990 | Buried Alive | Ken Wade | Television film |
1992 | Red Shoe Diaries | Bill | Episode: "Double Dare" |
1995 | American Gothic | Rafael Santo | Episode: "A Tree Grows in Trinity" |
1995 | Fallen Angels | MacMan | Episode: "Fly Paper" |
1996 | Nash Bridges | Alex Abe | Episode: "Genesis" |
1999–2000 | Strange World | Dark-Haired Man | 3 episodes |
2000 | Charmed | Darklighter | Episode: "Murphy's Luck" |
2003–2004 | Veritas: The Quest | Vincent Siminou | 13 episodes |
2004 | Alias | Mr. Zisman | Episode: "Crossings" |
2004 | Meltdown | Khalid / Sands | Television film |
2005 | 24 - (season 4) | Habib Marwan | 17 episodes |
2007 | Shark | Andre Zitofsky | Episode: "Gangster Movies" |
2008 | Fire & Ice | King Augustin | Television film |
2009 | Chuck | Vincent Smith | 3 episodes |
2009–2010 | NCIS | Mossad Officer Amit Hadar | 3 episodes |
2010 | Psych | J.T. Waring | Episode: "A Very Juliet Episode" |
2011 | Young Justice | Kobra | Voice, episode: "Drop-Zone" [8] |
2011 | Bones | Jacob Broadsky | 3 episodes |
2013 | Elementary | Christos Theophilus | Episode: "Heroine" |
2014 | Crisis | Jakob Vries | 2 episodes |
2015 | Grimm | Jonathon Wilde | Episode: "Maréchaussée" |
2016 | Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders | Armand Smit | Episode: "Iqiniso" |
2016 | Cape Town | Robin Van Rees | 6 episodes |
2017 | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Ulaz | Voice, episode: "Shiro's Escape" |
2017 | Bosch | Rudy Tafero | 9 episodes |
2019 | The Blacklist | Marko Jankowics | Episode: "Marko Jankowics (No. 58)" |
2019 | Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan | Jost Van Der Byl | 4 episodes |
2022 | Ludik | Daan Ludik | 6 episodes [9] |
2024 | Plan B | Paul Schmidt | 5 episodes |
Year | Title | Voice role |
---|---|---|
2005 | Boiling Point: Road to Hell | Saul Myers |
2007 | Stranglehold | Damon Zakarov |
The Mummy is a 1999 American action-adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Arnold Vosloo in the title role as the reanimated mummy. It is a remake of the 1932 film of the same name. The film follows adventurer Rick O'Connell as he travels to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, with librarian Evelyn Carnahan and her older brother Jonathan, where they accidentally awaken Imhotep, a cursed high priest with supernatural powers.
COBRA is a fictional terrorist organization and the nemesis of the G.I. Joe Team in the Hasbro action figure toyline G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, as well as in related media.
Cobra Commander is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero franchise. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra and the archenemy of the G.I. Joe Team. He was portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and by Luke Bracey with the voice of Robert Baker in the 2013 sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
The Mummy Returns is a 2001 American fantasy action-adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers. It is the sequel to the 1999 film The Mummy, and the second film in The Mummy film series starring Brendan Fraser as Rick O'Connell.
Zartan is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and animated series. He is one of the main villains in the franchise as the leader of the Dreadnoks, and a mercenary who often worked directly for Cobra Commander. His character was voiced by Zack Hoffman in the 1985 TV series, and he was portrayed by Arnold Vosloo in the live-action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and its 2013 sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Storm Shadow is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is best known as the Cobra Commander's ninja bodyguard, and for his history with fellow ninja Snake Eyes.
Duke is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and animated series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's First Sergeant, and debuted in 1983. The character is also featured in both the G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 animated series and comic books. Channing Tatum portrays Duke in the 2009 live-action film, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and the 2013 sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Zandar is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is affiliated with Cobra as a member of the Dreadnoks. He is portrayed by Matt Gerald in the 2013 film G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Spirit, is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's original tracker and debuted in 1984.
Kevin James O'Connor is an American actor, known for portraying character roles in major studio films such as F/X2, Lord of Illusions, The Mummy, Van Helsing, There Will Be Blood and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. He is a favorite of writer/directors Stephen Sommers and Paul Thomas Anderson, who often cast him in their films.
Darkman III: Die Darkman Die is a 1996 Canadian-American superhero film directed by Bradford May, starring Arnold Vosloo, Jeff Fahey, Darlanne Fluegel and Roxann Dawson. It is the second sequel to 1990's Darkman, whose director Sam Raimi serves as executive producer. Vosloo once again stars as Darkman, who stands against power-hungry entrepreneur Peter Rooker (Fahey), and forges a strange emotional bond with his enemy's neglected wife and daughter.
Wild Bill is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's helicopter pilot and debuted in 1983.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a 2009 American military science fiction action film based on the G.I. Joe toy line. It is the first installment in the G.I. Joe film series. Directed by Stephen Sommers from a screenplay by Stuart Beattie, David Elliot, and Paul Lovett, the film features an ensemble cast based on the various characters of the toy line. The story follows two American soldiers, Duke and Ripcord, who join the G.I. Joe Team after being attacked by Military Armaments Research Syndicate (M.A.R.S.) troops.
Paul Slabolepszy, or Paul "Slab", is a South African actor and playwright.
G.I. Joe: Resolute is an American anime-influenced adult animated web series based on the G.I. Joe franchise. It was written by Warren Ellis, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, and produced by Sam Register, creator of Cartoon Network's Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi and The Looney Tunes Show. It debuted on the web at Adult Swim Video on April 17, 2009, as a series of ten 5-minute episodes and a final 10-minute episode, with a content rating of TV-14-V, and later premiered as a movie on Adult Swim on April 25, 2009. The show has a darker and more realistic tone compared to other installments in the franchise, and also uses elements from both the cartoons and the comics, and is described by Warren Ellis as a "fusion".
Rip Cord is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and animated series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's HALO Jumper and debuted in 1984.
Frank Opperman is a South African actor and musician. After attending numerous schools across South Africa in Worcester, Benoni, Hermanus and Middelburg. Opperman finally matriculated from Silverton High School in Pretoria in 1978.
G.I. Joe is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Pilot, Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse. The name is derived from the usage of "G.I. Joe" for the generic U.S. soldier, itself derived from the more general term "G.I.". The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure". G.I. Joe's appeal to children has made it an American icon among toys.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation is a 2013 American military science fiction action film based on the G.I. Joe toy line. It is the second installment in the G.I. Joe film series and the sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009). Directed by Jon M. Chu and written by the writing team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the film features an ensemble cast with Lee Byung-hun, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, Channing Tatum, and Arnold Vosloo reprising their roles from the previous film, while Luke Bracey and Robert Baker take over the role of Cobra Commander, replacing Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and D. J. Cotrona, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Stevenson, Bruce Willis, and Dwayne Johnson round out the principal cast. In the film, heavy machine gunner Roadblock (Johnson), along with the surviving G.I. Joes, exacts vengeance on Cobra for his intelligence and infantry specialist Duke (Tatum) and their comrades' deaths, after a Pakistan incident involving nuclear warheads in which the Joes become traitors.
Boetie Gaan Border Toe is a 1984 satire film set during the South African Border War. The film was directed by Regardt van den Bergh, and stars Arnold Vosloo, Frank Dankert and Frank Opperman. Production was assisted by the South African Defence Force (SADF).
Actor Arnold Vosloo is 61