Craig Parker is a talented actor who, by the age of 45, has played about 30 roles. “Lord of the Rings”, “Kingdom”, “Naval Police: Special Department”, “Spartak: Blood and Sand” - viewers know him from many successful films and series. What is known about such a charming man besides this?
Craig Parker, star biography: the beginning
The history of this man began in November 1970, when he was born in the city of Suva (Fiji). Craig Parker is not one of the stars whose life path was predetermined almost before birth. His parents have nothing to do with cinema and theater. The boy's father was an officer, he served in the Navy. Mother taught at school. By the time Craig was born, the family already had two children - David and Wendy. He always had a close relationship with his brother and sister.
The child was barely 10 years old when the coup that happened in Fiji made his parents decide to move. The family moved to New Zealand, choosing the city of Glenfield as their place of residence.
Choosing a Life Path
When an actor is asked to talk about his childhood, he says that he grew up an ordinary child. Craig Parker did not dream of fame and fans at all, so he had every chance of burying talent in the ground. Fortunately for fans of the star, fate decided otherwise.
The future actor studied at Glenfield College, when there was a meeting that changed his fate. Craig Parker met a girl named Rachel Hunter. The young model, who later married Rod Stuart, then only dreamed of fame. It was she who made Parker think about becoming an actor. Together with his new girlfriend, he began to attend various shows and auditions. Interestingly, Craig recalls Rachel many years later with gratitude, talks about the important role that she played in his fate.
First successes
Young Craig possessed all the data necessary for the actor - talent, attractive appearance. It is not surprising that soon his efforts were crowned with success. Craig Parker joined the Theresresports troupe and quickly established himself as a great comedian. The ability of the young man to improvise was especially striking to others.
It is worth saying that Craig gave 10 years of his life to work in his first theater. There were many serious productions with the participation of the actor, for example, “The Seagull”, “Macbeth”, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead”. To say goodbye to Parker's native theater, if you rely on his explanation, was caused by a lack of time.
Television debut
Of course, work in the theater took a lot of time, but the novice lyceum soon was able to try his hand in a different capacity. It all started with the fact that he was invited to the TV program Hot Shorts. Then actor Craig Parker starred in the TV series "Shine", which, unfortunately, could not achieve popularity.
For the first time, critics and directors drew attention to a talented actor thanks to the Shortland Street television project, in which he starred for four years. The audience liked his character Guy Warner - the classic "good guy." Indeed, Craig was able to breathe life into this image, to avoid excessive banality.
Then Parker Craig began to appear in rating television projects, for example, he can be seen in "Youth of Hercules", "Xena - the Queen of Warriors", "Naval Police".
Fateful meeting
One of the actor’s hobbies is participation in radio shows. Thanks to this, Parker Craig met director Peter Jackson. He did not attach much importance to this acquaintance, until the master unexpectedly offered him a role in his famous trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Parker was surprised, but gladly agreed to embody the image of the elf Haldir.
The actor played the role of the aforementioned elf in the first and second parts of the epic. Of course, after the release of the first part - “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” - he literally woke up famous. Few people know that Craig participated in the work on the final part of the epic. He took on the voice acting of battle scenes, orcs. During the filming, the most difficult scenes for him were those scenes in which his hero fights with swords. He already had a similar experience thanks to the series “Youth of Hercules” and “Xena - the Queen of Warriors”, however in “The Lord of the Rings” his character got much more serious opponents.
For several years, Craig Parker, whose filmography and biography are discussed in this article, was among the active participants in the Ring Con role-playing festival, where he performed in the form of a blond elf. The audience was delighted with the numbers with his participation.
From villain to legionnaire
Many famous actors have a distinct role, but Craig Parker certainly does not belong to their number. Films and series of a talented lyceum delight his fans with variety, he likes to experiment with roles. For example, in the television project Legend of the Seeker, Craig convincingly played the villain Darken, who constantly spoils the life of good heroes.
When Parker was invited to the famous series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”, he easily turned into the image of a military commander who commanded Roman legionnaires. He also played in the television project Spartak: Revenge, which was a continuation of the previous one.
What else to see
Not all stars agree to star in the series, but Craig Parker, fortunately, does not belong to such "moody" celebrities. Films with the actor come out much less than television projects. For example, a celebrity can be seen in the popular series “The Kingdom”, which tells the story of the life of the infamous Scottish Queen Mary Stuart. He superbly succeeded in the image of the rich Lord Stefan Narcissus, which he embodied in this historical television project. The “kingdom” received unflattering reviews from critics who did not like the creators’free-standing treatment of historical facts. However, the audience loved the charming characters of the series.
You can also pay attention to the fascinating fantastic thriller Sleepy Hollow, whose heroes are forced to fight evil spirits. In this television project, which is still being shot, the actor embodied the image of the gallant Colonel Tarleton.
