Grant Bowler
A versatile New Zealand-Australian actor who found success playing rugged, complex characters in gritty TV dramas across continents.
Born 1968 (age 58)·New Zealand–Australian actor·Birthday: July 18·Generation X
Biography
Grant Bowler possesses the kind of grounded, weathered presence that makes him a natural for roles demanding grit and resilience. Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, he built a steady career on both sides of the Tasman before breaking into international television. He first caught significant attention as the tough, resourceful oilman Wolé Parks in the New Zealand drama Outrageous Fortune. This led to a starring role in the Australian prison series Blue Water High and, most notably, as the morally conflicted werewolf Cooter in HBO's True Blood. His turn as the demanding expedition leader on the reality competition The Contender Asia showcased his real-life intensity. Bowler's strength is his ability to anchor genre pieces—from sci-fi in Defiance to westerns like The Man from Snowy River—with a palpable sense of lived-in authenticity.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Grant was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Grant Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Grant's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Starred as the lead, Nolan, in the Syfy television series Defiance, which was paired with a major multiplayer online game.
- Played a recurring role as werewolf packmaster Cooter on the hit HBO series True Blood.
- Won critical praise for his performance as Wolé Parks in the long-running New Zealand drama Outrageous Fortune.
- Hosted the first season of the Australian version of The Contender, a boxing reality competition series.
Did You Know?
He is a licensed pilot and has flown small aircraft.
Bowler worked as a television presenter early in his career, hosting shows like The Great Outdoors.
He studied at the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney.
He played the role of 'Lazslo' in the 2011 film Killer Elite alongside Jason Statham and Clive Owen.
“I'm drawn to characters who are deeply flawed but fighting for something.”
