This talented Irish actor was born in Dublin in 1972. He attended the Gaiety School of Acting and helped out in several of the productions the school put on. Stuart became a theatre actor and played Val in a critically aclaimed production of Orpheus Descending.
Townsend was spotted during a performance by director Michael Rymer. He went on to act in a variety of movies, everything from romantic comedy to gangster shoot ‘em up. He has proved time and time again that he is an extremely versatle and talented actor, capable of playing any role imaginable.
Stuart will star as the vampire Lestat in the upcoming Queen of the Damned (2001), the sequel to Interview with the Vampire (1994). Although there are some controversial elements to this movie’s production, the fantastic and devoted Vampire Chronicles fans, as well as Anne Rice, the author of the books Interview with a Vampire and Queen of the Damned, have voiced thier support to Stuart being cast as Lestat. Extras on the set of Queen of the Damned noticed he was always playing with instruments for Lestat’s band during breaks! Warner Bros. has sent him to the recording studio to create some songs that may even appear on the movie soundtrack.
Currently Stuart is working on two movies, Payback All-Star Revue, the (2001) a comedy were Stuart plays the ringleader to a gang of criminals who pretend to be musicians in order to steal 100 million dollars from the casino their band is playing at. The movie is directed by Srdjan Dragojevic and written by Alan Sereboff.
The other movie is 24 Hours (2002), a kidnapping thriller. This movie, which is scripted by Greg Iles, is a story about two parents (Townsend and Theron) who take it upon themselves to rescue their kidnapped daughter (Dakota Fanning) from experienced nappers, Kevin Bacon and Courtney Love