It would seem that there’s been an Australian hunk in Hollywood right under our noses this whole time!
You may recognise Travis Fimmel from his pivotal role as Ragnar in the Canadian-Irish drama series Vikings, if not, there is a very good chance you’ve already seen him before – sans clothes.
With just $60 in his pocket, the Aussie hunk got his start at a LA Models agency… and he was barefoot!
“He had a beautiful face, a very funny personality it all clicked,” his agent Paul Nelson recalled.
“We helped him out with money and a place to stay. We believed in him from the beginning.”
Travis came from humble beginnings, growing up on a 5,000 acre cattle farm in Lockington, Victoria. As the youngest of three brothers, the rising star spent his time playing chase around the farm.
Like many true blue Aussie blokes, Travis wanted to be a footy player but a broken leg put an end to his sporting career.
But alas, it all worked out for the best after he was scouted by Chadwicks modelling agency.
Sharon Osbourne may just have been Travis’ biggest fan. The talk show host had the aspiring actor on her show in his peak modelling years.
From his move to the big smoke in LA, Travis’ career took off.
When he wasn’t starring in music videos alongside Janet Jackson and Jennifer Lopez, he was modelling as a regular for Calvin Klein.
In fact, Travis became the first male model in the world to secure a six-figure deal to model exclusively for the luxury label for a year.
He was dubbed one of the world’s sexiest bachelors by People in 2002, and it has even been suggested that Sex and the City’s heartthrob Smith Jerrod was based off Travis himself!
A pretty uncanny resemblance!
After his name made waves, Travis began to hone in on his acting career. Modelling cheques paid his way through acting classes, and soon the hunk was able to acquire supporting roles in both TV and film productions.
Now, the 36-year-old, who stars as Ragnar in the gory series Vikings, has just landed himself the lead role in the film adaption of the popular video game of the same name.
Speaking of how a big screen production differs from the small screen scale he’s used to, the star quipped, “It was a whole different experience doing so much motion-capture and special effects and getting pushed around with broomsticks and tennis balls thrown at you.”
That star became a household name with his role as Ragnar in Vikings.
“It reminded me of home — my brothers throwing stuff at me and hitting me with broomsticks,” he says.
So, how does this Victoria-born beau size up to our beloved Chris Hemsworth?
We think we will need his brothers to join him in Hollywood to be able to make that decision…
Check out a young Travis talk about modelling in Hollywood in the video player below!
