Personal details
- Birth Date: 1966-06-30
- Height: 6′ 1½″ (1.87 m)
- Birth Location: Invercargill, New Zealand
- Parents: Margaret Christine Rayner
- Professions: Actor, Soundtrack
Marton Csokas, born in Invercargill, New Zealand, comes from a wild blend of backgrounds—Hungarian dad (who, by the way, knew his way around an opera stage and even flew through the air as a trapeze artist in the Hungarian circus) and an Aussie mum with English, Irish, and Danish roots. He kicked off his studies at Canterbury University, majoring in Art History, but acting won out. Off he went to The New Zealand Drama School, graduating in ‘89, then straight into the thick of theatre. He made his acting debut in Wellington, then bounced around TV, movies, and theatre, collecting credits like stamps. Remember him as Dennis in Jack Brown Genius? Maybe not, but you might’ve caught him in Shortland Street or as Borias in Xena: Warrior Princess (yeah, that guy). He’s popped up everywhere, from gritty NZ dramas to cult sci-fi like Farscape, and even snagged film roles in The Monkey’s Mask and The Farm. Csokas went global fast—he’s got EU and Hungarian citizenship, plus permanent US residency. He faced off with Denzel Washington in The Equalizer as the kind of villain you don’t forget, and showed up in Hollywood tentpoles like Noah, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and most memorably, Lord of the Rings as Lord Celeborn. The guy’s basically done it all: Shakespeare in London, drama in Sydney, even a Time Magazine-approved run in Little Foxes in New York. He’s that rare actor who can do blockbusters, indies, and theatre without missing a beat.
movies triviannMarton Csokas—yeah, you’ve seen him in a bunch of stuff, right?—well, his last name totally throws people off. It's actually pronounced “Cho-Kash.” Wild, isn’t it? Folks butcher it all the time, probably because it looks like something you’d find in a Scrabble disaster. Anyway, Csokas pops up in movies like “The Equalizer” and “Lord of the Rings,” and he’s got that whole intense-villain vibe nailed down. New Zealand-born, but he’s got Hungarian roots, which explains the funky spelling. Next time you want to impress your movie buff friends, drop that pronunciation knowledge—watch them try not to mangle it. Plus, Csokas always brings this gritty, commanding presence to his roles. You might not always remember the character’s name, but you’ll walk away thinking, “Man, that guy was a force.” Now you know how to say it, too.
Berlin, man. That city isn’t just a backdrop—it’s like, its own character. The whole vibe of the place seeps into every scene. You’ve got these grey, rainy mornings, then suddenly the sun’s bouncing off some old stone, and you’re like, dang, this is a movie set, for real. Six months there, and it gets under your skin. The streets are full of echoes, you know? History oozing out of the walls, graffiti that actually means something, late-night kebabs after a shoot—yeah, Berlin’s wild like that. The film picks all that up. It’s not just about the people on screen; the city shapes every moment, kinda spins the whole story on its head. You start to see the characters differently, just ‘cause of where they are. Honestly, I walked away seeing Berlin as the heart and soul of the whole film, no question.
June 30, 1966
6′ 1½″ (1.87 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Invercargill, New Zealand
Margaret Christine Rayner and Surekha
59 years old