The year was 2002, and Travis Fimmel's face (and body) was on billboards around the world. The golden-haired Aussie model had just locked in a six-figure deal with Calvin Klein to model for the fashion house for a year. To say the job changed Fimmel's life is an understatement.
READ MORE: Beloved Aussie chocolates set to double in price The 21-year-old fronted campaigns for the fashion house's Crave fragrance and starred on magazine covers, but it was his work modelling Calvin Klein underwear that really put him on the map. In fact, it's even been claimed his iconic ads inspired the character of Smith Jerrod – "the Absolut Vodka guy" who dates Samantha Jones and goes on to become an actor – in Sex and the City. Calvin Klein himself had been instrumental in securing Fimmel for the contract, and in an interview with fellow designer Tom Ford recalled how struck he was by him.
"I would get stacks and stacks of Polaroids, and then as soon as I came to Travis, I stopped and said, 'Who is he?'" he said. "They told me that he had just arrived in L.A.
from Australia, that he was a surfer, and I said, 'Do you think you can get him in here tomorrow?' "So he walks into my studio, into my office, and it was like drop-dead ...
his presence was jaw-dropping. I called Steven Klein right away and said, 'Don't do anything. Just put him in the underwear and put him up against the window'.
" READ MORE: 'Four months of hell': Huge challenge new mum didn't see coming While his Calvin Klein contract made him famous in 2002, Fimmel had already appeared in music videos for Janet Jackson and Jennifer Lopez the previous year. Though modelling had made him an instantly recogniseable face, Fimmel quickly pivoted his efforts to another career path: acting. His acting career kicked off in 2003 with his role in the TV series Tarzan , in which he played the titular character.
Fimmel has steadily picked up roles in the years since, putting his Calvin Klein days well and truly behind him. He's starred in TV series and movies with the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Patrick Swayze, Ben Mendelsohn, Julianne Moore and Ethan Hawke. The filming experience the he is perhaps most grateful for is his time on-set (and off) with his late The Beast co-star, Swayze.
READ MORE: The drinking game that ousted Kate and Will's secret romance "I was so lucky to spend time with him," Fimmel told 9honey in a 2024 interview. "We shot a whole series together while he's going through his illness, and he was an amazing guy. Very giving, great heart and beautiful wife.
I really enjoyed it." One of Fimmel's most recogniseable roles was in hit TV series Vikings , in which he played Ragnar Lothbrok for four seasons. Interestingly, he was only meant to star in the first season of the show, but quickly became a fan favourite.
One of Fimmel's most recent projects delighted Aussie bookworms, as he was one of the lead stars in the 2023 Netflix adaptation of Trent Dalton's hit book Boy Swallows Universe . "He's a man that means very well but is very flawed and everything is he's trying to do is not be a victim, get out of his lifestyle and protect the kids," he told 9honey Celebrity of his character. He also called the production "one of the best experiences" of his career.
Also in the works for the actor are the films Rust and Dune: Prophecy . FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE : Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
.
