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Sharlto Copley

Sharlto Copley

Actor and producer · Born November 27, 1973 (52) · Johannesburg, South Africa

Sharlto Copley (born November 27, 1973) is a South African producer, actor, and director who has produced and co-directed short films which have appeared at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as commercials and music videos. He is perhaps best known for playing the roles of Wikus van der Merwe in the Oscar-nominated science fiction film District 9 and H. M. Murdock in the 2010 adaptation of The A-Team. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sharlto Copley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 27, 1973 (52)
From
Johannesburg, South Africa
Works as
Actor and producer
Titles
26 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 15% in 30 days

What are Sharlto Copley's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
21%
Self
20%
Survival
17%
Bonds
15%
Power
14%
Ideas
8%
Society
4%
Identity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 20 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 7 · Dark 10

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 8

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 14

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 5

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 8

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 5

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

15 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 5 of 15 analyzed roles.

Shadow
5 of 15
Hero
4 of 15
Ally
3 of 15
Trickster
2 of 15
Mentor
1 of 15
Show the 15 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
15
Dread
11
Thrilling
10
Hopeful
6
Absurd
4
Other
17

How their films linger

Hopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Sharlto Copley's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 23 of their 26 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sharlto Copley's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

34 credits, 26 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Desert Warrior(2025)

    as Jalabzeen

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Rats: A Witcher Tale(2025)

    as Leo Bonhart

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Heads of State(2025)

    as Agent Coop

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Boy Kills World(2023)

    as Glen Van Der Koy

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Monkey Man(2024)

    as Tiger

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Beast(2022)

    as Martin Battles

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Oats Studios: Volume 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as God

  • Ted K(2021)

    Producer · as Ted

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Seal Team(2021)

    as Switch (voice)

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Last Days of American Crime(2020)

    as William Sawyer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • The Witcher(2019)

    Show 4 episodes · as Leo Bonhart

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Russian Doll(2019)

    Show 3 episodes · as Chez

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • God: City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Dieu

  • Gringo(2018)

    as Mitch Rusk

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • God: Serengeti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as God

  • Free Fire(2016)

    as Vernon

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Hollars(2016)

    as Ron Hollar

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Hardcore Henry(2015)

    Executive Producer · as Jimmy

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Powers(2015)

    Show 20 episodes · as Christian Walker

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Chappie(2015)

    as Chappie

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Maleficent(2014)

    as Stefan

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Oldboy(2013)

    as Adrian Pryce

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Open Grave(2013)

    as John

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Elysium(2013)

    as Kruger

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Europa Report(2013)

    as James Corrigan

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Spoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director · Writer

  • The A-Team(2010)

    as Murdock

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Wikus and Charlize (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Editor · Producer · as Wikus van der Merwe

  • District 9(2009)

    as Wikus van de Merwe

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Alive in Joburg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Producer · as Sniper

  • Curb Your Enthusiasm(2000)

    Show 2 episodes · as Michael Fouchay

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • WWE Monday Night RAW(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Sharlto Copley

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Sapien Safari (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Writer · Actor

  • The Good Samaritan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 34 titles, 32 of them dated from 1993 to 2026; peak year 2014.

Biggest box office

Maleficent (2014)

$760M worldwide

Highest rated

District 9 (2009)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Chappie (2015)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19932026

Peak 2014 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 14 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting33 of 34: 28 only acting, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thDirecting3 of 34: 0 only directing, 3 with another roleWriting2 of 34: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing4 of 34: 0 only producing, 4 with another roleEditing1 of 34: 0 only editing, 1 with another role

34 titles, 6 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1990s1 · acting2000s3 · 3 acting · 1 crew2010s18 · 17 acting · 3 crew2020s10 · 10 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 24% of 25 roles
051520

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Sharlto Copley's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Approval · how many liked their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Reach · how many have seen their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Midcredits score across 26 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 26 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

Desert Warrior (2025)

99th percentile spread · 51% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

District 9 (2009)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 19 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Sharlto Copley's work okay for kids?

Across up to 18 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore15 titles57–94 · median 89 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity18 titles10–66 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity16 titles35–90 · median 81 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs15 titles15–70 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense14 titles53–87 · median 69 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Sharlto Copley work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sharlto Copley's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Neill Blomkamp shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers