Kellan Lutz Biography

Born on March 15, 1985, in Dickinson, North Dakota, Kellan Lutz is one of the seven sons of Karla (née Theesfeld) and Bradley Lutz. His six brothers are Brandon, Tanner, David, Daniel, Brad, and Chris. He also has a sister, Brittany. Having grown up in such a large family, Lutz had a bustling childhood. They moved around a lot and he spent the early years of his life in North Dakota, the Midwest, and Arizona.

After graduating from Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, he relocated to California and enrolled at the Chapman University to study chemical engineering.

Kellan Lutz considered joining the Navy Seals for a while. But eventually, he dropped out of college so he could become a professional actor. He realized even back then that he was taking a huge risk but he had enough confidence in his own abilities and that helped him muster up the courage to take such a step.

By the time he left high school, Kellan Lutz was already an established model. It eventually led to his recurring appearances on PAX TV’s Model Citizens. His self-belief and determination led him to start off his career as an actor in 2004, in an episode of CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful.

He followed this up by playing a small role in CSY: NY. In 2005, he was cast in the recurring role of Chris MacNess in Lisa Kudrow’s comedy-drama The Comeback. In the same year, he guest-starred in HBO’s black comedy Six Feet Under and WB’s drama series Summerland.

Kellan Lutz's big screen debut came about in 2006, with the film Stick It. He also starred in Steve Pink’s directorial venture Accepted that year. In 2007, he did the direct-to-video movie Ghosts of Goldfield and appeared in two highly popular television shows: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Heroes.

In the seven-part TV miniseries Generation Kill (2008), he portrayed Corporal Jason Lilley. The series was nominated for 11 Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009, winning three. Lutz became part of the cast of The CW’s teen drama 90210 in 2008.

Over the next few years, he got the opportunity to portray a variety of characters. He played a young man marooned on an uncharted island in After Dusk They Come (2009); a teenager suffering from extreme sleep deprivation in A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010); a star Lacrosse player in A Warrior’s Heart; one-half of a newlywed couple in Love, Wedding, Marriage (2011); and a fireman and paramedic in Arena (2011).

The 2011 epic fantasy film Immortals, in which he starred as Poseidon alongside Luke Evans’ Zeus and Henry Cavill’s Theseus, was a box-office hit, despite being poorly received by the critics. In Syrup, the 2013 film adaptation of Max Barry’s novel of the same name, he played a character named Sneaky Pete. The English-language German project Tarzan (2013) was his first animated film.

The third instalment of The Expendables promised more action and a bigger ensemble cast. Released in 2014, it delivered just that. Kellan Lutz was cast as a former US marine and expert motorcyclist, who gets recruited by The Expendables team. He then portrayed Hercules in the 3-D action fantasy film The Legend of Hercules.

In 2015, he played William Shatner in the biopic Experimenter; co-hosted the short-lived game show Bullseye on Fox with comedian Godfrey; and worked with Bruce Willis and Gina Carano in Extraction. The following year, he received critical praise for his performance in the thriller film Money. He also appeared in the Australian film Science Fiction Volume One: The Osiris Child (2016).

In 2018, he was seen in the science fiction horror thriller film Guardians of the Tomb.

Since 2020, Kellan Lutz has been a part of CBS’s series FBI: Most Wanted, in which he is portraying the character of FBI Special Agent Kenny Crosby.

The immensely successful 2008 release Twilight not only served as the breakout film for Kellan Lutz, but also it did the same for Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and various other members of the cast. Lutz’s Emmett Cullen is a tall, muscular, intimidating vampire who, despite his imposing appearance, has a rather likeable personality. He reprised the role in all of three sequels of the film, which earned $3.43 billion in aggregate at the box office.

Kellan Lutz’s outing as Emmett Cullen in the Twilight Saga won him several Teen Choice Awards over the course of four years. He received the Choice Movie Male Scene Stealer Award in 2010, for The Twilight Saga: New Moon, in 2011, for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, and in 2013, for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. He was also nominated in 2012, under the same category for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 but lost to Liam Hemsworth who played Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games (2012).

For The Legend of Hercules (2014), he was honored with the Super Superhero Award. Interestingly, he was also nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards for the role: Worst Actor Award and Worst Screen Combo Award.

In the past, Kellan Lutz has dated actresses Kayla Ewell and AnnaLynne McCord and model Brittany Ward. In 2016, he met TV host Brittany Gonzales. After a year of dating, Lutz confirmed their engagement during an appearance on Steve Harvey’s talk show. The episode aired on October 3, 2017.

Kellan Lutz and Brittany Gonzales announced their marriage on November 23, 2017. They were blessed with a daughter, Ashtyn Lilly Lutz, on February 22, 2021. In February 2022, they announced that they are expecting their second child. In August 2022, the couple were blessed with a baby boy, Kasen.

As an active member of the community, Kellan Lutz is involved with Saving Innocence charity, which focuses on rescuing and rehabilitating child victims of sexual abuse in America. GQ recognized his exemplary work for the organization by naming him Gentleman of the Year in 2014. Having been an active member since 2011, he donates money to them on his birthdays and runs various fundraisers.

Lutz has been associated with the animal charity PETA for years. He starred in one of their campaigns promoting the adoption of animals rather than purchasing them. He has also lent support to Ape Action Africa, a primate conservation effort working in West Africa.

In the Twilight Saga films, Kellan Lutz was originally supposed to play Edward, which ultimately went to Robert Pattinson as Lutz was busy filming Generation Kill at the time.

He is a practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai.