Natalie Wihongi: From Film Makeup Artist to Hollywood Star Karl Urban’s Wife, How Has She Been Doing in the 10 Years Since Their Divorce?

In 2004, Lord of the Rings actor Karl Urban married his long-time partner Natalie Wihongi. They met on the set of The Privateers, where Karl played the lead role and Natalie worked as his makeup artist. They quickly became friends and shortly after it blossomed into something more.

Unfortunately, the union didn’t last long. In 2014, the couple decided to separate due to private reasons.

While there’s plenty of information available about Karl Urban, Natalie Wihongi remains somewhat of a mystery. Let’s take a closer look at her life and career beyond her relationship with the famous actor.

Who Is Natalie Wihongi?

Natalie Wihongi is a makeup artist from New Zealand. She’s best known as Karl Urban’s ex-wife, a New Zealand actor known for his performances in The Lord of the Rings (2003), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and The Boys (2019).

Image source: Google

Apart from her career and relationship with Karl Urban, not much is known about Natalie Wihongi. In fact, we don’t even have confirmation of her exact birth date; some sources state she was born on March 8, 1972, while others say it was on July 15.

Early Life

Natalie Wihongi was born in Auckland, New Zealand in the 1970s. Her father was a businessman and her mother was a housewife. Her younger brother, Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi, born on March 27, 1995, currently plays for the Isthmian League North Division club as a professional footballer.

Image source: Google

Natalie studied at Epsom Girl’s Grammar School, then later attended a local high school in Auckland. From a young age, she displayed a passion for the arts, specifically for makeup. After completing high school, she went on a course for makeup artistry.

Career

Upon finishing her course, Natalie went on to work as a makeup artist. She traveled to Los Angeles in the late 90s, and in the year 2000, she began working for big-budget film productions.

Her first professional makeup job was in the film The Privateers. She also worked as the main makeup artist for the movie Rain (2001), which starred Marton Csokas, Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki, and Sarah Peirse.

In addition to movies, she regularly received jobs from various modeling agencies as a makeup artist.

How Did Natalie Wihongi Meet Karl Urban?

Natalie Wihongi and Karl Urban met on the set of The Privateers. Karl played one of the main protagonists, and Natalie, as his primary makeup artist, worked closely with him. They became friends and started dating shortly after.

A couple months into their relationship, the couple welcomed their firstborn son, Hunter Urban.

Natalie and Karl tied the knot in September 2004. Natalie gave birth to her second-born son, Indiana, in January 2004.

Image source: Pinterest

Hunter was born during the filming of The Lord of the Rings, and Karl found himself torn between rushing home or staying on set. In the end, his colleague Brad Dourif stepped in and “ordered” him to go home.

Why Did Natalie Wihongi and Karl Urban separate?

After 10 years of marriage, Natalie Wihongi and Karl Urban decided to separate in June 2014.

When asked to elaborate further, Karl asked that “people respect [their] family’s privacy” and had no further comments.

The divorce took a toll on the couple’s finances, leading to the sale of their Herne Bay mansion for NZ$6.65 million. Details about their separation, as well as the custody of their children and child support, are kept private.

Image source: Google

Karl got together with Riddick co-star Katee Sackhoff a few months after his divorce from Natalie, and the duo stayed together for five years until they broke up in 2019.

As of 2024, there aren’t any details of Natalie’s current relationship as well as Karl’s. As far as the public knows, Carl is currently single. Natalie once dated a man and posted a photo together on Facebook, but we cannot know their current situation because she hasn’t updated her Facebook for a long time.

 

What Is Natalie Wihongi’s Net Worth?

Natalie Wihongi is a well-known makeup artist and has worked with major stars like David Jean Thomas, Cate Blanchett, and Kerry Washington, as well as major productions and movies.

Her net worth is estimated to be between $500,000 to $1 million. Monthly and annual earnings are unknown, as well as any other information about her investments and business ventures (if she has any).

Private Life

Natalie Wihongi lives a private life. As far as we know, she does not have any social media other than Facebook, but Facebook has been suspended for a long time now.

Natalie’s younger brother, Te Atawhai Wihongi, is fairly active on Instagram @teewihongi, but he has yet to post pictures of him and his sister. Most of his posts are about his trips to various countries, his girlfriend, and his career as a footballer.

Natalie’s children, Hunter and Indiana, also don’t appear to be active on social media. Karl rarely discusses his children as well, likely out of respect for their privacy. He also seldom mentions Natalie, which is understandable given that they separated over ten years ago.

Image source: Google

That said, some articles do mention that Natalie has several hobbies she partakes in (although the validity of these claims is somewhat questionable). According to sources, Natalie likes to paint, read, garden, and hike in her free time.

Wrapping Up

Natalie Wihongi is a makeup artist and Karl Urban’s ex-wife. They were together for 10 years and had two sons before their separation in 2014.

Natalie is a private person and doesn’t share details about her personal life online. She doesn’t have Instagram or any other type of social media, only shared on Facebook a long time ago, and doesn’t have other websites like LinkedIn or job sites. We also don’t know about her current relationship status, whether she’s single, in a relationship, or married.

However, we can assume that she still currently works as a successful makeup artist, as she occasionally gets mentioned in social media posts, thanking her for a job well done on set.