Irish actor Stuart Townsend was born in 1972. Launching his acting career on stage, his first movie roles were in short Irish films and he began to be noticed in the United States after playing a seducer in About Adam in 2000.

Since, he has starred in hit films including Queen of the Damned, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and TV thriller Night Stalker.

Townsend has been dating actress Charlize Theron since meeting her on the set of 2002's Trapped.