Biography
Who is Kodi Smit-McPhee?
Early life and family background
Kodi Smit-McPhee was born on June 13, 1996, in Adelaide, Australia. He grew up in a family with strong ties to the entertainment industry. His father, Andy McPhee, worked as a professional wrestler and an actor. His sister, Sianoa Smit-McPhee, also pursues a career as an actress and a singer. These family connections provided an early introduction to the world of performance.
When he was sixteen years old, Kodi received a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis. This condition is a form of degenerative arthritis that affects the spine by causing vertebrae to fuse together. This health challenge has impacted his physical life and his work. During the production of The Power of the Dog, he experienced vision loss in his left eye because of a severe cataract linked to this medical condition.
Rise to fame as a child actor
Kodi Smit-McPhee started his professional film career with a role in Romulus, My Father in 2007. This debut earned him the AFI Award for Best Young Actor. He soon transitioned to major Hollywood productions, starring alongside Viggo Mortensen in the 2009 post-apocalyptic drama The Road. His performance as a young boy in a harsh world led to a nomination for a Critics' Choice Award.
In 2010, he played the lead role of Owen in the vampire thriller Let Me In. This project further established his reputation for handling intense and complex characters at a young age. He also expanded into voice acting during this period. In 2012, he provided the voice for the main character, Norman Babcock, in the stop-motion animated film ParaNorman. This film went on to receive nominations at both the Academy Awards and the BAFTA Awards.
Hollywood blockbusters and X-Men
His career continued to grow with roles in large-scale studio films. In 2014, Kodi appeared in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. He later secured the role of the mutant Nightcrawler in the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse. He played the younger version of a character previously portrayed by Alan Cumming. He returned to this role in the 2019 sequel Dark Phoenix.
In 2018, he took the lead in the prehistoric adventure film Alpha, playing an Ice Age teenager named Keda. He also starred in the Australian miniseries Gallipoli in 2015, playing a seventeen-year-old soldier named Thomas Johnson. To prepare for this role, he researched the vulnerability and terror experienced by young soldiers during the historic military campaign.
Award wins and recent projects
The year 2021 marked a significant milestone for his career when he starred in Jane Campion's western The Power of the Dog. His portrayal of Peter Gordon earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also received a nomination for an Academy Award in the same category. Critics praised his ability to bring a reserved and complex energy to the screen.
In 2024, Kodi Smit-McPhee remained active with several high-profile releases. He voiced the character Gilbert Pudel in the animation Memoir of a Snail and appeared in the miniseries Disclaimer. He also joined the cast of the biographical film Maria. In 2025, he made his first appearance on the London stage at the Barbican Theatre, playing Konstantin Treplev in a production of The Seagull.
Birthday and age
Kodi Smit-McPhee was born on June 13, 1996, which makes Kodi 30 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Kodi shares the date with 32 other famous people.
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