Ivan Kamaras (born 22 December 1972) is a Hungarian actor who became first known worldwide for his role as Agent Steel in the 2008 superhero fantasy thriller Hellboy II: The Golden Army, directed by Guillermo del Toro. In January 2011, he played a Hungarian detective, Tibor Orban, in Bloodlines, the fourth episode in the 14th series of the BBC crime drama Silent Witness. In 2014 he played the role of Rasputin in the two-part History Channel miniseries Houdini. He lives in Santa Monica, California.

Biography

Kamarás was born and raised in Pécs, Hungary. His mother, Teodóra Uhrik, and his stepfather, Pál Lovas, were both ballet dancers, and much of his childhood was spent in theatres. When he was seven, the family acquired a recording of the 1980 BBC production of Hamlet starring Derek Jacobi as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart as Claudius. Kamarás fell in love with the role of Hamlet and within two or three years had learned Hamlet's monologues from the play by heart. He was in elementary school when he became a regular member of an amateur acting company and by the time he was in high school he played his first serious role in a performance of the Pecs Chamber Theater. From 1991 to 1995, he studied at the Academy of Theatre and Film in Budapest.

Following that he worked for some major theatrical companies and alternative theater groups in addition to becoming one of Hungary's leading actors. By 2009 he was still performing on stage at various theaters but he felt a strong desire to concentrate more on movies. To further develop himself in this area and gain international exposure he decided to move to the United States. First he studied directing then he took several film making and acting courses for a number of years. Based on his Hungarian and American studies and experience he teaches acting classes at the first accredited Hungarian school specialized in training movie actors, which opened its doors to students in the fall of 2012.

His hobbies include sports and fitness training. He likes to promote charitable causes. Since 2014 he is an Ambassador for the "Keznyom" campaign of SOS Children's Villages in Hungary.