Bio
Travis Fimmel is an Australian actor and former fashion model best known for his breakout role as Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel scripted series Vikings.
He is also known for his underwear ad campaigns for Calvin Klein and for his role as rookie Ellis Dove in the crime drama television series The Beast, in 2009.
Fimmel was born in Echuca, Victoria, Australia, on a dairy and beef farm located between Melbourne and Sydney along with two brothers.
At age 16, Fimmel grew restless and moved to Sydney. By the time he turned 18 and graduated from high school, he played Aussie Rules Football for St. Kilda, but before the season began an injury forced him to sideline those plans.
He then enrolled in RMIT in Melbourne studying commercial architecture and engineering. He stayed for one year but was again growing restless and decided to join a friend who was going overseas to London.
The young adventurer had planned to see some of the world and return to his home intending to enroll in university and play football again. Those plans would never materialize as Fimmel decided he wanted to become an actor.
He returned to Australia for a short time and decided to move to Los Angeles. It was not long before he realized that the only way he could stay in Hollywood would be to get a modeling visa.
He was found by scouts from L.A. Models in a pub in Los Angeles where they arranged housing and set up meetings. While he started booking ads for Gap and L'Oreal, it was Calvin Klein that made him world famous.
One Calvin Klein billboard ad featuring him caused such a commotion on a busy London street that it was removed after an auto club claimed that women drivers were slowing down to ogle the billboard, triggering accidents and traffic jams.
His work enabled him to get a modeling visa and stay to study acting with acclaimed acting coach Ivana Chubbuck, the woman responsible for preparing Halle Berry and Elisabeth Shue for their Oscar-calibre performances.
In 2003, Fimmel landed the lead role as John Clayton in the series Tarzan for the WB, produced by Laura Ziskin.
In 2005, he starred in the WB pilot Rocky Point opposite Billy Campbell for executive producer John Stockwell and in 2006 starred on the FOX pilot Southern Comfort.
In 2008, Fimmel played a supporting role opposite Matthew McConaughey as Johnny Doran in the Anchor Bay Entertainment film Surfer, Dude, a comedy about a surfer experiencing an existential crisis for director S.R. Blinder. He also had a role in the DVD release of Restraint.
Also in 2008, Fimmel played a lead role in the film Ivory, a drama about a concert pianist produced by Academy Award-winning producer Gray Frederickson and Amy Briede and directed by Andrew W. Chan.
Fimmel currently resides in Los Angeles.