Taylor Kitsch

Kitsch was born in Kelowna, British Columbia. His mother, Susan (Green), worked for the BC Liquor Board, while his father, Drew Kitsch, worked in construction.{{cite news |url=http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/27222 |title='Friday Night Lights' star looks back ... and ahead |publisher=ScrippsNews |date=October 2, 2007 |access-date=January 8, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407064547/http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/27222 |archive-date=April 7, 2012 }}{{cite magazine|title=Taylor Kitsch: the next action hero|url=http://www.macleans.ca/2012/03/02/the-next-action-hero/|magazine=Maclean's|access-date=April 19, 2012|author=Brian D. Johnson|date=March 2, 2012}} His parents separated when he was one year old, and he and his two older brothers, Brody{{cite news|last1=Hoinski|first1=Michael|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/17/fashion/17nite.html|title=A Night Out With: Texas Forever (via Canada)|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 9, 2015|date=December 17, 2006}} and Daman, were raised by their mother in a mobile home park.{{cite web|last=Bailey |first=Alyssa |url=http://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/news/a28918/taylor-kitsch-profile-true-detective/ |title=Taylor Kitsch Lives Up to Our Fantasies |publisher=Elle.com |date=June 17, 2015|access-date=August 5, 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://www.outsideonline.com/photo-galleries/Taylor-Kitsch.html |title=Taylor Kitsch Photo Gallery | Outside Magazine's Featured Photo Galleries |publisher=OutsideOnline.com |access-date=January 8, 2012 |archive-date=April 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406034407/http://www.outsideonline.com/photo-galleries/Taylor-Kitsch.html |url-status=dead }} He also has two younger maternal half-sisters. Kitsch lived in Port Moody and Anmore.{{cite web|last1=Karp|first1=David|title=Friday Night Lightd star has B.C. roots|url=http://davidkarp.ca/Arts_files/taylor%20kitsch.pdf|website=The Martlet Online|access-date=August 10, 2015|date=January 13, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702123208/http://davidkarp.ca/Arts_files/taylor%20kitsch.pdf|archive-date=July 2, 2015|df=mdy-all}} He attended Gleneagle Secondary School in Coquitlam.The Georgia Straight: [https://www.straight.com/movies/john-carters-taylor-kitsch-taking-mars-and-hollywood John Carter's Taylor Kitsch is taking Mars and Hollywood] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211084458/https://www.straight.com/movies/john-carters-taylor-kitsch-taking-mars-and-hollywood |date=December 11, 2014 }} Retrieved on March 7, 2012 Kitsch started playing ice hockey at age three,{{cite web|last1=Stern|first1=Marlow|title='Lone Survivor' Taylor Kitsch's Journey From Homelessness to Hollywood Stardom|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/18/lone-survivor-taylor-kitsch-s-journey-from-homelessness-to-hollywood-stardom.html|website=The Daily Beast|access-date=August 10, 2015|date=December 18, 2013}} and played junior ice hockey for the Langley Hornets in the British Columbia Hockey League, before a knee injury ended his career in 2002.{{Citation|last=CBC|title=George Tonight: Taylor Kitsch On Hockey And Being Homeless {{!}} George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight {{!}} CBC|date=2011-01-19|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66dbkyww3ec|access-date=2018-07-27}} Following his injury, Kitsch took nutrition and economics courses at the University of Lethbridge for a year and lived with his brother.

Kitsch moved to New York City in 2002, after receiving an opportunity to pursue modelling with IMG; he studied acting there as well. He supported himself as a nutritionist and personal trainer.{{cite magazine|title=Taylor Kitsch Gives Dietary Help|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news/taylor-kitsch-gives-dietary-help_1299117|magazine=Contactmusic.com|access-date=April 19, 2012|date=March 3, 2012}} For a time in New York he was homeless and took to sleeping on subway trains in the middle of the night.{{cite news|last=Mottram|first=James|title=Taylor Kitsch's career hits a crest|url=http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/taylor-kitschs-career-hits-a-crest|newspaper=thenational.ae|access-date=April 19, 2012|date=April 19, 2012}}

In 2004, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he modelled for Diesel and Abercrombie & Fitch.{{cite web|title=Taylor Kitsch biography and filmography|url=http://www.tribute.ca/people/taylor-kitsch/17390/|publisher=tribute.ca|access-date=April 19, 2012}} He also appeared in the limited edition coffee table book About Face by celebrity photographer John Russo.{{cite web|title=NEW-RELEASES - About Face|url=http://www.pixiepressworldwide.com/NEW-RELEASES.aspx|publisher=Pixie Press Worldwide|access-date=April 19, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418001837/http://www.pixiepressworldwide.com/NEW-RELEASES.aspx|archive-date=April 18, 2012|df=mdy-all}}

In 2006, Kitsch was cast in his breakout role on the NBC sports teen drama television series Friday Night Lights, based on Peter Berg's 2004 film of the same name and set in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas. For five seasons Kitsch portrayed the role of Tim Riggins, a high school student who is the fullback/running back of the Dillon Panthers.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvfanatic.com/characters/tim-riggins|title=Tim Riggins profile|publisher=TV Fanatic|access-date=September 25, 2012}} The series premiered in October 2006 to universal critical acclaim from critics and over 7.7 million viewers.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv|title=TV Reviews, Articles, Clips and more|website=Metacritic|access-date=September 25, 2012}} Kitsch has ruled out reprising his role in a potential film sequel to the television series.{{Cite web |last=Lambie |first=Ryan |date=2012-04-11 |title=Taylor Kitsch interview: Battleship, John Carter, Friday Night Lights, Gambit and more |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/taylor-kitsch-interview-battleship-john-carter-friday-night-lights-gambit-and-more/ |access-date=2024-04-27 |website=Den of Geek |language=en-US}}

File:Taylor Kitsch, 2012.jpg

He played Pogue Parry in The Covenant, alongside Steven Strait, Sebastian Stan, Laura Ramsey, Toby Hemingway, Jessica Lucas, and Chace Crawford. In February 2008, he signed on to play Gambit in the X-Men franchise spinoff X-Men Origins: Wolverine, released in May 2009. Of the fan-favorite character Gambit, Kitsch states, "I knew of him, but I didn't know the following he had. I'm sure I'm still going to be exposed to that. I love the character, I love the powers, and I love what they did with him. I didn't know that much, but in my experience, it was a blessing to go in and create my take on him. I'm excited for it, to say the least."{{cite web |author=The MovieWeb Team |url=http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEh0tojn6wmWki |title=Taylor Kitsch on Being Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine |publisher=MovieWeb.com |date=October 13, 2008 |access-date=January 8, 2012 |archive-date=April 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429092751/http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEh0tojn6wmWki |url-status=dead }}

In 2010, Kitsch starred in Steven Silver's The Bang Bang Club, an historical drama set in South Africa that documents the final bloody days of the apartheid.{{cite web|last=Yamato|first=Jen|title=Taylor Kitsch on The Bang Bang Club, Honoring Fallen War Photographers, and Battleship|url=http://movieline.com/2011/04/22/taylor-kitsch-on-doing-justice-to-fallen-photojournalists-in-the-bang-bang-club/|work=Movieline|access-date=April 19, 2012|date=April 22, 2011}} He had to lose 35 pounds in two months to play the role of photojournalist Kevin Carter, alongside Ryan Phillippe and Malin Åkerman.{{cite web|last=Hill|first=Logan|title=Taylor Kitsch on John Carter of Mars, Battleship, and Why Bang Bang Club Forced Him to Seek Psychiatric Help|url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/04/taylor_kitsch_tk.html|work=New York|access-date=April 19, 2012|date=April 18, 2011}} In November 2010, The Hollywood Reporter named Kitsch as one of the young male actors who is "'pushing – or being pushed' into taking over Hollywood as the new 'A-List.'"{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cover-hollywood-reporter-43374|title=See the Cover of the New Hollywood Reporter|author=|date=November 9, 2010|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=April 13, 2011}}{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/hollywoods-list-redefined-44771|title=Hollywood's A-List Redefined|last=Lauren Schutte|first=Emily Blank|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=April 13, 2011|date=November 15, 2010}} In the 2012 Disney film John Carter, based on Edgar Rice Burroughs's fantasy novel A Princess of Mars, he played the title character, a Confederate soldier who is transported to Mars. While the film flopped at the box office, Kitsch said, "I'm very proud of John Carter. Box office doesn't validate me as a person, or as an actor."{{cite web|last=Wigler|first=Josh|title='John Carter' Wasn't A Failure, Taylor Kitsch Says|url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/04/03/john-carter-failure-taylor-kitsch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504025606/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/04/03/john-carter-failure-taylor-kitsch/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 4, 2012|publisher=MTV|access-date=April 15, 2012|date=March 4, 2012}} In May 2012, Kitsch starred in Peter Berg's Battleship, based on Hasbro's toy game, as Lieutenant Alex Hopper.{{cite news|first=Jeff|last=Leins|title=Taylor Kitsch to Star in 'Battleship'|work=News in Film|date=June 12, 2009|url=http://www.newsinfilm.com/2010/04/08/taylor-kitsch-to-star-in-battleship|access-date=April 8, 2010}} The film marked his reunion with Berg and former Friday Night Lights co-star, Jesse Plemons.{{cite web|last=Radish|first=Christina|title=Brooklyn Decker and Director Peter Berg Talk BATTLESHIP, Naval Warfare and the Design of the Aliens at WonderCon|url=https://collider.com/brooklyn-decker-peter-berg-battleship-interview/153633/|publisher=Collider.com|access-date=April 15, 2012|date=March 19, 2012|archive-date=June 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627012146/http://collider.com/brooklyn-decker-peter-berg-battleship-interview/153633/|url-status=dead}}

In July 2012, he starred in Oliver Stone's Savages, with Blake Lively, Salma Hayek and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. HitFix{{'s}} film critic Drew McWeeny wrote positively of Kitsch's bond with Johnson which he described as "not only credible but lived in and authentic throughout the film". McWeeny wrote that Kitsch was used the right way in this film with an ensemble cast that pushed him or challenged him in scenes which resulted in his playing them with appropriate intensity.{{cite web|last=McWeeny|first=Drew|title=Review: Oliver Stone turns Aaron Johnson, Taylor Kitsch, and Blake Lively into 'Savages'|url=http://www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/review-oliver-stone-turns-aaron-johnson-taylor-kitsch-and-blake-lively-into-savages|work=HitFix|access-date=August 24, 2012|date=June 30, 2012}}

In 2013, Kitsch starred in The Grand Seduction, a remake of Jean-François Pouliot's French-Canadian La Grande Séduction (2003), directed by Don McKellar.{{cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike|title=Brendan Gleeson, Taylor Kitsch Find 'The Grand Seduction'|url=https://deadline.com/2012/07/brendan-gleeson-taylor-kitsch-find-the-grand-seduction-309740/|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=PMC|access-date=August 25, 2012|date=July 30, 2012}} He also was in another Peter Berg film, Lone Survivor, based on Marcus Luttrell's book of the same name.{{cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike|title=Universal, Peter Berg Plot January Start For Navy SEAL Saga 'Lone Survivor'|url=https://deadline.com/2011/05/universal-peter-berg-plot-january-start-for-navy-seal-saga-lone-survivor-133022/|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=PMC|access-date=August 25, 2012|date=May 17, 2011}} He plays alongside Jim Parsons, Julia Roberts, and Mark Ruffalo in Ryan Murphy's The Normal Heart, which aired on HBO on May 25, 2014.{{cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|title=Jim Parsons, Taylor Kitsch Join HBO's Ryan Murphy-directed movie, 'The Normal Heart'|url=https://deadline.com/2013/03/jim-parsons-taylor-kitsch-join-hbos-ryan-murphy-directed-movie-the-normal-heart-443387/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=March 9, 2013|date=March 1, 2013}} Kitsch was in negotiations for the lead role in the American remake of The Raid.{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/taylor-kitsch-offered-lead-in-the-raid-remake-exclusive/|title=Taylor Kitsch Offered Lead in 'The Raid' Remake (Exclusive)|last=Sneider |first=Jeff|work=The Wrap|date=August 4, 2014|access-date=August 4, 2014}} The remake never became a reality.

Kitsch starred in the sophomore season of True Detective, opposite Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, and Colin Farrell. Kitsch was set to write, direct and star in the drama Pieces.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/03/taylor-kitsch-pieces-directorial-debut-peter-berg-lone-survivor-emmett-furla-oasis-1201724489/|title='Lone Survivor's Taylor Kitsch To Star In And Direct His Thriller Script 'Pieces'|website=Deadline Hollywood|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|date=March 22, 2016}}

In 2017, Kitsch starred in American Assassin and Only the Brave. In 2018, he played cult leader David Koresh in the Paramount Channel miniseries Waco. Later that year, it was announced that Kitsch had an in-development series which landed at HBO. From Sons of Anarchy writer John Barcheski and director Matt Shakman, the series would see Kitsch lead the cast and produce the series. In 2019, Kitsch starred in 21 Bridges with Chadwick Boseman and Sienna Miller. Also in 2019, it was announced that Kitsch would appear as the lead in Neill Blomkamp's Inferno.

In 2020, Kitsch starred in the German TV series The Defeated, which also starred Michael C. Hall, Logan Marshall-Green, Nina Hoss, and Tuppence Middleton. He was tapped to replace Colson Baker, better known as Machine Gun Kelly, in the film Savage Salvation, where he would have starred alongside Robert De Niro and John Malkovich. Kitsch dropped out for unknown reasons and was replaced by Jack Huston. In early 2021, it was announced that Kitsch would star as Ben Edwards opposite Chris Pratt in Antoine Fuqua's The Terminal List. The rest of the cast includes Riley Keough, Constance Wu, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. In 2025, he stars in the Netflix television series American Primeval alongside Betty Gilpin.

Kitsch purchased {{convert|3.64|acres}} of land on Lake Austin, Texas in 2012{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2012/dirt/real-estalker/canadian-taylor-kitsch-buys-bare-land-in-texas-1201233311/|title=Canadian Taylor Kitsch Buys Bare Land in Texas|author=Mark David|work=Variety}} and began building a house there in 2015.{{cite web|url=http://statesmanshots.blog.statesman.com/2015/12/17/statesman-shots-91-taylor-kitsch-on-african-childrens-choir-and-post-fnl-life/|title=Statesman Shots #91: Taylor Kitsch on African Children's Choir and post-'FNL' life|publisher=Statesman Shots|access-date=March 16, 2016|archive-date=November 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118162248/http://statesmanshots.blog.statesman.com/2015/12/17/statesman-shots-91-taylor-kitsch-on-african-childrens-choir-and-post-fnl-life/|url-status=dead}} Kitsch currently resides in Bozeman, Montana.{{cite news |last= |first= |date= |title=Real Estate Is Booming in Bozeman, Mont.—or Shall We Say, Boz Angeles |url=https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/bozeman-real-estate-market-news-11627568896 |work=GQ}} While collaborating on the film Lone Survivor, he became friends with retired Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell and has since been interested in veterans' issues.{{Cite news |last=Rankin |first=Seija |date=2023-08-19 |title="There’s So Much Peace to Grasp": Taylor Kitsch on Using the Montana Wilderness to Help Communities in Need |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/much-peace-grasp-taylor-kitsch-153000808.html |access-date=2023-08-23 |via=Yahoo Entertainment |work=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en}}

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Category:1981 births

Category:21st-century Canadian male actors

Category:Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States

Category:Canadian ice hockey forwards

Category:Canadian male film actors

Category:Canadian male models

Category:Canadian male television actors

Category:Ice hockey people from British Columbia

Category:Living people

Category:Male actors from British Columbia

Category:People from Coquitlam

Category:Actors from Kelowna

Category:University of Lethbridge alumni

Category:21st-century Canadian sportsmen