Christopher Heyerdahl
About
Biography
Biography
Christopher Heyerdahl was a Canadian actor best known for playing The Swede on AMC's "Hell on Wheels" (2011-16) and for his roles in The Twilight Saga and sci-fi series "Stargate: Atlantis" (Sci Fi, 2004-09). A native Canadian from British Columbia, he was born on September 18, 1963. One of the earliest roles he landed was on an episode of the popular police procedural series "21 Jump Street" (Fox, 1987-1991), which was filmed in Vancouver. Heyerdahl's classic Scandinavian looks and gaunt features were ideal for supernatural or fantasy roles, such as Nosferatu in an episode of the children's horror television series "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" (SNICK, 1990-96). After years of landing small roles in various television shows and films, Heyerdahl became popular among science fiction fans when he joined the Stargate Universe. He first made a guest appearance in a "Stargate SG-1" (Showtime/SyFy, 1997-2001) episode titled "Revisions" before he made recurring appearances as Todd the Wraith, and later Halling, in "Stargate: Atlantis." In 2011 and 2012, Heyerdahl appeared in his highest profile movie yet playing Marcus, a high ranking vampire of the coven called The Volturi, in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" and "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2." That same year, he was seen playing another authoritative figure in AMC's gritty Western series "Hell on Wheels" as Thor Gunderson, a.k.a The Swede, the main enforcer for the Union Pacific Railroad.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1987
Made TV debut on episode of Fox's "21 Jump Street"
1993
Appeared on two episodes of Canadian children's television series "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"
1995
First film appearance, a small role in "Highlander III: The Sorcerer," the third installment in the Highlander film series
1998
Portrayed Charles Dickens in "The Ghosts of Dickens' Past"
1998
Played the title role in "Out of Mind: The Stories of H.P. Lovecraft"
2000
Portrayed Nazi officer Ernst Kaltenbrunner in TNT movie "Nuremberg"
2004
Appeared in "Blade: Trinity," starring Wesley Snipes
2004
Cast as Reverend Jimmy Criss in ABC miniseries "Kingdom Hospital," written by Stephen King
2004
Played the characters Halling and Wraith commander Todd in "Stargate: Atlantis" (Sci Fi Channel)
2005
Cast in TNT miniseries "Into the West," produced by Steven Spielberg
2007
Played the role of Zor-El on The CW series "Smallville"
2008
Played duel characters of John Druitt and Bigfoot on Canadian series "Sanctuary" (Sci Fi Channel)
2009
Cast as Volturi vampire Marcus in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon"
2009
Played the demon Alastair on three episodes of "Supernatural" (The CW)
2011
Returned for two-part finale "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" (2011) and "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" (2012), both directed by Bill Condon
2011
Joined the cast of AMC's "Hell on Wheels" as The Swede
2012
Appeared on HBO's "True Blood" as vampire Dieter Braun
