Date of Birth

7 December 1992, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Nickname

Zander
Xander

Height

6' 2½" (1.89 m)

Mini Biography

After starring in the hugely successful blockbuster The Hunger Games (2012) (for which he received two awards), Alexander has gone on to work in films such as Lone Survivor (2013), The Final Girls (2015), and Bad Boys for Life (2020), and received critical acclaim for his performance as Bjorn Ironside in the global hit television series Vikings (2013).

Alexander Richard Ludwig was born in Vancouver, Canada, on May 7, 1992. He has three siblings: Nicholas, Natalie and Sophia, and a cat named Puss in Boots. His mother, Sharlene Martin, is a former actress and assists in managing his career. His father, Harald Ludwig, is a board member of Lions Gate Entertainment and president of Macluan Capital Corporation. As one of the stars of History Channel's top rated show "Vikings", Alexander's Bjorn Ironside is the eldest son to the king and the successor to the crown. Completing its third season, Vikings has been experiencing overwhelming success: "New York, NY - February 24, 2015 -The season three premiere of History's hit scripted series Vikings raided 4.6 million total viewers, 2.4 million Adults 25-54 and 2.3 million Adults 18-49 in Live +3 delivery, ranking it as the #1 show on cable in Live +3 in all key demos and total viewers on Thursday, February 19." Additionally, Alexander co-starred in Sony's dark comedy The Final Girls (2015) co-starring Malin Akerman, Nina Dobrev, Taissa Farmiga and Adam Devine. This film premiered at SXSW on Friday, March 13, 2015 at 10 pm and received rave reviews. Alexander just completed filming the independent picture "Go With Me", co-starring Anthony Hopkins, Julia Stiles and Ray Liotta. The producers of this film are anticipating a 2015 release date. Alexander is an ambassador to the Bvlgari Brand, as well as being an independent fashion consultant to the sport line RYU.

He is a passionate musician, an undeniable adrenaline junkie and a gifted spokesman. Those who work with him speak of his dedication to his craft, coupled with his humility and charm and his work on Vikings (2013) has made him one of the most promising and sought after stars of his generation. When he isn't acting, Alexander can be found writing for film and television as well as surfing, extreme skiing, skydiving, traveling the world, and working with a variety of philanthropic organizations.

Trivia

• His mother is former actress Sharlene Martin, and his father is business exec. Harald Ludwig from Vancouver, Canada.
• He's the eldest of four siblings, having two sisters and a brother.
• His lucky number is 7 because he was born on May 7, at 7 minutes to 7, and weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces.
• Alexander attended USC and lives full time in Los Angeles, California.
• On the set of Race to Witch Mountain (2009), Dwayne Johnson gave him one of his personal guitars on his 16th birthday.
• Is very close friends with AnnaSophia Robb.
• The German name Ludwig means 'famous warrior'. Alexander plays the "famous warrior" Cato in The Hunger Games (2012).
• Originally one of the three finalists for the the role of Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games, but was later offered the Role of Cato By Director Gary Ross.
• His paternal grandfather was German and his paternal grandmother was Belgian, from Antwerp. Alexander's mother has English, Scottish, and some German and Jersey [Channel Islander], ancestry; her family has recently lived in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Two unrelated films with similar titles, Final Girl (2015) and The Final Girls (2015), were released the same year. Alexander played the leading male role in both. In The Final Girls, Taissa Farmiga's character travels inside the 1980s slasher film, Camp Bloodbath, in which her actress mother (Malin Ã…kerman) played a major role, as a blonde character who is killed fairly early into the film. Alexander plays one of her friends, who is also transported into the film. Alexander's casting was appropriate, because, his own mother Sharlene Martin had a memorable role in the 1980s slasher film Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), playing Tamara Mason, a character similar to Ã…kerman's; she was also blonde and killed fairly early into the proceedings.
• Announced his engagement on Instagram to his girlfriend, Lauren Dear on November 23rd 2020.
• Married his fiancee Lauren Dear on January 4th 2021. The pair eloped in The Lodge at Blue Sky. Coincidentally; they got married on the same date as Talinda Ann Bentley to Michael Friedman; but one year apart.
• Born at 6:53 AM (PDT).

Quotes

• My Heart lies in music and acting; however, my inspiration comes from the rush l get from life and all the adventures that come with it.
• My parents know how passionate I've always been about acting. I convinced them this was something that i was going to put my heart and soul into.
• At the end of the day, life ain't about how much you did, it's about how much you gave to what you did.
• Asking me if I prefer music or acting is like asking me if id rather have food or water, at the end of the day you need both to survive.