A mysterious New Zealander actor, as versatile as he is handsome, Marton Csokas boasts a diverse and plentiful career. Born and raised in New Zealand, he was named after his Hungarian father. After growing up without any sign of the rumoured "acting bug," Csokas first pondered the notion of acting when he took a year to travel at the age of 18. He was in a bookstore in London and found himself intrigued by a book on the art of theatre, and the idea of being an actor began to take root.Still not convinced he was going to pursue acting full time, Csokas came back to New Zealand and enrolled at Cantebury University in Christchurch. He studied a wide range of liberal arts classes and also dabbled in theater. It wasn't long before he dropped out of this traditional school and enrolled into the New Zealand Drama School.After graduating the drama school in 1989, Csokas insists he still wasn't sure acting was going to be his full time vocation. He worked at cafes to make ends meet and joined a local theater group. He assisted for a while helping put on the productions and serving as a host for the shows. Eventually, Csokas began performing and the sensation of being on stage proved to intoxicating. Over the next several years, Csokas preformed in dozens of productions. His roles varied from playing Septimus in Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia" to Joe Pitt in Tony Kushner's "Angels in America." He also took on a plethora of Shakespearean roles including Brutus in "Julies Caesar" and Falstaff in "The Merry Wives of Windsor." During this time Csokas also co-founded an experimental theater company in New Zealand, the Stronghold Theatre.In 1994 Csokas landed the role of Dr. Leonard Rossi-Dodds on "Shortland Street," the most popular soap opera in New Zealand, which took place in a public hospital. This exposure led to Csokas's role in the acclaimed 1996 film "Broken English." Also in 1996, Csokas had a guest apperance on the popular syndicated television show "Hercules." This would lead to the muscular actor's recurring role on the hit show "Xena: Warrior Princess." His involvement with these shows, appearing as a savagely powerful and glistening-chested seducer, garnered Csokas a cult following and a hefty female fan base.After leaving "Xena" in 2001, Csokas starred in the internationally reknown coming-of-age drama "Rain." He also played a small part in the first "Lord of the Rings" installment in 2001, as Celeborn, Lord of the Elves. Finding himself more available for high budget US films, Csokas next played the bad guy in the action flick "xXx" in the summer of 2002, essayed a villain in the action-comedy "Kangaroo Jack" (2003) and was cast in "Timeline" (lensed 2002) directed by Richard Donner and based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. At this point, one assumes it has finally sunk in with Csokas that he is indeed, very much an actor for life.Source: hollywood.com