---
name: "Sharlto Copley"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/sharlto-copley"
fi1m_id: "sharlto-copley"
imdb_id: "nm1663205"
tmdb_id: 82191
wikidata_id: "Q512353"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "27 November 1973"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 70
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-10-05T13:07:09.426110+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Sharlto Copley

## Identity

Sharlto Copley

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/sharlto-copley
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** sharlto-copley
- **IMDb ID:** nm1663205
- **TMDB ID:** 82191
- **Wikidata ID:** Q512353
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharlto_Copley, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q512353, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1663205/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/82191

Actor. Born 27 November 1973 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 27 November 1973, Johannesburg, South Africa
- **Active:** 2009–present
- **Frequently works with:** [Neill Blomkamp](https://film.one/person/neill-blomkamp.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 70, as actor, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 81 (1), 2010s 66 (3), 2020s 72 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 70 to 72 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 4 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Action 3, Drama 2, Science Fiction 2, Thriller 2, Adventure 1, Comedy 1
- **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,291m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharlto_Copley, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q512353, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1663205/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/82191

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*District 9*](https://film.one/film/district-9.md) (81)
- **Netflix:** [*Elysium*](https://film.one/film/elysium.md) (60)
- **Disney+:** [*Maleficent*](https://film.one/film/maleficent.md) (55)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Sharlto Copley

> Sharlto Copley can make a petty official funny, frightened and still difficult to forgive. We rate him most when the vanity survives the fear; broader supporting parts can be enjoyable without giving us as much to notice.

In *District 9* (2009), Wikus van de Merwe approaches his work as though knowing the procedure were the same as understanding what he is doing. Sharlto Copley makes his self-importance funny without softening the harm this petty official does. We laughed at Wikus's pleasure in exercising authority, then felt uncomfortable because Copley makes his routine cruelty so familiar. When fear takes hold, the vanity remains, and Copley resists making him easy to like. This is where we rate him most: playing someone whose faults remain visible even when we begin to worry for him.

Neill Blomkamp and co-writer Terri Tatchell give him the space to make this small official painfully recognisable. Copley improvised all his dialogue, but there is nothing loose about his grasp of Wikus's character. The film is less convincing when its villains become broadly wicked, without the awkward particularity Copley supplies. Its prolonged combat also takes attention away from him; we would have traded some of the shooting for more of that performance.

*District 9* was his first major screen role, followed by Hollywood work including *The A-Team* (2010), where his Murdock employed multiple accents. Blomkamp brought him back as Kruger in *Elysium* (2013) and as the motion-capture lead in *Chappie* (2015). Science fiction and action have supplied much of his work since that breakthrough, often casting him as eccentrics or villains.

In Dev Patel's *Monkey Man* (2024), he plays Tiger, a fight promoter who bellows at the crowd and plainly enjoys the work. Patel uses him as part of a deliberately broad supporting cast, and Copley's appetite for making a noise suits the job. We would not ask Tiger to become a second Wikus, but there is less here to discover once the bellowing has registered. He is good company in a narrow part, though we miss the uncomfortable detail he found in Wikus. Start with *District 9*.

## Biography

Sharlto Copley is a South African actor. Born in Johannesburg on 27 November 1973, he began working in television production after leaving school and became one of the country's youngest television producers. He met director Neill Blomkamp during this period and later transitioned to acting.

Copley made his feature-film debut as Wikus van de Merwe in the science-fiction film *District 9* (2009). He subsequently appeared as H. M. Murdock in *The A-Team* (2010), as Kruger in *Elysium* (2013), in the title role of *Chappie* (2015), and as Tiger in *Monkey Man* (2024). Other credits include *Maleficent* (2014), *Europa Report* (2013), *Hardcore Henry* (2015) and *Beast* (2022).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (5)

- *Monkey Man* (2024), Fi1m 72, as Tiger — [page](https://film.one/film/monkey-man.md)
- *Russian Doll* (2019), Fi1m 83, as Chez — [page](https://film.one/tv/russian-doll.md)
- *Maleficent* (2014), Fi1m 55, as Stefan — [page](https://film.one/film/maleficent.md)
- *Elysium* (2013), Fi1m 60, as Kruger — [page](https://film.one/film/elysium.md)
- *District 9* (2009), Fi1m 81, as Wikus van de Merwe — [page](https://film.one/film/district-9.md)

## Complete filmography (33)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Desert Warrior* (2026), as Jalabzeen
- *The Rats: A Witcher Tale* (2025), as Leo Bonhart
- *Heads of State* (2025), as Agent Coop
- *Boy Kills World* (2024), as Glen Van Der Koy
- *Monkey Man* (2024), as Tiger — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/monkey-man.md)
- *Beast* (2022), as Martin Battles
- *Oats Studios: Volume 1* (2021), as God
- *Ted K* (2021), as Ted · Producer
- *Seal Team* (2021), as Switch (voice)
- *The Last Days of American Crime* (2020), as William Sawyer
- *The Witcher* (2019), series, as Leo Bonhart — Fi1m 61, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-witcher.md)
- *Russian Doll* (2019), series, as Chez — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/russian-doll.md)
- *God: City* (2018), as Dieu
- *Gringo* (2018), as Mitch Rusk
- *God: Serengeti* (2017), as God
- *Free Fire* (2017), as Vernon
- *The Hollars* (2016), as Ron Hollar
- *Hardcore Henry* (2015), as Jimmy · Executive Producer
- *Powers* (2015), series, as Christian Walker
- *Chappie* (2015), as Chappie
- *Maleficent* (2014), as Stefan — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/maleficent.md)
- *Oldboy* (2013), as Adrian Pryce
- *Open Grave* (2013), as John
- *Elysium* (2013), as Kruger — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/elysium.md)
- *Europa Report* (2013), as James Corrigan
- *Spoon* (2011), Writer, Director
- *The A-Team* (2010), as Murdock
- *Wikus and Charlize* (2010), as Wikus van der Merwe · Director, Producer, Editor
- *District 9* (2009), as Wikus van de Merwe — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/district-9.md)
- *Alive in Joburg* (2005), as Sniper · Producer
- *Curb Your Enthusiasm* (2000), series, as Michael Fouchay — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/curb-your-enthusiasm.md)
- *Sapien Safari*, Director, Writer
- *The Good Samaritan*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Sharlto Copley](https://film.one/media/person/11732/gallery-0cf250ce2881.jpg) Sharlto Copley — Natasha Baucas at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdnatasha/, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/SharltoCopleyCCJuly09.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Aiysha Hart - Ghassan Massoud - Omar Al Atawi - Rupert Wyatt - Sharlto Copley - Saïd Boumazoughe - Samar Akrouk - Sacha Gemayel at the 2025 Red Sea Film Festiva](https://film.one/media/person/11732/gallery-063ceb2ff791.jpg) Aiysha Hart - Ghassan Massoud - Omar Al Atawi - Rupert Wyatt - Sharlto Copley - Saïd Boumazoughe - Samar Akrouk - Sacha Gemayel at the 2025 Red Sea Film Festiva — Zafer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Aiysha_Hart_-_Ghassan_Massoud_-_Omar_Al_Atawi_-_Rupert_Wyatt_-_Sharlto_Copley_-_Sa%C3%AFd_Boumazoughe_-_Samar_Akrouk_-_Sacha_Gemayel_at_the_2025_Red_Sea_Film_Festival_20251206_%283%29.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Aiysha Hart - Ghassan Massoud - Omar Al Atawi - Rupert Wyatt - Sharlto Copley - Saïd Boumazoughe - Samar Akrouk - Sacha Gemayel at the 2025 Red Sea Film Festiva](https://film.one/media/person/11732/gallery-b33dcc58ba13.jpg) Aiysha Hart - Ghassan Massoud - Omar Al Atawi - Rupert Wyatt - Sharlto Copley - Saïd Boumazoughe - Samar Akrouk - Sacha Gemayel at the 2025 Red Sea Film Festiva — Zafer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Aiysha_Hart_-_Ghassan_Massoud_-_Omar_Al_Atawi_-_Rupert_Wyatt_-_Sharlto_Copley_-_Sa%C3%AFd_Boumazoughe_-_Samar_Akrouk_-_Sacha_Gemayel_at_the_2025_Red_Sea_Film_Festival_20251206_%284%29.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Aiysha Hart - Ghassan Massoud - Omar Al Atawi - Rupert Wyatt - Sharlto Copley - Saïd Boumazoughe - Samar Akrouk at the 2025 Red Sea Film Festival 20251206](https://film.one/media/person/11732/gallery-dead000f332f.jpg) Aiysha Hart - Ghassan Massoud - Omar Al Atawi - Rupert Wyatt - Sharlto Copley - Saïd Boumazoughe - Samar Akrouk at the 2025 Red Sea Film Festival 20251206 — Zafer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Aiysha_Hart_-_Ghassan_Massoud_-_Omar_Al_Atawi_-_Rupert_Wyatt_-_Sharlto_Copley_-_Sa%C3%AFd_Boumazoughe_-_Samar_Akrouk_at_the_2025_Red_Sea_Film_Festival_20251206_%282%29.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Sharlto Copley](https://film.one/media/person/11732/gallery-c93a3a7b088f.jpg) Sharlto Copley — Image via TMDB
- ![Sharlto Copley](https://film.one/media/person/11732/gallery-cdbf3e83e2dd.jpg) Sharlto Copley — Image via TMDB
- ![Sharlto Copley](https://film.one/media/person/11732/gallery-63eab32ba3f9.jpg) Sharlto Copley — Image via TMDB
- ![Aiysha Hart - Ghassan Massoud - Omar Al Atawi - Rupert Wyatt - Sharlto Copley - Saïd Boumazoughe at the 2025 Red Sea Film Festival 20251206](https://film.one/media/person/11732/gallery-f0738c3e790a.jpg) Aiysha Hart - Ghassan Massoud - Omar Al Atawi - Rupert Wyatt - Sharlto Copley - Saïd Boumazoughe at the 2025 Red Sea Film Festival 20251206 — Zafer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Aiysha_Hart_-_Ghassan_Massoud_-_Omar_Al_Atawi_-_Rupert_Wyatt_-_Sharlto_Copley_-_Sa%C3%AFd_Boumazoughe_at_the_2025_Red_Sea_Film_Festival_20251206_%281%29.jpg/1280px-Aiysha_Hart_-_Ghassan_Massoud_-_Omar_Al_Atawi_-_Rupert_Wyatt_-_Sharlto_Copley_-_Sa%C3%AFd_Boumazoughe_at_the_2025_Red_Sea_Film_Festival_20251206_%281%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Aiysha Hart - Omar Al Atawi - Rupert Wyatt - Sharlto Copley - Saïd Boumazoughe at the 2025 Red Sea Film Festival 20251206](https://film.one/media/person/11732/gallery-ed92a4879c63.jpg) Aiysha Hart - Omar Al Atawi - Rupert Wyatt - Sharlto Copley - Saïd Boumazoughe at the 2025 Red Sea Film Festival 20251206 — Zafer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Aiysha_Hart_-_Omar_Al_Atawi_-_Rupert_Wyatt_-_Sharlto_Copley_-_Sa%C3%AFd_Boumazoughe_at_the_2025_Red_Sea_Film_Festival_20251206.jpg/1280px-Aiysha_Hart_-_Omar_Al_Atawi_-_Rupert_Wyatt_-_Sharlto_Copley_-_Sa%C3%AFd_Boumazoughe_at_the_2025_Red_Sea_Film_Festival_20251206.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Sharlto Copley](https://film.one/media/person/11732/gallery-2beec31b5c6f.jpg) Sharlto Copley — Image via TMDB

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/sharlto-copley