Editing Stuart Townsend (section)

==Early life and career==
Townsend was born in [[Howth]], [[County Dublin]], the son of Lorna Hogan, an Irish model, and [[Peter Townsend (golfer)|Peter Townsend]], an English [[professional golfer]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/stuart-townsend/biography/120|title=Stuart Townsend – Biography|publisher=[[TalkTalk Group]]|access-date=6 May 2010|first=Dominic|last=Wills}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://movies.about.com/od/headintheclouds/a/headst082704_2.htm |title=Interview with Stuart Townsend |first=Rebecca |last=Murray |work=[[About.com]] |date=2004-08-27 |access-date=2019-01-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111181754/http://movies.about.com/od/headintheclouds/a/headst082704_2.htm |archive-date=2011-01-11}}</ref> His younger brother, Dylan, is also an actor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dylan Townsend {{!}} Writer, Producer, Actor |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5579744/ |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref>

Stuart attended the [[Gaiety School of Acting]], Dublin, and made his non-professional stage debut in its 1993 production of [[Colin Teevan]]'s ''Tear Up The Black Sail''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaietyschool.com/news_and_events/view/1496/ |title=Gaiety School of Acting&nbsp;— News And Events |work=[[Gaiety School of Acting]] |access-date=6 March 2010}}</ref> The following year he made his professional stage debut in ''True Lines'', directed by [[John Crowley (director)|John Crowley]], which opened in [[Kilkenny]], before moving to the [[Dublin Theatre Festival]] and on to the [[Bush Theatre]] in London. His early film roles were in Irish short films, including ''Godsuit'' and ''Summertime'', before landing a role in the [[feature film|feature]] length film, ''Trojan Eddie'', a 1996 [[Anglo-Irish]] co-production. In 1997 he starred in the British film, ''[[Shooting Fish]]''.

With his portrayal of a seducer in the title role of ''[[About Adam]]'', Townsend gained exposure in the United States. He briefly returned to the London stage in 2000, in the [[Tennessee Williams]] play ''[[Orpheus Descending]]'', starring as Val Xavier, alongside [[Helen Mirren]] as Lady Torrance, before landing roles in several major films. He appeared in ''[[Queen of the Damned]]'' as the vampire [[Lestat de Lioncourt]], and in ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (film)|The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'' as [[Dorian Gray]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.hollywood.com/celebrities/stuart-townsend-57293757/ |title=Stuart Townsend {{!}} Biography and Filmography {{!}} 1972 |author=Staff writers |date=2015-02-05 |work=[[Hollywood.com]] |access-date=2017-08-03 |language=en-US}}</ref> Townsend was hired to play the part of [[Aragorn]] in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]], but was replaced by [[Viggo Mortensen]] the day before [[principal photography]] began.<ref name="ew">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,212325_2,00.html |title=Meet Aaliyah's last leading man |first=Liane |last=Bonin |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=2002-02-22 |access-date=2019-01-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051212094200/http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,212325-2-2~1~0~,00.html|archive-date=12 December 2005}}</ref> According to Townsend:
{{quote|I was there rehearsing and training for two months, then was fired the day before filming began. After that I was told they wouldn't pay me because I was in breach of contract due to not having worked long enough. I had been having a rough time with them, so I was almost relieved to be leaving until they told me I wouldn't be paid. I have no good feelings for those people in charge, I really don't. The director wanted me and then apparently thought better of it because he really wanted someone 20 years older than me and completely different.<ref name="ew" />}}

In 2005, he starred alongside [[Gabrielle Union]] in ''[[Night Stalker (TV series)|Night Stalker]]'', the remake of the 1974 [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] TV series ''[[Kolchak: The Night Stalker]]''. He portrayed Carl Kolchak, an investigative reporter looking into his wife's murder. ''Night Stalker'' was abruptly cancelled by ABC after six episodes due to bad viewing figures, with some critics reportedly saying he was too young compared to [[Darren McGavin]] in the original series. The same year, Townsend had a guest starring role on NBC's ''[[Will & Grace]]'' as Karen Walker's [[pansexual]] pastry chef who seduces her, Will Truman, and then her maid, Rosario. He also made an uncredited cameo in ''[[Æon Flux (film)|Æon Flux]]'' (2005). Townsend starred alongside [[Ryan Reynolds]] in ''[[Chaos Theory (film)|Chaos Theory]]'' (2007). The same year, he made his directorial debut with ''[[Battle in Seattle]]'', a portrayal of the [[World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999|WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999]] which was protested by environmentalists, indigenous rights organizations, labor unions and [[anti-globalisation]] protesters.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vidal |first=John |date=1999-12-05 |title=Real battle for Seattle |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/dec/05/wto.globalisation |access-date=2023-07-17 |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> The film's cast included [[Charlize Theron]], [[Ray Liotta]] and [[Woody Harrelson]], but enjoyed only limited release and no [[blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] support.

Townsend was set to play [[Fandral]] in [[Kenneth Branagh]]'s ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]'', but was replaced in January 2010, due to unspecified creative differences.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stuart Townsend Leaves 'Thor,' Joshua Dallas Will Play Fandral |first=Josh |last=Wigler |url=http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/01/11/stuart-townsend-leaves-thor-joshua-dallas-will-play-fandral/ |date=11 January 2010 |access-date=13 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429072159/http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/01/11/stuart-townsend-leaves-thor-joshua-dallas-will-play-fandral |archive-date=29 April 2011}}</ref> He appeared in the ABC thriller, ''[[Betrayal (TV series)|Betrayal]]'', the second season of ''[[Salem (TV series)|Salem]]'', and a 2017 episode of ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/85472/lestat-xena-heading-salem-stuart-townsend-lucy-lawless-sign-season-2/ |title=Lestat and Xena Heading to Salem! Stuart Townsend, Lucy Lawless, and More Sign Up for Season 2! |first=Debi |last=Moore |work=[[Dread Central]] |date=2015-01-14 |access-date=2019-01-08}}</ref> In 2021, Townsend starred in the films ''The Martini Shot'' and ''Grace and Grit''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2018/11/mena-suvari-frances-fisher-grace-and-grit-movie-1202502804/ |title=Mena Suvari & Frances Fisher To Star In 'Grace and Grit' Indie |first=Amanda |last=N'Duka |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=2018-11-15 |access-date=2019-01-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://lovecastleconnell.com/castleconnell-hollywood/ |title=Castleconnell gets a Shot of Hollywood! |work=Love [[Castleconnell]] |date=2018-10-12 |access-date=2019-01-08}}</ref>