Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth is an Australian actor renowned for his portrayal of Gale Hawthorne in the highly successful film series The Hunger Games, which spanned from 2012 to 2015. Born on January 13, 1990, in Melbourne, Australia, he grew up on Phillip Island, where he developed a passion for surfing and acting, influenced by his family's creative environment. Hemsworth began his career in television, appearing in Australian series such as Home and Away and Neighbours before moving to the United States in 2009 to advance his acting career.
His breakthrough came with The Last Song, co-starring Miley Cyrus, which led to his significant role in The Hunger Games franchise. He has also participated in various other film projects, including The Expendables 2, Independence Day: Resurgence, and the TV series Most Dangerous Game. Beyond his acting, Hemsworth is involved in philanthropy, particularly with children's charities, inspired by his parents' backgrounds in child protection. His personal life garnered media attention, particularly his relationship with Miley Cyrus, which included an engagement and subsequent marriage before ending in divorce.
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Subject Terms
Liam Hemsworth
Actor
- Born: January 13, 1990
- Place of Birth: Melbourne, Australia
Contribution: Liam Hemsworth is an actor best known for his role as Gale Hawthorne in the 2012 blockbuster film The Hunger Games and its sequels, released between 2013 and 2015.
Background
Liam Hemsworth was born on January 13, 1990, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, to Leonie, an English teacher, and Craig, a social-services counselor. When Hemsworth was thirteen, his family moved to Phillip Island, a small island off the coast of Victoria, where he began surfing avidly. The island was remote, and Hemsworth developed an interest in acting as he tried to keep his older brothers entertained. He has two older brothers, Luke and Chris, both of whom are also actors.
Career
After spending six months installing floors when he was seventeen, Hemsworth made his first television appearances in 2007, guest starring on the Australian series Home and Away and McLeod’s Daughters. He then landed a recurring role on the soap opera Neighbours as a paraplegic teenager. The role lasted until 2008, after which he began appearing on the Australian children’s series The Elephant Princess and guest starred in two episodes of the drama Satisfaction. In March 2009, in order to further his acting career, he moved to the United States, where he and his brother Chris shared an apartment in West Hollywood.
In 2009, Hemsworth was cast in the Sylvester Stallone movie The Expendables (2010), but his character was written out of the script. Just several hours after learning that he would not be appearing in the film, he was asked to audition for the title role in the upcoming Marvel Studios film Thor (2011), directed by Kenneth Branagh. In May 2009, Hemsworth discovered that his brother Chris had been selected to play Thor. Instead, Hemsworth won the lead role of Will Blakelee in the 2010 drama The Last Song, based on a Nicholas Sparks book of the same name. In the film, Hemsworth stars opposite teen star and singer Miley Cyrus; his next appearance was in the music video for Cyrus’s single “When I Look at You,” filmed in August 2009. In 2010, Hemsworth hosted the Nickelodeon Australian Kids’ Choice Awards.
Following his role in The Last Song and buoyed by publicity surrounding his personal relationship with Cyrus, Hemsworth was cast as Gale Hawthorne, a love interest of the lead character in the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins's popular 2008 book The Hunger Games. The film was released in 2012 and was a box-office success, allowing Hemsworth to reprise the role for the sequels The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1 (2014), and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 2 (2015).
Hemsworth also had a major role in The Expendables 2 (2012), as a character similar to the one he would have played in the first film, and starred in the war drama Love and Honor (2013), the thriller Paranoia (2013), and the crime drama Empire State (2013). In 2015, he starred alongside Kate Winslet and Judy Davis in the drama The Dressmaker, which is set in rural Australia. His next big role came in the form of the sequel to the classic film Independence Day (1996), which was released ten years after the original. Starring as fighter pilot Jake Morrison facing the new threat in Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), Hemsworth was part of the high amount of scrutiny surrounding the film and its comparisons to its predecessor. After also appearing in the Western The Duel that same year, he switched gears to star alongside Rebel Wilson in the comedy Isn't It Romantic while also playing a money launderer in the action-drama Killerman in 2019.
In 2020, Hemsworth began a run on the TV series Most Dangerous Game, about a terminally ill man who agrees to be hunted by trained killers in exchange for money. He also starred in the thriller movie Poker Face (2022) and the action flick Land of Bad (2024).
Hemsworth has been nominated for several Teen Choice and MTV Movie Awards. He won Teen Choice Awards for his roles in The Last Song and The Hunger Games as well as a 2013 People’s Choice Award for The Hunger Games, which he shared with co-stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. He remains very active in children’s charities and is an ambassador for the Australian Childhood Foundation.
Impact
Liam Hemsworth transitioned from a local television actor to action star and romantic leading man in just a few short years. In addition to his acting accomplishments, he is notable for his philanthropic work, which he credits to his parents having worked in the child-protection field for over twenty years. Buoyed by the loving and supportive environment he and his brothers enjoyed while growing up, he has a strong desire to help others who are less fortunate.
Personal Life
Hemsworth met teen star Miley Cyrus while filming The Last Song in 2009, and the pair began dating shortly after. They became engaged in 2012 after dating for three years, but broke up in 2013. After getting back together, they were married in December 2018. However, Hemsworth filed for divorce in August 2019. The divorce was finalized in 2020.
Bibliography
Hemsworth, Liam. “Q&A: Liam Hemsworth on The Hunger Games and Losing Weight for His Role.” Interview by Krista Smith. Vanity Fair, 8 Nov. 2011, www.vanityfair.com/culture/2011/11/Liam-Hunger-Games-Post. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Hemsworth, Liam, and Josh Hutcherson. “Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth Talk Hunger Games.” Interview by Fred Topel. Mandatory, 13 Mar. 2012, www.mandatory.com/fun/184629-josh-hutcherson-and-liam-hemsworth-talk-hunger-games. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
"Liam Hemsworth." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm2955013/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Millar, Jake. "Liam Hemsworth on Marriage, Loss and Miley: 'It Was Something Good Coming Out of a Horrible Situation.'" GQ, 1 May 2019, www.gq.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/liam-hemsworth-on-marriage-loss-and-miley-it-was-something-good-coming-out-of-a-horrible-situationquot/image-gallery/310483efa15498894bf3681dfb5be1cf. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.