An actor, producer, and director from South Africa, Sharlto Copley is noted for producing and co-directing many short films that have been showcased at the Cannes Film Festival. After appearing in a few short films titled Yellow (2006) and Alive in Joburg (2006), which were his own production ventures, Copley rose to fame on the silver screen with his role in the sci-fi action horror film District 9 (2009). He later teamed up with Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper and Quinton Jackson for the action comedy film The A-Team (2010). His role as Capt. H.M. 'Howling Mad' Murdock.

Copley's other notable film credits include Elysium (2013), The Snow Queen 2: The Snow King (2014) where he featured as a voice actor and lent his voice to the character named Orm and Gringo (2018), an American action comedy directed by Nash Edgerton. Apart from films, Copley also starred in a TV series named Powers (2015-16).