The famous Ragnar of the Vikings series, Travis Fimmel is an Australian actor born July 15, 1979. With his athletic physique, the young man almost never made a career in acting. When he was a teenager, Travis had only one dream: to become a professional footballer. He is ready to follow this path since he joins the St Kilda team. Sadly, he injured his leg in 1998 and had to end his dreams. It didn’t take long to bounce back as he got noticed on Australian beaches by modeling agencies, which offered him his first contracts. He then flew to the United States to pursue his career across the Atlantic. He begins by appearing in music videos and poses for brands such as Calvin Klein. In California, he suddenly feels the soul of an actor and decides to take acting lessons. He rose to prominence in 2003 when he was chosen to play Tarzan in the Jane and Tarzan series. Due to a lack of audience, it was canceled after a few episodes. His career then continued with projects until 2013 when he became world famous thanks to the series Vikings, where he plays the main role of Ragnar Lothbork. From then on, he became the hero of the adaptation of Warcraft: the Beginning. 

Travis Fimmel: 14 Rare Things About His Life And Career!

1. Travis Fimmel wanted to leave Vikings:

“Vikings” is based on the legends of the Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the most famous heroes of Nordic culture, known to have plundered Northumbria, France and Brittany. 

The hit series featuring Travis Fimmel who played the famous Viking since 2013, held a secret. 

Despite a working plot and a hailed interpretation, the actor said his goodbyes even before the end of the series. 

A blow to the fans came after a masterful speech when Ragnar Lothbrok died in episode 15 of season 4. After six seasons and 89 chapters, “Vikings” ended in December 2020, with the last episode of the saga of the descendants of Ragnar Lothbrok.

Although after his death, historical drama followed the story of his children and the conflicts in which they were involved.

2. Travis Fimmel is not from Scandinavia:

Fimmel is an Australian actor who has done an amazing job with his Scandinavian accent. He was born on July 15, 1979, making him 42 years old in the summer of 2021. His hometown is Echuca and his nickname is Rangi.

3. Travis Fimmel was brought up on a farm:

The future actor was born and raised on a farm near Echuca.

Travis Fimmel’s father was a rancher who owned 5500 acres of land which was located between Sydney and Melbourne. The actor worked on the family farm and went to school until he was 17. His mother was a nurse and worked with people with disabilities as a recreation worker. Her name is Jennie and his father is Chris.

4. Education and college:

Travis graduated from his local high school and then enrolled in college courses. He attended school at the University of Melbourne, but he did not stay at the university for long. He wanted to travel a little and his natural curiosity took him away from the country of his birth.

5. Almost sold out a bar in London:

With an urge for adventure and something different, Travis moved to the UK. The young adult was hired as a bartender in a pub in London, England which he gladly worked to  support himself when he was alone and away from home in Australia. 

The future actor got a bit too generous and gave as much beer as he sold in the pub and it became apparent that this wouldn’t be the best option for his career.

6. Travis Fimmel met his manager in London:

It was while running a bar that Travis He was discovered by the man who would become his manager as an actor. David Seltzer saw something in Fimmel that made him believe he had what it takes to be successful in the theater world. He recommended that he move to the United States to pursue an acting career. Travis took his advice and moved to LA where he was advised by Ivana Chubbuck.

7. Travis Fimmel had planned to become a professional footballer:

After high school, Travis moved to Melbourne and he intended to become an Australian professional footballer. Ever since he was a teenager, he arranged to play with him. St. Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League. His plans were derailed when he suffered a broken leg that prevented him from playing at the start of the season. Fate has a way of determining the outcome of a person’s life. Although it seemed tragic at the time, he closed one door so another could be opened.

8. Travis Fimmel was going to become an engineer:

When Fimmel was in Melbourne, he was accepted into the University of Melbourne.

Before becoming an actor, he planned to study engineering and commercial architecture at school. These projects did not materialize as he had the opportunity to travel abroad and he took advantage of it, postponing his educational projects. This was before he had the idea of   moving to the United States and becoming a serious actor and a career model.

9. Travis Fimmel was a model:

Fimmel was in the right place at the right time when he was working in a gym in Aubépine, Australia, and spied on by someone important. A talent scout named Matthew Anderson, who was looking for talent for the Chadwick Modeling Agency, saw him work and made him an offer. Fimmel was signed on-site with an employment contract for Models LA in 2002. 

He was broke and walked into the agency barefoot and went from penniless to making six figurines exclusively for the designer. Calvin Klein. 

Thanks to his modelling connections, he would have been on several dates with the ex of Rod Stewart, former Sports Illustrated model, Rachel Hunter.

10. He became one of the sexiest men in the world:

Fimmel’s modeling career has earned him a lot of attention. He modeled underwear and portrayed CK’s Envie fragrance. It became one of the most demanded models on the planet in 2002. He was named by People magazine as one of the sexiest singles in the world 2002. 

Travis then appeared on many magazine covers and it was even said that a billboard with his model had to be removed because he was causing traffic accidents, but he said it was just a rumor unfounded. He’s a humble guy who stays modest and doesn’t draw much attention to himself. 

11. He has appeared in numerous movies and shows:

Travis has a long list of credits in his record. In addition to his role as Ragnar at “Vikings”, also appeared in the television series “Tarzan” in 2003, “Rocky Point” in 2005, “The Baytown Outlaws”, at 2011, at “Restraint”, at 2008, “Surfer Dude”, “Pure Country 2: The Gift”, “Needle”, “Ivory” and more.

He has co-starred with a variety of big names in the business including Charlie Plummer, Peter Fonda, Richard Dreyfuss, Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi and many more. He has played a variety of leading roles, as well as support and support roles in the business. He was also nominated for the Australian Men of the Year, “Actor of the Year” awards in 2017. 

12. Here’s what he did after Vikings (Ragnar Lothbrok):

As a main character of the Vikings series, Travis Fimmel lent his features to Ragnar for several years, but what happened to the actor as the series ended on December 30, 2020,?

After Vikings, he went on to play a video game character in Call of Duty: Black Ops III and then he announced his 2019 film called Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan. The next year he was one of the cast of the series Raised by Wolves, where he plays Marcus.

In 2021, he was in Die in a Gunfight and  Zone 414.

13. Travis Fimmel reveals the role he wanted to play!

If today it is impossible to imagine Travis Fimmel playing a character other than Ragnar, know that the young actor wanted another role in reality. When he got the auditions to join the cast of Vikings, Travis Fimmel wanted to play a specific character. And it’s not Ragnar!

Indeed, the young man wanted to have the role of Floki. But when he arrived, Gustaf Skarsgard had already been cast for the role. Moreover Travis Fimmel praised the performance of the young actor. The hero of Vikings even confessed that he could not have done better. And it must be said that the young interpreter of Floki sold us dreams with his character as crazy as he is mysterious. Besides, it would be difficult for us to imagine Travis Fimmel as Floki. 

Or even imagine an actor other than Gustaf Skarsgard playing Floki. Both actors have both taken on the challenge of their respective characters and that’s great. The fans seem in any case very happy.

You should know that in Michael Hirst’s series, Floki is one of Ragnar’s most faithful companions. Indeed, the young man, who is also a shipbuilder, has proven it a lot of times. Finally, it was he who built the ship that will take Ragnar and his men to conquer new lands. The two men were in any case one of the most emblematic characters of the series.

14. Some other facts:

• He had to wear extensions for his role as Ragnar in Vikings in the first season.

• He is extremely secretive and likes to keep his personal life almost a secret.

• He hates filming sex-scenes. 

• In 2008, Travis turned down an appointment to serve as a judge on “Make Me A Supermodel” to focus on his acting career. 

• His childhood dream was to become a footballer. 

• He never wanted to be famous, unlike his alter ego Ragnar.