Christopher "Chris" Hemsworth was born on August 11, 1983, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, to Leonie Hemsworth (née van Os),an English teacher, and Craig Hemsworth, a social-services counselor. His brothers, Liam and Luke Hemsworth, are also actors, and Chris is of Dutch, Irish, English, Scottish, and German ancestry, tracing back to his immigrant maternal grandfather.
Growing up, Chris saw a lot of the country after his family moved to the Northern Territory before eventually settling on Phillip Island, south of Melbourne. In 2004, he auditioned for the role of Robbie Hunter in the Australian soap opera Home and Away but was recalled for the role of Kim Hyde, which he played until 2007. The same year, he participated in the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars, where his popularity in the soap allowed him to stay on until he became the fifth contestant to be eliminated in show 7 (Episode #5.7).
Chris's first Hollywood appearance was in the science fiction blockbuster Star Trek in 2009, but it was his titular role in the superhero blockbuster Thor in 2011 that propelled him to international stardom. He reprised the character in the superhero blockbusters The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
Chris's American representative, management company ROAR, also manages actress Elsa Pataky, and it was through them that the two met and married in 2010. The couple has a daughter and twin sons. In 2021, Chris was appointed Member of the Order of Australia at the Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to the performing arts and charitable organizations.
