Craig Parker (born 12 November 1970) is a New Zealand actor, known for his roles as Guy Warner in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street (1992–96, 2007–08, 2020, 2023), Haldir in the Lord of the Rings films The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Two Towers (2002), Darken Rahl in the syndicated television series Legend of the Seeker (2008–10), Gaius Claudius Glaber in the starz series Spartacus (2010–12), and Stéphane Narcisse in the CW television series Reign (2014–17).
Craig Parker | |
|---|---|
 Parker at the 2012 Chicago Comic Con | |
| Born | 12 November 1970 Suva, Fiji |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
Career
editParker starred in the TVNZ soap opera Shortland Street as Guy Warner, a character that has made several return appearances, most recently involving a story where Guy ran off with his brother's wife, Toni, only to return months later as a drug addled loser who attempted to use his daughter to score drugs for him. It ultimately led to the death storyline of Toni Warner. He is the reigning champion of New Zealand's Celebrity Joker Poker. He made his soap debut in 1992, and last appeared in 2020.[1]
Parker appeared as Haldir of Lórien in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy from 2001 to 2003, and as Sabas in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009). He starred in a number of New Zealand television series, most notable Mercy Peak (2001-2004), and Diplomatic Immunity (2009).[2] He guest-starred on Xena: Warrior Princess, Young Hercules, Sleepy Hollow, and NCIS. He also serves as narrator for New Zealand documentaries.
Parker starred as Darken Rahl in Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert's syndicated television series Legend of the Seeker. He later starred as Gaius Claudius Glaber in the Starz original series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and Spartacus: Vengeance which premiered on 22 January 2010 and is also produced by Raimi and Tapert.
From 2014 to 2017, Parker played Lord Stéphane Narcisse in the CW period romance drama series Reign. He guest starred in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. portraying the Kree Taryan in 2018, and later had a recurring role during the first season of the 2018 reboot of Charmed playing Alastair Caine.[3]
Personal life
editHis grandfather moved from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Fiji when he was stationed during his years of service in the British Army. Apart from his Scottish ancestry, Parker is also of Welsh, Danish, and English descent. Parker was educated at Glenfield College, on Auckland's North Shore.[4]
Parker is openly gay. He came out in an interview with The New Zealand Herald in 2008.[5]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | A Soldier's Sweetheart | Soldier #1 | |
| 2001 | No One Can Hear You | Henley | |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Haldir | ||
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | ||
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Gothmog / Guritz | Extra / Voice |
| 2006 | Weekend Lovers | Matt | |
| 2009 | Underworld: Rise of the Lycans | Sabas |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Gloss | Justin Grieg | Unknown episodes |
| 1989 | Hotshotz | Nicholas | |
| 1992–1996, 2007–2008, 2020, 2023 |
Shortland Street | Guy Warner | Main role |
| 1993 | The Tommyknockers | Student bartender | Miniseries |
| 1996 | City Life | Seth | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | 2 People | Host | Unknown episodes |
| 1997 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Prince Sarpedon | Episode: "For Him the Bell Tolls" |
| 1998 | Young Hercules | Lucius | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Cleades | Episode: "The Key to the Kingdom" |
| 1999 | A Twist in the Tale | Larry Sharpe | Episode: "A Crack in Time" |
| 2001 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Bellerophon | Episode: "To Helicon and Back" |
| 2001–2004 | Mercy Peak | Alistair Kingsley | Main role, 32 episodes Nominated — New Zealand Film and TV Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2003 | Power Rangers Ninja Storm | Blue Face | Voice role; episode: "Prelude to a Storm" |
| 2003 | Power Rangers Ninja Storm | Mad Magnet | Voice role; episode: "There's No "I" in Team" |
| 2003 | Power Rangers Ninja Storm | Motodrone | Recurring voice role, 8 episodes |
| 2005 | Power Rangers S.P.D. | Narrator | Voice role; episode: "Beginnings: Part 1" |
| 2008–2010 | Legend of the Seeker | Darken Rahl | Main role, 25 episodes Nominated — New Zealand Film and TV Award for Best Performance by a Supporting Actor |
| 2009 | Diplomatic Immunity | Leighton Mills | Main role, 13 episodes |
| 2010 | Radiradirah | Prince John | 2 episodes |
| 2010, 2012 | Spartacus | Gaius Claudius Glaber | Recurring role (season 1) Main role (season 2), 13 episodes |
| 2011 | Waitangi: What Really Happened | James Stuart Freeman | Television film |
| 2012 | Shackleton's Captain | Frank Worsley | Television film Nominated — New Zealand Film and TV Award for Best Performance by an Actor |
| 2013 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Vasile Comescu | Episode: "Reznikov, N." |
| 2013 | Sleepy Hollow | Colonel Banastre Tarleton | Episode: "The Sin Eater" |
| 2014 | NCIS | JAG Major Richard Huggins | Episode: "Shooter" |
| 2014–2017 | Reign | Lord Stéphane Narcisse | Main role (seasons 2–4), 56 episodes |
| 2018 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Taryan | 2 episodes |
| 2018–2019 | Charmed | Alastair Caine | Recurring role (season 1), 11 episodes |
| 2021 | Good Trouble | Yuri Elwin | Recurring role (season 3), 6 episodes. Recurring role (season 4)[6] |
Theatre
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Macbeth | Malcolm | |
| 1992 | Weed | Hugh | |
| 1994 | The Seagull | Constantin | |
| 1997 | Arcadia | Valentine Coverly | |
| 1998–99 | Wind in the Willows | Mole | |
| 1999 | Theatre Sports | ||
| 1999 | Amy's View | Dominic Tyghe | |
| 2001 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | Rosencrantz | |
| 2001 | The Judas Kiss | Robert Ross | |
| 2002–03 | The Rocky Horror Show | Narrator | |
| 2005 | Serial Killers | Matt | |
| 2006 | Glide Time | John | |
| 2007 | The Pillowman | Katurian |
References
edit- ^ "Why Craig Parker envied his Shorty co-stars". NZ Herald.
- ^ Screen, NZ On. "Craig Parker | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com.
- ^ "Charmed Reboot Casts Reign's Craig Parker as Possible Villain". ScreenRant. 14 September 2018.
- ^ "No more Mr Nice Guy". Herald on Sunday. 20 January 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ "In Addition to a Gay Character, "Spartacus" Also Features Out Actor Craig Parker".
- ^ Petski, Denise (3 March 2021). "'Good Trouble': Catherine Haena Kim & Craig Parker To Recur On Season 3". Deadline Hollywood.
External links
edit
Media related to Craig Parker at Wikimedia Commons
- Craig Parker at IMDb